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It is now appropriate to start judging Alexander Isak justly as a record-breaking Anfield attacker, Arne Slot stated on the weekend. In that case, the assessment should be critical, but as Britain’s costliest player sat alongside Mohamed Salah on the Reds bench while the Premier League champions struggled to force an leveler against Manchester United without them, it was not the manager's underperforming offence that deserved the fiercest scrutiny at Anfield. His backline structure has vanished.

Quiet Performance from Star Forwards

Indeed, the Swedish striker was predominantly quiet in the No 9 position and Salah again poor as his personal struggles continued versus the club he typically plunders. The Swedish player had his initial attempt on goal in the Premier League as a Liverpool member in the 35th minute, smartly stopped by United’s new goalkeeper Senne Lammens. The forward missed a golden second-half chance in front of the home end and neither protest when their substitution eventually. The Dutch attacker also hit the crossbar on multiple occasions and inexplicably was unable to score a second shortly after the defender's winner.

Impossible Defeat Despite Chances

It ought to have been impossible for Liverpool to lose a match in which they generated so many chances, Slot stated. But it is not impossible with a defence in such condition, as one opponent, Chelsea and currently United have shown.

Defensive Collapse During Scrutiny

While overseeing a fourth consecutive defeat as Liverpool head coach, the first person to achieve this since a previous manager in November 2014, the coach must have felt dismayed at a backline effort that invited United to take the initiative as well as their first victory at the ground since January 2016. Filled with the repeated issues that Liverpool’s management had focused on solving after the international break, including yet another dead-ball score, it was a performance that totally derailed the title holders' second half recovery and lost them the game.

Advantage Squandered Despite Improvement

The upper hand was at last with the hosts when Gakpo equalized the forward's quick breakthrough. Liverpool could sense one more late victory with replacements Hugo Ekitiké, a midfielder and another forward sparking progress and the opposition in retreat. Instead, it was a further last-gasp top-flight defeat, the third in succession, after Liverpool’s dead-ball weaknesses resurfaced and the defender found himself among several opposition players unmarked past Ibrahima Konaté in the 84th minute.

Purposeful Rivals Outperform

A thumping goal into the net that Maguire blazed over in the final moments of last season’s tie gave Ruben Amorim the finest win of his challenging club tenure. Despite the negativity around Amorim it was his team that performed with obvious strategy and a well-executed plan for the bulk of a compelling encounter. The initial consecutive Premier League victories of the manager's reign were the result. Slot’s team again appeared like strangers at points, particularly when allowing a set-piece score for the fifth occasion in the Premier League the current campaign.

Quick Opener Exposes Backline Flaws

The home side were lacking from the start to the execution of Mbeumo’s 62-second first goal. There was no purchase on the first header from the captain, a likely result of having to pass opponents to reach the pass, admittedly, and no pressure on the playmaker when he received the ball and released Amad Diallo in space on the right. Milos Kerkez was slow to respond, Van Dijk delayed to track back and mark the forward's movement while the goalkeeper, filling in for the unavailable Alisson in goal, was comfortably beaten from the position.

Refereeing and Focus Questions

The manager could justifiably point to his decisions and ask where the whistle was from Michael Oliver, an official with whom he has a feisty history, but also question the concentration and communication levels his defenders. The forward's goal indicates the side have managed only a couple of shutouts in 12 matches this season, the last occurring many matches previously at another ground.

Repeated Exploitation of Left Flank

The visitors carved open the left side frequently in a opening period in which the midfielder, another player and even Gakpo all came close to doubling the visitors’ advantage. Sending Diallo early versus the full-back was obviously in Amorim’s strategy. It worked time and again in the first half. The £40 million summer signing from Bournemouth experienced another tough evening in a Liverpool jersey. Set-pieces were also a issue for Andy Robertson’s chosen successor, who almost put Mbeumo through while making one interception. The defender and the captain seem on different wavelengths at the moment.

Coach's Explanation and Acknowledgment

“We take a lot of gambles,” Slot explained after United’s win. “After the 62nd minute we had six or seven attacking players on the field. That’s perhaps why our structure for the set-piece was not as perfect as we usually are. Normally we would have additional defending personnel on the pitch. Perhaps it is a fluke but it is not an excuse. The team understands we have to improve.”