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The time has come to start judging Alexander Isak equitably as a £125m Liverpool centre forward, the Liverpool head coach remarked on Friday. Therefore, evaluation needs to be severe, but as the UK's most expensive footballer sat alongside Mohamed Salah on the Liverpool substitutes while the Premier League champions tried in vain to force an equaliser versus Manchester United without them, it was not the manager's misfiring forward line that warranted the harshest blame at the stadium. His defensive foundation has disappeared.

Anonymous Display from Star Forwards

Yes, the Swedish striker was largely unnoticeable in the No 9 role and Salah subpar once more as his individual toils continued against the team he usually scores against. The Sweden international had his first attempt on goal in the Premier League as a Reds member in the 35th minute, excellently denied by United’s new goalkeeper the young keeper. Salah missed a glorious second-half chance facing the Kop and could not protest when their substitution eventually. Cody Gakpo also struck the crossbar three times and inexplicably was unable to net a second moments after Harry Maguire’s winner.

Unthinkable Loss Despite Opportunities

It seemed unthinkable for the hosts to lose a game in which they created so many chances, the manager remarked. But it is possible with a backline in current state, as one opponent, another rival and now Manchester United have demonstrated.

Backline Breakdown During Pressure

While overseeing a fourth successive loss as the club's head coach, the first man to achieve this since Brendan Rodgers in November 2014, the coach must have been frustrated at a defensive performance that invited United to dominate as well as their initial win at Anfield since January 2016. Filled with the same mistakes that Liverpool’s management had focused on fixing after the pause, including yet another dead-ball goal, it was a display that completely undermined the title holders' after halftime comeback and lost them the match.

Advantage Lost Even with Improvement

The upper hand was finally with the home side when Gakpo cancelled out Bryan Mbeumo’s quick breakthrough. The Merseyside club could feel one more late victory with substitutes Hugo Ekitiké, Curtis Jones and Federico Chiesa igniting progress and the opposition in retreat. Instead, it was another last-gasp top-flight defeat, the third in succession, after Liverpool’s set-piece weaknesses resurfaced and Maguire found himself among several opposition players free behind Ibrahima Konaté in the closing stages.

Purposeful Opposition Excel

A thumping header into the net that Maguire missed in the dying seconds of last season’s tie gave Ruben Amorim the finest win of his challenging United tenure. For all the criticism around the coach it was his team that played with obvious strategy and a smartly implemented approach for the bulk of a compelling contest. The initial consecutive league victories of the manager's reign were the result. The Liverpool team again looked like unfamiliar at points, particularly when conceding a set-piece score for the fifth time in the division this season.

Early Goal Exposes Defensive Flaws

The home side were found wanting from the inception to the finish of the attacker's quick-fire first goal. There was little impact on the first header from Virgil van Dijk, a likely result of having to pass opponents to reach the pass, admittedly, and no pressure on the playmaker when he took possession and released the winger in open area on the right flank. Milos Kerkez was slow to respond, the centre-back slow to recover and follow Mbeumo’s run while Giorgi Mamardashvili, deputising for the injured Alisson in goal, was easily beaten from the angle.

Officiating and Focus Questions

Slot could justifiably point to his decisions and ask where the foul was from the referee, an official with whom he has a contentious past, but also doubt the focus and coordination levels his defenders. Mbeumo’s goal means Slot’s side have managed only two clean sheets in a dozen games so far, the most recent occurring eight games previously at Burnley.

Constant Targeting of Defensive Side

United carved open the left flank frequently in a first half in which the midfielder, another player and also the attacker all nearly scored to increasing the away team's advantage. Releasing the winger quickly against the full-back was clearly in the manager's tactic. It succeeded time and again in the opening half. The £40m summer signing from his former club experienced a further tough evening in a club shirt. Set-pieces were even a issue for the previous player's chosen successor, who nearly sent the forward through while attempting one challenge. The defender and Van Dijk seem on different wavelengths at the moment.

Manager’s Explanation and Admission

“Our approach involves a lot of gambles,” the head coach explained following United’s win. “After the second half we had multiple offensive players on the pitch. That’s maybe why our structure for the set-piece was less organized as we typically are. Usually we would have more defending personnel on the field. Perhaps it is a fluke but it is not an excuse. The team understands we have to do better.”