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It is now appropriate to start judging Alexander Isak justly as a £125m Anfield centre forward, Arne Slot stated on the weekend. In that case, evaluation needs to be severe, but as the UK's costliest player was seated alongside Mohamed Salah on the Reds bench while the English top-flight champions tried in vain to force an equaliser against Manchester United without them, it was not the manager's misfiring attack that earned the fiercest blame at Anfield. His defence has evaporated.

Quiet Performance from Key Attackers

Yes, the Swedish striker was largely unnoticeable in the centre-forward role and the Egyptian winger subpar once more as his personal struggles continued against the club he typically plunders. The Sweden player had his initial attempt on goal in the Premier League as a Liverpool member in the 35th minute, smartly stopped by the opposition's new goalkeeper Senne Lammens. The forward missed a golden second-half chance in front of the Kop and neither protest when their substitution were shown. The Dutch attacker also hit the crossbar three times and somehow was unable to net a another goal shortly after the defender's winner.

Impossible Loss In Spite of Chances

It ought to have been unthinkable for Liverpool to lose a match in which they generated plenty of opportunities, the manager claimed. But it is possible with a backline in current state, as Crystal Palace, another rival and now Manchester United have proven.

Defensive Breakdown During Scrutiny

As he presided over a fourth consecutive defeat as Liverpool manager, the first man to do so since Brendan Rodgers in November 2014, the coach must have felt dismayed at a backline effort that allowed the visitors to seize control as well as their first victory at Anfield since January 2016. Filled with the same mistakes that the team's management had focused on solving following the international break, featuring yet another set-piece score, it was a display that totally derailed the title holders' after halftime recovery and cost them the game.

Advantage Lost Despite Improvement

The upper hand was finally with the home side when Gakpo equalized Bryan Mbeumo’s quick breakthrough. Liverpool could feel another last-minute win with replacements Hugo Ekitiké, Curtis Jones and another forward igniting progress and the opposition in defensive mode. Rather, it was a further late top-flight defeat, the third straight, after Liverpool’s dead-ball weaknesses re-emerged and Maguire found himself one of three United players free behind Ibrahima Konaté in the closing stages.

Purposeful Rivals Outperform

A powerful header into the net that the player blazed over in the final moments of last season’s tie gave the United manager the finest victory of his challenging club reign. For all the criticism surrounding the coach it was his squad that performed with definite plan and a well-executed approach for the bulk of a compelling encounter. The first back-to-back Premier League wins of Amorim’s reign were the outcome. Slot’s team once more looked like strangers at times, especially when conceding a dead-ball score for the fifth occasion in the Premier League the current campaign.

Quick Opener Exposes Backline Issues

Liverpool were found wanting from the start to the execution of the attacker's 62-second first goal. There was little impact on the first attempt from Virgil van Dijk, a probable consequence of having to go through opponents to connect with the pass, admittedly, and little challenge on the playmaker when he received the ball and released Amad Diallo in open area on the right. the defender was slow to respond, Van Dijk slow to track back and follow Mbeumo’s run while the goalkeeper, deputising for the unavailable first-choice keeper in net, was comfortably beaten from the angle.

Officiating and Concentration Issues

The manager could justifiably question his decisions and wonder where the foul was from Michael Oliver, an official with whom he has a contentious history, but also doubt the focus and coordination among his defenders. The forward's strike indicates the side have kept only a couple of clean sheets in 12 matches so far, the most recent coming eight games ago at another ground.

Repeated Exploitation of Defensive Side

United carved open Liverpool’s left flank repeatedly in a opening period in which the midfielder, another player and also the attacker all came close to doubling the visitors’ lead. Sending the winger quickly versus Kerkez was clearly part of the manager's tactic. It succeeded repeatedly in the first 45 minutes. The £40 million new arrival from his former club experienced a further difficult match in a club jersey. Throw-ins were even a problem for Andy Robertson’s replacement, who nearly sent the forward through while attempting one challenge. The defender and the captain appear on not in sync at present.

Manager’s Analysis and Admission

“We take a many risks,” the head coach explained after United’s victory. “After the second half we had six or seven attacking members on the pitch. That’s maybe why our organization for the dead-ball was less organized as we typically are. Normally we would have additional defensive personnel on the field. Maybe it is a fluke but it is no justification. We know we have to do better.”