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It is now appropriate to commence assessing Alexander Isak equitably as a £125m Anfield striker, Arne Slot remarked on the weekend. As such, the assessment should be critical, but as Britain’s highest-priced player sat alongside Mohamed Salah on the Reds substitutes while the English top-flight champions attempted unsuccessfully to secure an equaliser against Manchester United in their absence, it was not the manager's misfiring attack that warranted the fiercest scrutiny at the stadium. His defence has vanished.

Quiet Display from Star Attackers

Yes, Isak was predominantly quiet in the centre-forward position and Salah again poor as his individual toils continued versus the team he typically plunders. The Sweden player had his first attempt on goal in the Premier League as a Liverpool player in the first half, excellently denied by United’s new goalkeeper Senne Lammens. The forward missed a golden after the break opportunity facing the home end and neither complain when their substitution eventually. Cody Gakpo also struck the woodwork on multiple occasions and inexplicably failed to net a another goal moments after Harry Maguire’s decisive goal.

Unthinkable Defeat Despite Opportunities

It should have been unthinkable for Liverpool to lose a match in which they generated plenty of chances, the manager claimed. But it is not impossible with a defence in such condition, as Crystal Palace, another rival and currently United have demonstrated.

Backline Breakdown During Pressure

While overseeing a fourth successive defeat as Liverpool manager, the first person to achieve this after a previous manager in November 2014, Slot must have despaired at a backline effort that invited the visitors to take the initiative as well as their first victory at the ground since January 2016. Filled with the identical errors that Liverpool’s management had focused on fixing after the pause, featuring yet another set-piece goal, it was a performance that totally derailed the champions’ after halftime recovery and cost them the game.

Momentum Lost Even with Uptick

The upper hand was finally with the hosts when the substitute equalized Bryan Mbeumo’s quick opener. Liverpool could feel one more last-minute win with replacements one attacker, a midfielder and Federico Chiesa igniting improvement and United in defensive mode. Rather, it was another last-gasp Premier League loss, the third straight, after Liverpool’s dead-ball frailties resurfaced and Maguire found himself among several United members unmarked behind Ibrahima Konaté in the 84th minute.

Purposeful Opposition Excel

A powerful goal into the net that the player blazed over in the dying seconds of the previous campaign's 2-2 draw gave Ruben Amorim the finest win of his turbulent club reign. Despite the criticism around Amorim it was his team that performed with clear purpose and a well-executed approach for the bulk of a thrilling contest. The first consecutive Premier League wins of the manager's reign were the outcome. The Liverpool side once more looked like strangers at times, particularly when conceding a set-piece score for the fifth time in the Premier League the current campaign.

Quick Goal Reveals Backline Issues

The home side were lacking from the start to the finish of the attacker's 62-second first goal. There was no purchase on the first header from the captain, a probable result of having to go through two players to reach the pass, to be fair, and no pressure on the playmaker when he received the ball and passed to the winger in space on the right. Milos Kerkez was slow to respond, the centre-back slow to recover and follow the forward's movement while the goalkeeper, filling in for the unavailable Alisson in net, was easily beaten from the position.

Officiating and Focus Issues

Slot could justifiably question his decisions and ask where the whistle was from Michael Oliver, an official with whom he has a feisty history, but also doubt the focus and communication among his defenders. The forward's goal means the team have kept only two clean sheets in 12 matches this season, the last coming many matches previously at another ground.

Repeated Exploitation of Left Flank

The visitors carved open the left side repeatedly in a opening period in which the midfielder, another player and also Gakpo all came close to increasing the away team's advantage. Releasing the winger quickly against Kerkez was clearly in Amorim’s strategy. It worked time and again in the opening 45 minutes. The £40m new arrival from Bournemouth experienced a further difficult evening in a Liverpool jersey. Set-pieces were even a issue for Andy Robertson’s replacement, who almost sent Mbeumo through while attempting an challenge. The defender and the captain seem on not in sync at present.

Manager’s Explanation and Admission

“Our approach involves a many gambles,” the head coach commented following the opposition's win. “Following the second half we had six or seven offensive players on the field. That’s perhaps why our structure for the dead-ball was not as perfect as we usually are. Usually we would have more defending personnel on the pitch. Perhaps it is a fluke but it is not an excuse. We know we have to improve.”