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The time has come to commence assessing Alexander Isak fairly as a record-breaking Anfield striker, Arne Slot remarked on Friday. In that case, the assessment should be critical, but as Britain’s costliest player was seated alongside Mohamed Salah on the Reds substitutes while the English top-flight champions attempted unsuccessfully to secure an equaliser against their rivals without them, it was not the manager's misfiring forward line that earned the strongest blame at the stadium. His defensive foundation has evaporated.

Quiet Display from Star Forwards

Yes, Isak was largely anonymous in the No 9 position and the Egyptian winger disappointing again as his individual toils continued against the team he usually scores against. The Swedish player had his initial shot on target in the top division as a Liverpool member in the 35th minute, excellently denied by the opposition's latest goalkeeper Senne Lammens. The forward wasted a glorious after the break chance facing the Kop and neither protest when their numbers were shown. Cody Gakpo also hit the woodwork three times and inexplicably failed to score a another goal shortly after Harry Maguire’s winner.

Unthinkable Defeat In Spite of Opportunities

It ought to have been unthinkable for Liverpool to lose a match in which they generated so many chances, the manager stated. But it is possible with a backline in this form, as one opponent, Chelsea and currently Manchester United have shown.

Backline Collapse During Pressure

As he presided over a fourth consecutive loss as the club's head coach, the first man to do so after Brendan Rodgers in November 2014, the coach must have been frustrated at a backline effort that invited United to take the initiative as well as their initial win at the ground since January 2016. Littered with the identical errors that Liverpool’s management had focused on eradicating following the international break, featuring yet another set-piece goal, it was a performance that totally derailed the champions’ after halftime recovery and lost them the match.

Advantage Squandered Even with Uptick

The upper hand was finally with the home side when Gakpo equalized Bryan Mbeumo’s early opener. Liverpool could sense one more late win with replacements one attacker, Curtis Jones and another forward sparking progress and United in defensive mode. Instead, it was a further late top-flight defeat, the third straight, after Liverpool’s set-piece weaknesses re-emerged and Maguire found himself one of three opposition players unmarked past the centre-back in the 84th minute.

Purposeful Rivals Excel

A thumping goal into the goal that the player missed in the final moments of last season’s tie gave Ruben Amorim the best win of his challenging United reign. For all the negativity surrounding the coach it was his team that performed with obvious strategy and a smartly implemented approach for the majority of a compelling encounter. The first consecutive league wins of the manager's reign were the result. The Liverpool team once more looked like unfamiliar at points, particularly when conceding a set-piece goal for the fifth occasion in the Premier League the current campaign.

Early Opener Exposes Defensive Flaws

Liverpool were exposed from the start to the finish of the attacker's 62-second first goal. There was little impact on the initial header from Virgil van Dijk, a likely result of having to go through two players to connect with the pass, to be fair, and little challenge on Bruno Fernandes when he took possession and passed to Amad Diallo in space on the right. Milos Kerkez was slow to respond, Van Dijk delayed to recover and mark the forward's run while Giorgi Mamardashvili, filling in for the unavailable Alisson in net, was comfortably beaten from the angle.

Officiating and Concentration Questions

Slot could justifiably question his head and wonder why the foul was from the referee, an referee with whom he has a feisty history, but also question the concentration and communication levels his backline. Mbeumo’s strike means Slot’s team have kept only two shutouts in a dozen games so far, the most recent coming eight games ago at another ground.

Repeated Exploitation of Left Flank

The visitors exposed Liverpool’s left side repeatedly in a first half in which Fernandes, another player and even Gakpo all came close to doubling the away team's advantage. Releasing the winger early versus Kerkez was obviously in Amorim’s strategy. It worked repeatedly in the opening 45 minutes. The £40 million new arrival from his former club experienced another tough evening in a Liverpool shirt. Throw-ins were even a issue for the previous player's chosen successor, who nearly sent Mbeumo through while attempting an challenge. Kerkez and Van Dijk appear on different wavelengths at present.

Coach's Explanation and Acknowledgment

“Our approach involves a many risks,” the head coach commented following the opposition's victory. “After the second half we had six or seven offensive players on the field. That’s maybe why our organization for the dead-ball was less organized as we usually are. Usually we would have more defensive personnel on the field. Maybe it is a fluke but it is no justification. We know we have to do better.”