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The time has come to begin evaluating Alexander Isak justly as a £125m Anfield centre forward, Arne Slot commented on Friday. In that case, judgment must be harsh, but as the UK's highest-priced player was seated alongside Mohamed Salah on the Reds substitutes while the English top-flight title holders struggled to force an equaliser versus Manchester United without them, it was not the manager's misfiring attack that warranted the strongest criticism at Anfield. The team's defence has vanished.

Anonymous Display from Star Attackers

Yes, Isak was largely quiet in the No 9 role and the Egyptian winger disappointing again as his personal struggles persisted against the team he typically plunders. The Swedish player had his initial shot on target in the Premier League as a Reds player in the first half, well saved by the opposition's new shot-stopper Senne Lammens. The forward squandered a glorious after the break chance facing the home end and neither complain when their substitution were shown. The Dutch attacker also hit the woodwork three times and inexplicably failed to net a another goal shortly after the defender's winner.

Unthinkable Defeat Despite Chances

It should have been impossible for the hosts to lose a match in which they generated numerous chances, the manager claimed. But it is not impossible with a backline in current state, as one opponent, Chelsea and currently Manchester United have demonstrated.

Defensive Collapse During Pressure

While overseeing a fourth successive loss as the club's manager, the first person to achieve this since Brendan Rodgers in November 2014, the coach must have despaired at a defence display that allowed United to dominate as well as their first victory at Anfield in nearly a decade. Littered with the identical errors that Liverpool’s management had worked on eradicating after the pause, featuring another dead-ball goal, it was a performance that completely undermined the title holders' after halftime recovery and cost them the game.

Momentum Squandered Despite Improvement

The upper hand was at last with the hosts when the substitute equalized Bryan Mbeumo’s early breakthrough. The Merseyside club could feel another late victory with replacements Hugo Ekitiké, Curtis Jones and another forward sparking improvement and United in defensive mode. Rather, it was another last-gasp top-flight defeat, the third straight, after the team's set-piece weaknesses resurfaced and the defender found himself one of three opposition players unmarked past the centre-back in the closing stages.

Purposeful Rivals Outperform

A powerful header into the net that Maguire blazed over in the final moments of the previous campaign's 2-2 draw gave the United manager the best victory of his challenging United tenure. Despite the criticism surrounding Amorim it was his team that performed with obvious strategy and a smartly implemented plan for the bulk of a thrilling encounter. The first back-to-back Premier League victories of Amorim’s reign were the outcome. Slot’s side once more looked like unfamiliar at times, particularly when conceding a dead-ball score for the fifth time in the Premier League the current campaign.

Quick Goal Exposes Defensive Flaws

The home side were exposed from the inception to the finish of Mbeumo’s 62-second opener. There was no purchase on the first header from the captain, a likely consequence of having to go through opponents to reach the pass, to be fair, and no pressure on the playmaker when he received the ball and passed to Amad Diallo in open area on the right flank. the defender was late to react, Van Dijk slow to recover and mark Mbeumo’s run while the goalkeeper, filling in for the injured Alisson in goal, was easily beaten from the angle.

Officiating and Focus Questions

Slot could reasonably question his decisions and ask where the foul was from the referee, an referee with whom he has a contentious history, but also doubt the concentration and communication among his defenders. The forward's goal indicates the side have managed only a couple of shutouts in a dozen games so far, the most recent occurring eight games previously at Burnley.

Repeated Exploitation of Left Flank

The visitors carved open the left flank repeatedly in a opening period in which Fernandes, another player and even the attacker all came close to increasing the away team's lead. Sending the winger early versus the full-back was clearly part of the manager's strategy. It succeeded repeatedly in the first 45 minutes. The £40 million new arrival from Bournemouth experienced a further tough match in a Liverpool shirt. Set-pieces were also a problem for the previous player's replacement, who almost sent the forward in on goal while making an interception. The defender and the captain appear on not in sync at present.

Coach's Explanation and Acknowledgment

“Our approach involves a lot of risks,” Slot commented after the opposition's victory. “Following the second half we had six or seven offensive players on the pitch. That’s maybe why our organization for the set-piece was not as perfect as we typically are. Normally we would have more defending players on the pitch. Maybe it is a coincidence but it is no justification. We know we have to do better.”