🔗 Share this article

The time has come to commence assessing Alexander Isak justly as a £125 million Anfield centre forward, the Liverpool head coach stated on Friday. Therefore, judgment must be harsh, but as Britain’s costliest footballer was seated next to Mohamed Salah on the Liverpool substitutes while the Premier League champions tried in vain to secure an equaliser against their rivals in their absence, it was not the manager's underperforming attack that earned the strongest scrutiny at Anfield. The team's defence has vanished.

Anonymous Display from Key Forwards

Yes, Isak was predominantly anonymous in the No 9 position and the Egyptian winger again poor as his personal struggles persisted versus the team he often plunders. The Swedish international had his initial shot on target in the Premier League as a Liverpool player in the 35th minute, excellently denied by United’s new goalkeeper the young keeper. Salah wasted a golden second-half chance facing the home end and could not complain when their numbers came up. Cody Gakpo also struck the woodwork on multiple occasions and inexplicably was unable to net a another goal shortly after Harry Maguire’s decisive goal.

Unthinkable Loss Despite Opportunities

It seemed impossible for Liverpool to lose a match in which they generated so many chances, Slot remarked. But it is not impossible with a backline in this form, as one opponent, Chelsea and now Manchester United have demonstrated.

Defensive Collapse During Pressure

As he presided over a fourth straight loss as the club's head coach, the first man to achieve this after a previous manager in November 2014, the coach must have been frustrated at a defence display that allowed United to take the initiative as well as their first victory at the ground since January 2016. Filled with the identical errors that the team's management had focused on fixing after the international break, including yet another set-piece goal, it was a display that totally derailed the title holders' second half recovery and cost them the game.

Momentum Squandered Despite Improvement

The upper hand was finally with the home side when the substitute cancelled out the forward's early breakthrough. Liverpool could feel one more late win with replacements one attacker, Curtis Jones and another forward sparking progress and United in defensive mode. Rather, it was a further last-gasp Premier League loss, the third straight, after the team's dead-ball weaknesses resurfaced and Maguire found himself among several United members free behind Ibrahima Konaté in the closing stages.

Organized Rivals Outperform

A thumping header into the net that the player missed in the dying seconds of the previous campaign's 2-2 draw gave the United manager the finest victory of his challenging club tenure. For all the criticism around the coach it was his squad that performed with definite plan and a well-executed plan for the majority of a compelling encounter. The first consecutive league victories of Amorim’s reign were the outcome. The Liverpool side once more appeared like strangers at points, especially when conceding a set-piece score for the fifth occasion in the Premier League this season.

Early Opener Exposes Backline Issues

The home side were exposed from the inception to the execution of the attacker's quick-fire first goal. There was no purchase on the initial header from the captain, a likely result of having to go through two players to connect with the ball, admittedly, and little challenge on the playmaker when he took possession and passed to the winger in space on the right. Milos Kerkez was slow to react, the centre-back slow to track back and follow Mbeumo’s run while Giorgi Mamardashvili, filling in for the injured first-choice keeper in net, was comfortably beaten from the position.

Refereeing and Focus Issues

Slot could reasonably point to his decisions and wonder where the whistle was from Michael Oliver, an referee with whom he has a contentious past, but also doubt the focus and coordination among his backline. The forward's strike means Slot’s team have kept only two clean sheets in 12 matches this season, the most recent coming many matches ago at another ground.

Constant Targeting of Defensive Side

The visitors exposed the left side repeatedly in a first half in which the midfielder, another player and even the attacker all nearly scored to doubling the visitors’ lead. Releasing the winger early against the full-back was obviously in Amorim’s gameplan. It succeeded repeatedly in the opening half. The £40 million new arrival from Bournemouth endured a further tough match in a club shirt. Throw-ins were even a issue for Andy Robertson’s replacement, who nearly put Mbeumo through while attempting one interception. The defender and Van Dijk appear on not in sync at the moment.

Coach's Analysis and Admission

“We take a lot of gambles,” the head coach explained following the opposition's win. “Following the 62nd minute we had six or seven offensive members on the field. That’s maybe why our organization for the set-piece was less organized as we usually are. Usually we would have additional defending players on the field. Maybe it is a fluke but it is no justification. The team understands we have to improve.”