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The time has come to start judging Alexander Isak fairly as a £125m Liverpool attacker, Arne Slot commented on Friday. In that case, judgment must be harsh, but as the UK's costliest footballer sat alongside Mohamed Salah on the Reds substitutes while the English top-flight champions attempted unsuccessfully to force an equaliser versus Manchester United without them, it was not Slot’s misfiring attack that earned the harshest criticism at Anfield. The team's backline structure has vanished.

Anonymous Performance from Star Forwards

Yes, the Swedish striker was predominantly anonymous in the No 9 position and Salah again poor as his personal struggles persisted against the club he typically plunders. The Sweden player had his initial attempt on goal in the top division as a Reds player in the first half, smartly stopped by United’s latest shot-stopper Senne Lammens. Salah wasted a excellent second-half opportunity in front of the Kop and could not complain when their substitution came up. The Dutch attacker also hit the crossbar on multiple occasions and somehow failed to net a second moments after the defender's winner.

Unthinkable Defeat In Spite of Chances

It should have been unthinkable for the hosts to be defeated in a match in which they created numerous chances, the manager claimed. But it is possible with a defence in such condition, as Crystal Palace, another rival and now United have demonstrated.

Defensive Collapse Under Pressure

As he presided over a fourth successive defeat as Liverpool manager, the first man to achieve this since Brendan Rodgers in years past, Slot must have felt dismayed at a backline effort that invited United to dominate as well as their initial win at Anfield in nearly a decade. Filled with the identical errors that the team's management had worked on eradicating following the pause, including yet another dead-ball score, it was a performance that completely derailed the champions’ after halftime comeback and lost them the match.

Momentum Squandered Despite Uptick

The upper hand was finally with the home side when the substitute equalized Bryan Mbeumo’s quick breakthrough. The Merseyside club could sense another late win with substitutes one attacker, a midfielder and Federico Chiesa igniting progress and United in defensive mode. Instead, it was a further late top-flight defeat, the third in succession, after Liverpool’s set-piece weaknesses re-emerged and Maguire found himself among several opposition players unmarked past Ibrahima Konaté in the 84th minute.

Organized Rivals Outperform

A thumping goal into the goal that the player missed in the final moments of the previous campaign's 2-2 draw gave Ruben Amorim the finest win of his turbulent club tenure. For all the criticism around Amorim it was his squad that performed with obvious strategy and a well-executed approach for the bulk of a compelling contest. The initial consecutive league victories of the manager's time in charge were the result. The Liverpool team again looked like unfamiliar at times, especially when conceding a dead-ball goal for the fifth time in the Premier League this season.

Quick Opener Exposes Backline Issues

Liverpool were exposed from the start to the finish of Mbeumo’s quick-fire first goal. There was little impact on the initial attempt from Virgil van Dijk, a probable consequence of having to pass two players to connect with the ball, admittedly, and no pressure on the playmaker when he received the ball and released Amad Diallo in open area on the right flank. Milos Kerkez was slow to respond, the centre-back delayed to recover and follow Mbeumo’s movement while Giorgi Mamardashvili, filling in for the unavailable first-choice keeper in net, was comfortably beaten from the position.

Refereeing and Focus Issues

The manager could reasonably point to his decisions and wonder why the whistle was from Michael Oliver, an referee with whom he has a contentious history, but also doubt the concentration and communication levels his backline. Mbeumo’s strike indicates Slot’s side have managed only two shutouts in a dozen games this season, the last occurring eight games previously at Burnley.

Repeated Exploitation of Defensive Side

The visitors carved open Liverpool’s left side repeatedly in a first half in which the midfielder, another player and even Gakpo all came close to increasing the visitors’ lead. Sending the winger quickly against the full-back was obviously in the manager's gameplan. It succeeded time and again in the first half. The £40m new arrival from his former club endured a further tough evening in a Liverpool jersey. Throw-ins were even a problem for the previous player's replacement, who almost put the forward in on goal while making one interception. The defender and Van Dijk appear on different wavelengths at present.

Manager’s Explanation and Acknowledgment

“We take a lot of gambles,” the head coach explained following United’s win. “After the 62nd minute 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 usually are. Normally we would have additional defending players on the pitch. Perhaps it is a coincidence but it is no justification. We know we have to improve.”