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It is now appropriate to begin evaluating Alexander Isak fairly as a £125m Anfield striker, Arne Slot stated on Friday. Therefore, the assessment should be critical, but as Britain’s most expensive footballer sat alongside Mohamed Salah on the Reds bench while the Premier League champions tried in vain to secure an equaliser against Manchester United without them, it was not the manager's misfiring forward line that warranted the strongest scrutiny at the stadium. His defensive foundation has disappeared.

Anonymous Performance from Star Forwards

Yes, Isak was mostly unnoticeable in the No 9 role and the Egyptian winger subpar once more as his individual toils persisted against the club he often scores against. The Sweden international had his initial shot on target in the Premier League as a Reds player in the first half, smartly stopped by the opposition's new shot-stopper the young keeper. Salah missed a golden second-half opportunity in front of the home end and neither protest when their numbers were shown. Cody Gakpo also struck the woodwork three times and inexplicably was unable to score a second shortly after the defender's decisive goal.

Unthinkable Defeat Despite Opportunities

It ought to have been impossible for Liverpool to lose a game in which they created plenty of opportunities, the manager stated. But it is possible with a backline in current state, as Crystal Palace, another rival and currently United have shown.

Defensive Breakdown During Pressure

As he presided over a fourth consecutive defeat as the club's manager, the first person to achieve this after a previous manager in November 2014, Slot must have felt dismayed at a defence display that allowed the visitors to seize control as well as their initial win at the ground in nearly a decade. Filled with the repeated issues that Liverpool’s management had worked on eradicating after the international break, including yet another dead-ball score, it was a performance that completely derailed the champions’ after halftime recovery and cost them the game.

Momentum Lost Even with Improvement

The upper hand was finally with the home side when Gakpo cancelled out the forward's quick breakthrough. Liverpool could sense another last-minute win with substitutes Hugo Ekitiké, a midfielder and another forward sparking progress and United in defensive mode. Instead, it was another last-gasp Premier League defeat, the third in succession, after the team's set-piece weaknesses re-emerged and Maguire found himself among several United members unmarked behind Ibrahima Konaté in the 84th minute.

Organized Opposition Outperform

A powerful goal into the net that Maguire missed in the final moments of the previous campaign's tie gave Ruben Amorim the best victory of his challenging club tenure. Despite the criticism around Amorim it was his team that performed with definite plan and a smartly implemented approach for the majority of a thrilling contest. The first back-to-back Premier League wins of the manager's time in charge were the outcome. The Liverpool team once more appeared like strangers at times, particularly when conceding a set-piece goal for the fifth occasion in the division the current campaign.

Early Goal Reveals Defensive Flaws

Liverpool were exposed from the start to the finish of the attacker's quick-fire opener. There was no purchase on the first header from the captain, a probable result of having to pass two players to reach the ball, to be fair, and no pressure on Bruno Fernandes when he received the ball and released Amad Diallo in open area on the right. Milos Kerkez was slow to respond, the centre-back slow to track back and mark the forward's run while the goalkeeper, deputising for the injured Alisson in goal, was comfortably beaten from the angle.

Officiating and Focus Questions

The manager could reasonably point to his decisions and ask why the whistle was from the referee, an referee with whom he has a contentious history, but also question the focus and communication among his backline. The forward's strike means the side have managed only a couple of clean sheets in a dozen games this season, the most recent coming many matches ago at another ground.

Constant Exploitation of Left Flank

The visitors exposed Liverpool’s left flank frequently in a first half in which the midfielder, another player and also the attacker all came close to doubling the away team's advantage. Releasing Diallo quickly against the full-back was obviously part of the manager's strategy. It succeeded repeatedly in the first 45 minutes. The £40 million new arrival from his former club endured a further tough evening in a club jersey. Set-pieces were also a problem for the previous player's chosen successor, who almost sent the forward through while attempting one interception. Kerkez and the captain appear on not in sync at present.

Coach's Explanation and Acknowledgment

“Our approach involves a lot of risks,” the head coach explained after the opposition's victory. “Following the second half we had multiple attacking players on the field. This is perhaps why our structure for the dead-ball was less organized as we typically are. Normally we would have more defending personnel on the field. Perhaps it is a coincidence but it is not an excuse. The team understands we have to improve.”