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It is now appropriate to begin evaluating Alexander Isak fairly as a £125m Anfield striker, Arne Slot remarked on the weekend. As such, 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 attempted unsuccessfully to secure an leveler versus their rivals in their absence, it was not the manager's underperforming offence that warranted the strongest blame at Anfield. The team's backline structure has evaporated.

Anonymous Display from Star Forwards

Indeed, the Swedish striker was mostly anonymous in the No 9 position and Salah disappointing again as his individual toils continued versus the team he often scores against. The Sweden international had his initial attempt on goal in the top division as a Liverpool player in the 35th minute, smartly stopped by the opposition's new shot-stopper the young keeper. Salah missed a golden after the break opportunity facing the Kop and could not protest when their numbers eventually. Cody Gakpo also struck the crossbar three times and inexplicably failed to score a another goal moments after Harry Maguire’s decisive goal.

Unthinkable Loss In Spite of Opportunities

It should have been unthinkable for Liverpool to be defeated in a game in which they created numerous chances, Slot stated. But it is possible with a defence in such condition, as Crystal Palace, Chelsea and now United have demonstrated.

Backline Breakdown During Scrutiny

While overseeing a fourth successive defeat as Liverpool head coach, the first person to achieve this after Brendan Rodgers in November 2014, Slot must have felt dismayed at a backline effort that allowed the visitors to take the initiative as well as their initial win at the ground in nearly a decade. Littered with the repeated issues that Liverpool’s coaching staff had worked on solving following the international break, including another dead-ball score, it was a display that completely undermined the champions’ after halftime comeback and lost them the match.

Momentum Lost Even with Uptick

The upper hand was finally with the hosts when Gakpo cancelled out Bryan Mbeumo’s quick opener. The Merseyside club could sense another late win with substitutes one attacker, Curtis Jones and Federico Chiesa sparking progress and the opposition in defensive mode. Instead, it was another last-gasp Premier League defeat, the third straight, after Liverpool’s dead-ball weaknesses re-emerged and Maguire found himself one of three United members free behind the centre-back in the 84th minute.

Organized Opposition Outperform

A powerful header into the goal that the player missed in the final moments of last season’s 2-2 draw gave Ruben Amorim the finest win of his turbulent United tenure. Despite the criticism around Amorim it was his squad that played with obvious strategy and a smartly implemented plan for the bulk of a compelling encounter. The first back-to-back Premier League wins of Amorim’s reign were the outcome. The Liverpool side again looked like strangers at times, particularly when conceding a set-piece score for the fifth time in the division this season.

Quick Goal Reveals Backline Issues

Liverpool were lacking from the inception to the execution of the attacker's quick-fire opener. There was little impact on the first attempt from Virgil van Dijk, a probable result of having to go through opponents to connect with the pass, admittedly, and little challenge on the playmaker when he took possession and passed to the winger in space on the right flank. the defender was slow to react, Van Dijk slow to recover and follow Mbeumo’s movement while the goalkeeper, deputising for the injured Alisson in net, was easily beaten from the angle.

Officiating and Concentration Issues

The manager could justifiably point to his head and wonder why the foul was from the referee, an referee with whom he has a contentious past, but also doubt the focus and communication among his backline. The forward's goal means Slot’s team have kept only two shutouts in a dozen games this season, the last occurring eight games ago at Burnley.

Repeated Exploitation of Defensive Side

The visitors exposed Liverpool’s left side repeatedly in a opening period in which the midfielder, another player and also Gakpo all nearly scored to increasing the away team's lead. Sending Diallo early against the full-back was clearly in Amorim’s tactic. It worked repeatedly in the first half. The £40m summer signing from Bournemouth endured a further difficult match in a club jersey. Throw-ins were even a issue for Andy Robertson’s chosen successor, who almost sent the forward through while making an challenge. The defender and Van Dijk appear on not in sync at the moment.

Coach's Analysis and Admission

“We take a lot of risks,” the head coach explained after United’s win. “Following the 62nd minute we had multiple offensive members on the field. That’s maybe why our structure for the set-piece was less organized as we typically are. Usually we would have more defending players on the pitch. Perhaps it is a fluke but it is not an excuse. We know we have to improve.”