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The time has come to commence assessing Alexander Isak fairly as a £125 million Anfield striker, the Liverpool head coach stated on the weekend. In that case, the assessment should be critical, but as Britain’s most expensive footballer was seated alongside Mohamed Salah on the Reds bench while the Premier League title holders struggled to secure an leveler against Manchester United in their absence, it was not Slot’s misfiring forward line that earned the fiercest blame at Anfield. The team's defence has disappeared.

Anonymous Display from Key Forwards

Yes, Isak was largely quiet in the centre-forward position and the Egyptian winger disappointing again as his individual toils persisted against the club he often plunders. The Swedish player had his initial shot on target in the top division as a Reds member in the 35th minute, smartly stopped by the opposition's new shot-stopper Senne Lammens. The forward squandered a excellent after the break opportunity facing the home end and could not complain when their substitution came up. The Dutch attacker also struck the crossbar on multiple occasions and inexplicably was unable to net a another goal shortly after Harry Maguire’s decisive goal.

Impossible Loss In Spite of Opportunities

It should have been unthinkable for the hosts to be defeated in a match in which they generated so many chances, Slot remarked. But it is not impossible with a backline in such condition, as Crystal Palace, Chelsea and currently Manchester United have demonstrated.

Backline Collapse During Scrutiny

As he presided over a fourth straight loss as Liverpool head coach, the first man to do so after Brendan Rodgers in November 2014, the coach must have despaired at a defensive performance that invited the visitors to seize control as well as their first victory at the ground in nearly a decade. Littered with the repeated issues that the team's coaching staff had worked on solving after the international break, including yet another dead-ball goal, it was a display that completely undermined the champions’ after halftime recovery and lost them the match.

Momentum Lost Despite Uptick

Momentum was at last with the hosts when Gakpo equalized the forward's early opener. Liverpool could feel another last-minute win with replacements Hugo Ekitiké, a midfielder and another forward igniting progress and United in defensive mode. Instead, it was a further last-gasp top-flight defeat, the third straight, after the team's dead-ball frailties re-emerged and the defender found himself one of three United members free past Ibrahima Konaté in the closing stages.

Organized Opposition Outperform

A thumping goal into the net that the player blazed over in the final moments of last season’s 2-2 draw gave the United manager the best win of his turbulent United reign. For all the criticism around the coach it was his team that performed with clear purpose and a well-executed approach for the majority of a compelling encounter. The initial consecutive league wins of the manager's time in charge were the outcome. The Liverpool side once more appeared like strangers at points, especially when conceding a set-piece goal for the fifth time in the division the current campaign.

Quick Opener Reveals Backline Issues

The home side were exposed from the inception to the execution of the attacker's quick-fire opener. There was no purchase on the first attempt from Virgil van Dijk, a probable result of having to pass two players to reach the ball, to be fair, and little challenge on the playmaker when he received the ball and released the winger in space on the right. the defender was slow to respond, the centre-back slow to track back and mark Mbeumo’s movement while the goalkeeper, filling in for the injured Alisson in goal, was easily beaten from the position.

Officiating and Concentration Questions

The manager could reasonably question his decisions and ask why the whistle was from the referee, an referee with whom he has a feisty history, but also doubt the focus and communication among his backline. The forward's goal indicates the team have kept only a couple of clean sheets in 12 matches this season, the most recent occurring eight games previously at another ground.

Repeated Exploitation of Left Flank

The visitors exposed Liverpool’s left flank frequently in a first half in which Fernandes, another player and also Gakpo all came close to increasing the away team's advantage. Sending the winger early against Kerkez was clearly part of Amorim’s gameplan. It succeeded time and again in the first 45 minutes. The £40m new arrival from Bournemouth endured another tough match in a club jersey. Throw-ins were also a issue for Andy Robertson’s chosen successor, who nearly sent the forward in on goal while making one interception. The defender and Van Dijk seem on different wavelengths at the moment.

Coach's Analysis and Admission

“We take a lot of gambles,” Slot commented following the opposition's victory. “After the second half we had six or seven offensive players on the pitch. That’s maybe why our organization for the dead-ball was not as perfect as we usually are. Usually we would have more defensive personnel on the pitch. Maybe it is a coincidence but it is no justification. We know we have to improve.”