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Now is the moment to start judging Alexander Isak justly as a £125m Liverpool centre forward, the Liverpool head coach commented on Friday. Therefore, the assessment should be critical, but as Britain’s costliest player was seated next to Mohamed Salah on the Liverpool bench while the English top-flight champions attempted unsuccessfully to secure an leveler versus their rivals in their absence, it was not Slot’s underperforming offence that warranted the fiercest scrutiny at the stadium. His defensive foundation has evaporated.

Quiet Display from Star Attackers

Indeed, the Swedish striker was predominantly anonymous in the centre-forward position and Salah subpar once more as his personal struggles persisted against the club he typically scores against. The Sweden international had his first shot on target in the top division as a Liverpool player in the 35th minute, well saved by the opposition's latest goalkeeper the young keeper. Salah squandered a excellent second-half opportunity facing the home end and neither protest when their substitution came up. The Dutch attacker also hit the crossbar three times and somehow was unable to score a another goal shortly after Harry Maguire’s decisive goal.

Impossible Loss In Spite of Chances

It seemed impossible for Liverpool to lose a game in which they created so many opportunities, the manager claimed. But it is not impossible with a defence in this form, as Crystal Palace, another rival and currently Manchester United have demonstrated.

Defensive Collapse During Pressure

As he presided over a fourth successive loss as the club's manager, the first person to do so since Brendan Rodgers in November 2014, Slot must have despaired at a defence display that invited United to seize control as well as their initial win at Anfield since January 2016. Filled with the same mistakes that the team's coaching staff had worked on solving after the pause, featuring yet another set-piece goal, it was a performance that completely undermined the champions’ after halftime recovery and cost them the match.

Advantage Squandered Despite Improvement

The upper hand was at last with the home side when the substitute equalized Bryan Mbeumo’s early opener. Liverpool could feel one more late win with substitutes one attacker, Curtis Jones and another forward igniting improvement and the opposition in retreat. Instead, it was a further late Premier League loss, the third straight, after the team's set-piece weaknesses re-emerged and Maguire found himself one of three opposition members free behind the centre-back in the 84th minute.

Organized Rivals Outperform

A powerful header into the net that Maguire blazed over in the final moments of the previous campaign's tie gave Ruben Amorim the best win of his challenging club tenure. For all the negativity around the coach it was his team that performed with definite plan and a smartly implemented plan for the bulk of a thrilling contest. The initial consecutive Premier League victories of the manager's time in charge were the outcome. Slot’s team once more looked like strangers at points, particularly when conceding a dead-ball goal for the fifth occasion in the division this season.

Quick Opener Exposes Backline Flaws

The home side were lacking from the inception to the execution of the attacker's 62-second opener. There was little impact on the first attempt from Virgil van Dijk, a likely result of having to pass two players to reach the ball, to be fair, and no pressure on the playmaker when he took possession and passed to the winger in open area on the right. Milos Kerkez was slow to react, Van Dijk delayed to recover and follow Mbeumo’s run while Giorgi Mamardashvili, deputising for the injured Alisson in net, was comfortably beaten from the angle.

Officiating and Concentration Questions

The manager could justifiably question his decisions and ask where the whistle was from Michael Oliver, an official with whom he has a feisty past, but also doubt the focus and communication levels his backline. Mbeumo’s strike indicates the side have kept only a couple of clean sheets in a dozen games this season, the most recent coming many matches ago at Burnley.

Constant Targeting of Defensive Side

United exposed the left flank repeatedly in a opening period in which the midfielder, Mason Mount and also the attacker all nearly scored to increasing the visitors’ lead. Releasing Diallo quickly against the full-back was obviously in the manager's tactic. It succeeded repeatedly in the opening 45 minutes. The £40 million summer signing from Bournemouth experienced a further tough evening in a club shirt. Set-pieces were also a issue for Andy Robertson’s replacement, who nearly put the forward in on goal while attempting an interception. The defender and the captain appear on not in sync at present.

Coach's Analysis and Admission

“Our approach involves a many risks,” the head coach explained after United’s victory. “After the 62nd minute we had six or seven attacking players on the field. This is perhaps why our structure for the set-piece was not as perfect as we typically are. Usually we would have additional defensive personnel on the field. Maybe it is a fluke but it is no justification. The team understands we have to improve.”