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Now is the moment to commence assessing Alexander Isak justly as a £125 million Anfield centre forward, the Liverpool head coach remarked on the weekend. As such, evaluation needs to be severe, but as Britain’s most expensive footballer was seated alongside Mohamed Salah on the Reds bench while the English top-flight champions attempted unsuccessfully to force an equaliser versus Manchester United in their absence, it was not the manager's underperforming offence that deserved the fiercest criticism at Anfield. The team's defensive foundation has disappeared.

Quiet Display from Key Forwards

Yes, Isak was mostly quiet in the centre-forward position and Salah again poor as his personal struggles continued versus the team he typically scores against. The Sweden international had his initial attempt on goal in the top division as a Liverpool member in the first half, smartly stopped by United’s latest goalkeeper Senne Lammens. The forward squandered a excellent second-half chance in front of the home end and could not complain when their substitution eventually. The Dutch attacker also struck the crossbar three times and somehow was unable to score a second shortly after the defender's decisive goal.

Unthinkable Defeat In Spite of Chances

It seemed impossible for Liverpool to lose a match in which they generated plenty of chances, the manager remarked. But it is not impossible with a defence in such condition, as one opponent, another rival and now United have proven.

Backline Collapse Under Pressure

While overseeing a fourth successive loss as the club's head coach, the first person to do so after a previous manager in November 2014, Slot must have despaired at a defensive performance that allowed the visitors to take the initiative as well as their initial win at Anfield in nearly a decade. Filled with the same mistakes that Liverpool’s coaching staff had focused on eradicating after the pause, including yet another dead-ball goal, it was a display that completely derailed the champions’ second half comeback and cost them the match.

Momentum Lost Even with Uptick

The upper hand was finally with the home side when Gakpo cancelled out the forward's early breakthrough. Liverpool could sense one more last-minute win with substitutes Hugo Ekitiké, a midfielder and Federico Chiesa sparking improvement and United in defensive mode. Rather, it was another late top-flight defeat, the third straight, after the team's set-piece frailties resurfaced and Maguire found himself among several United players unmarked behind the centre-back in the 84th minute.

Purposeful Rivals Excel

A thumping header into the goal that Maguire blazed over in the final moments of the previous campaign's tie gave the United manager the best win of his challenging club reign. Despite the criticism around Amorim it was his squad that performed with definite plan and a smartly implemented plan for the majority of a compelling encounter. The initial consecutive league victories of the manager's time in charge were the outcome. Slot’s side again looked like strangers at times, particularly when conceding a set-piece goal for the fifth occasion in the Premier League this season.

Early Goal Exposes Defensive Flaws

The home side were lacking from the start to the execution of the attacker's 62-second first goal. There was little impact on the initial attempt from Virgil van Dijk, a likely consequence of having to go through two players to connect with the ball, admittedly, and little challenge on the playmaker when he took possession and released the winger in open area on the right flank. Milos Kerkez was late to respond, Van Dijk delayed to recover and follow Mbeumo’s movement while Giorgi Mamardashvili, filling in for the unavailable Alisson in net, was easily beaten from the position.

Officiating and Focus Questions

Slot could reasonably point to his decisions and ask why the foul was from Michael Oliver, an official with whom he has a feisty past, but also doubt the focus and coordination levels his backline. The forward's goal indicates the team have kept only a couple of shutouts in a dozen games so far, the last occurring eight games ago at Burnley.

Constant Targeting of Left Flank

The visitors carved open Liverpool’s left side frequently in a opening period in which Fernandes, another player and also the attacker all came close to increasing the away team's advantage. Releasing the winger early against Kerkez was clearly in the manager's tactic. It worked repeatedly in the opening 45 minutes. The £40m summer signing from his former club experienced another difficult evening in a club shirt. Throw-ins were even a problem for the previous player's replacement, who almost sent the forward through while making an interception. The defender and the captain appear on different wavelengths at present.

Coach's Explanation and Admission

“We take a lot of risks,” the head coach commented after the opposition's win. “After the 62nd minute we had six or seven attacking members on the field. This is perhaps why our structure for the dead-ball was less organized as we typically are. Normally we would have additional defending players on the field. Perhaps it is a coincidence but it is not an excuse. We know we have to improve.”