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It is now appropriate to begin evaluating Alexander Isak equitably as a £125m Liverpool attacker, the Liverpool head coach stated on Friday. Therefore, evaluation needs to be severe, but as the UK's highest-priced player sat alongside Mohamed Salah on the Liverpool substitutes while the Premier League champions tried in vain to force an leveler versus Manchester United without them, it was not the manager's underperforming forward line that deserved the fiercest scrutiny at the stadium. The team's defence has evaporated.

Quiet Performance from Key Forwards

Indeed, the Swedish striker was largely anonymous in the No 9 position and Salah disappointing again as his difficulties persisted against the team he often plunders. The Sweden player had his initial shot on target in the Premier League as a Liverpool member in the first half, excellently denied by United’s latest goalkeeper Senne Lammens. Salah missed a golden second-half opportunity facing the home end and could not protest when their substitution eventually. Cody Gakpo also struck the woodwork three times and inexplicably failed to score a second shortly after Harry Maguire’s decisive goal.

Unthinkable Defeat In Spite of Chances

It should have been unthinkable for the hosts to lose a game in which they generated numerous opportunities, the manager stated. But it is not impossible with a backline in such condition, as Crystal Palace, Chelsea and currently United have shown.

Defensive Breakdown During Pressure

While overseeing a fourth straight defeat as the club's head coach, the first man to do so after Brendan Rodgers in years past, the coach must have felt dismayed at a defence display that invited United to dominate as well as their initial win at the ground in nearly a decade. Filled with the repeated issues that the team's management had worked on eradicating after the international break, including yet another set-piece goal, it was a performance that completely derailed the title holders' after halftime recovery and lost them the game.

Advantage Lost Despite Improvement

The upper hand was finally with the hosts when Gakpo cancelled out the forward's quick opener. The Merseyside club could sense one more late victory with substitutes one attacker, Curtis Jones and another forward igniting progress and the opposition in defensive mode. Instead, it was another late Premier League defeat, the third straight, after Liverpool’s dead-ball frailties re-emerged and the defender found himself one of three opposition members unmarked behind Ibrahima Konaté in the 84th minute.

Organized Rivals Excel

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 best victory of his turbulent club tenure. For all the negativity surrounding the coach it was his squad that performed with clear purpose and a smartly implemented approach for the bulk of a compelling contest. The initial back-to-back Premier League victories of the manager's reign were the outcome. Slot’s team again looked like strangers at times, particularly when allowing a set-piece score for the fifth occasion in the division this season.

Early Opener Exposes Defensive Flaws

Liverpool were lacking from the start to the finish of Mbeumo’s 62-second first goal. There was no purchase on the first attempt from Virgil van Dijk, a likely consequence of having to go through opponents to connect with 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 react, Van Dijk slow to track back and follow Mbeumo’s movement while the goalkeeper, filling in for the injured Alisson in goal, was comfortably beaten from the position.

Refereeing and Concentration Issues

The manager could reasonably question his decisions and wonder why the whistle was from Michael Oliver, an official with whom he has a contentious past, but also question the concentration and communication levels his backline. Mbeumo’s strike indicates the team have managed only two shutouts in 12 matches so far, the most recent occurring eight games previously at another ground.

Constant Targeting of Left Flank

United carved open Liverpool’s left flank frequently in a opening period in which Fernandes, another player and even the attacker all nearly scored to doubling the visitors’ advantage. Sending Diallo early versus Kerkez was clearly part of the manager's tactic. It worked repeatedly in the opening half. The £40 million new arrival from his former club endured another difficult match in a club shirt. Throw-ins were also a issue for Andy Robertson’s replacement, who nearly sent Mbeumo through while making one interception. Kerkez and the captain appear on not in sync at present.

Coach's Analysis and Admission

“We take a lot of gambles,” the head coach explained following United’s victory. “Following the 62nd minute we had multiple offensive members on the field. That’s maybe why our structure for the dead-ball was not as perfect as we usually are. Normally we would have additional defending players on the pitch. Maybe it is a coincidence but it is no justification. We know we have to improve.”