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The time has come to begin evaluating Alexander Isak equitably as a £125 million Anfield striker, the Liverpool head coach remarked on Friday. As such, evaluation needs to be severe, but as the UK's highest-priced footballer was seated alongside Mohamed Salah on the Liverpool bench while the Premier League champions attempted unsuccessfully to force an equaliser against their rivals in their absence, it was not Slot’s misfiring forward line that warranted the strongest scrutiny at Anfield. The team's backline structure has vanished.

Quiet Display from Key Forwards

Yes, the Swedish striker was largely anonymous in the No 9 position and the Egyptian winger subpar once more as his personal struggles continued versus the team he often scores against. The Swedish international had his first attempt on goal in the Premier League as a Reds member in the first half, smartly stopped by United’s new shot-stopper Senne Lammens. The forward squandered a excellent after the break chance in front of the Kop and neither complain when their substitution came up. Cody Gakpo also hit the crossbar on multiple occasions and inexplicably was unable to score a another goal shortly after Harry Maguire’s winner.

Unthinkable Loss In Spite of Opportunities

It seemed unthinkable for Liverpool to be defeated in a game in which they created numerous opportunities, Slot stated. But it is possible with a backline in this form, as Crystal Palace, another rival and now Manchester United have shown.

Defensive Breakdown Under Scrutiny

While overseeing a fourth straight defeat as Liverpool head coach, the first man to achieve this after Brendan Rodgers in November 2014, the coach must have felt dismayed at a defensive performance that allowed the visitors to dominate as well as their first victory at Anfield in nearly a decade. Littered with the same mistakes that the team's management had worked on solving following the international break, including another dead-ball score, it was a performance that completely undermined the title holders' after halftime recovery and cost them the match.

Advantage Lost Even with Uptick

Momentum was at last with the home side when the substitute cancelled out the forward's quick opener. The Merseyside club could feel one more last-minute victory with replacements one attacker, a midfielder and Federico Chiesa sparking progress and the opposition in defensive mode. Rather, it was another last-gasp top-flight defeat, the third straight, after Liverpool’s set-piece frailties resurfaced and Maguire found himself one of three United players free past Ibrahima Konaté in the closing stages.

Purposeful Opposition Excel

A thumping header into the net that Maguire blazed over in the final moments of last season’s 2-2 draw gave the United manager the best victory of his turbulent United tenure. Despite the criticism around Amorim it was his squad that played with obvious strategy and a well-executed plan for the majority of a thrilling contest. The first consecutive league wins of Amorim’s time in charge were the outcome. Slot’s team again looked like unfamiliar at times, especially when allowing a set-piece goal for the fifth time in the Premier League this season.

Quick Goal Exposes Defensive Flaws

Liverpool were lacking from the inception to the execution of the attacker's quick-fire first goal. There was no purchase on the first header from Virgil van Dijk, a probable 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 space on the right flank. the defender was slow to respond, Van Dijk slow to track back and mark Mbeumo’s movement while the goalkeeper, filling in for the injured first-choice keeper in net, was comfortably beaten from the position.

Officiating and Concentration Issues

Slot could justifiably point to his head and ask why the whistle was from the referee, an referee with whom he has a contentious past, but also doubt the focus and coordination levels his backline. The forward's strike indicates Slot’s team have managed only two shutouts in a dozen games so far, the most recent coming many matches ago at Burnley.

Constant Targeting of Left Flank

The visitors carved open the left side repeatedly in a first half in which Fernandes, another player and even Gakpo all nearly scored to doubling the visitors’ advantage. Sending the winger quickly against Kerkez was clearly part of the manager's gameplan. It worked time and again in the first half. The £40m summer signing from his former club endured a further tough evening in a Liverpool jersey. Set-pieces were also a problem for the previous player's chosen successor, who nearly sent the forward in on goal while making an challenge. The defender and Van Dijk appear on not in sync at the moment.

Manager’s Explanation and Acknowledgment

“Our approach involves a many gambles,” Slot explained following the opposition's win. “After the second half we had six or seven attacking members on the field. That’s perhaps why our organization for the dead-ball was less organized as we usually are. Normally we would have more defensive personnel on the pitch. Perhaps it is a coincidence but it is no justification. The team understands we have to improve.”