Defence Woes Present Bigger Challenge for Slot Than Making Alexander Isak and Mohamed Salah to Fire

It is now appropriate to begin evaluating Alexander Isak equitably as a £125m Liverpool striker, the Liverpool head coach stated on Friday. As such, evaluation needs to be severe, but as Britain’s costliest footballer sat next to Mohamed Salah on the Reds substitutes while the Premier League champions attempted unsuccessfully to secure an leveler against Manchester United without them, it was not Slot’s underperforming attack that deserved the strongest criticism at Anfield. His defence has disappeared.

Anonymous Performance from Key Attackers

Yes, Isak was largely unnoticeable in the No 9 position and the Egyptian winger disappointing again as his difficulties persisted against the team he often plunders. The Sweden international had his first shot on target in the Premier League as a Reds member in the 35th minute, well saved by the opposition's latest shot-stopper Senne Lammens. Salah wasted a golden second-half chance facing the home end and neither complain when their numbers were shown. Cody Gakpo also hit the woodwork on multiple occasions and somehow 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 created numerous chances, the manager claimed. But it is not impossible with a defence in current state, as one opponent, Chelsea and currently United have proven.

Defensive Breakdown During Pressure

As he presided over a fourth straight defeat as Liverpool manager, the first person to achieve this since Brendan Rodgers in November 2014, Slot must have felt dismayed at a defensive performance that invited United to seize control as well as their first victory at Anfield in nearly a decade. Filled with the repeated issues that the team's coaching staff had worked on solving after the pause, featuring yet another dead-ball goal, it was a performance that totally derailed the title holders' second half comeback and cost them the game.

Momentum Lost Even with Improvement

The upper hand was at last with the hosts when Gakpo equalized Bryan Mbeumo’s early opener. The Merseyside club could sense another late victory with substitutes one attacker, a midfielder and Federico Chiesa igniting progress and the opposition in defensive mode. Instead, it was another late Premier League defeat, the third straight, after Liverpool’s set-piece frailties re-emerged and Maguire found himself one of three opposition players unmarked past Ibrahima Konaté in the 84th minute.

Organized Rivals Outperform

A thumping goal into the goal that Maguire blazed over in the final moments of the previous campaign's 2-2 draw gave the United manager the best victory of his challenging club tenure. Despite the criticism surrounding the coach it was his squad that performed with obvious strategy and a well-executed approach for the bulk of a thrilling encounter. The first consecutive Premier League wins of Amorim’s reign were the outcome. Slot’s side again appeared like unfamiliar at times, especially when allowing a dead-ball score for the fifth occasion in the division the current campaign.

Early Opener Exposes Defensive Flaws

Liverpool were exposed from the inception to the finish of the attacker's quick-fire first goal. There was no purchase on the initial attempt from the captain, a likely consequence of having to pass two players to reach the pass, admittedly, and no pressure on the playmaker when he received the ball and passed to the winger in space on the right flank. the defender was slow to react, the centre-back delayed to track back and mark Mbeumo’s movement while Giorgi Mamardashvili, deputising for the injured Alisson in net, was easily beaten from the angle.

Refereeing and Concentration Questions

The manager could justifiably question his head and ask where the whistle was from the referee, an referee with whom he has a contentious past, but also doubt the concentration and coordination levels his backline. The forward's goal means Slot’s side have kept only two shutouts in 12 matches this season, the last coming many matches previously at Burnley.

Repeated Targeting of Left Flank

The visitors carved open the left flank frequently in a first half in which the midfielder, Mason Mount and even Gakpo all nearly scored to doubling the away team's advantage. Releasing Diallo quickly against Kerkez was obviously part of Amorim’s strategy. It succeeded repeatedly in the first 45 minutes. The £40m new arrival from Bournemouth endured a further difficult evening in a Liverpool shirt. Throw-ins were even a problem for Andy Robertson’s replacement, who almost put the forward in on goal while making one challenge. Kerkez and the captain appear on different wavelengths at present.

Manager’s Analysis and Admission

“We take a many risks,” the head coach commented after United’s win. “Following the second half we had multiple attacking members on the pitch. That’s maybe why our organization for the dead-ball was less organized as we typically are. Usually we would have additional defending personnel on the pitch. Perhaps it is a coincidence but it is no justification. The team understands we have to do better.”