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Now is the moment to commence assessing Alexander Isak justly as a £125m Anfield striker, Arne Slot stated on Friday. In that case, evaluation needs to be severe, but as the UK's most expensive player sat next to Mohamed Salah on the Reds bench while the Premier League title holders tried in vain to secure an leveler against Manchester United in their absence, it was not Slot’s underperforming forward line that deserved the strongest scrutiny at the stadium. His defensive foundation has vanished.

Quiet Display from Star Forwards

Yes, Isak was mostly anonymous in the No 9 role and the Egyptian winger subpar once more as his individual toils persisted against the club he often plunders. The Swedish player had his initial attempt on goal in the Premier League as a Reds player in the first half, smartly stopped by the opposition's new shot-stopper Senne Lammens. Salah missed a glorious second-half opportunity facing the home end and neither protest when their substitution eventually. The Dutch attacker also struck the crossbar on multiple occasions and inexplicably was unable to score a second shortly after Harry Maguire’s winner.

Impossible Defeat In Spite of Opportunities

It seemed impossible for the hosts to lose a game in which they created so many opportunities, Slot remarked. But it is possible with a backline in this form, as one opponent, Chelsea and currently Manchester United have demonstrated.

Defensive Breakdown Under Scrutiny

While overseeing a fourth successive defeat as the club's manager, the first man to do so since a previous manager in November 2014, the coach must have been frustrated at a backline effort that allowed the visitors to take the initiative as well as their first victory at Anfield since January 2016. Littered with the same mistakes that Liverpool’s management had worked on solving after the pause, including another set-piece score, it was a performance that totally derailed the champions’ after halftime recovery and cost them the game.

Advantage Lost Even with Uptick

Momentum was finally with the hosts when the substitute equalized Bryan Mbeumo’s quick opener. Liverpool could feel another late victory with substitutes one attacker, a midfielder and another forward igniting progress and the opposition in retreat. Instead, it was another last-gasp Premier League loss, the third straight, after Liverpool’s dead-ball frailties re-emerged and the defender found himself among several United members unmarked past the centre-back in the 84th minute.

Purposeful Rivals Excel

A powerful goal into the net that Maguire missed in the final moments of the previous campaign's tie gave Ruben Amorim the best win of his challenging United tenure. For all the criticism surrounding Amorim it was his team that performed with obvious strategy and a well-executed plan for the bulk of a thrilling contest. The initial consecutive league victories of Amorim’s reign were the result. Slot’s team once more appeared like unfamiliar at points, especially when conceding a set-piece goal for the fifth time in the Premier League this season.

Quick Opener Exposes Defensive Flaws

The home side were exposed from the start to the finish of Mbeumo’s quick-fire first goal. There was little impact on the first attempt from the captain, a probable consequence of having to go through opponents to reach the pass, to be fair, and no pressure on the playmaker when he received the ball and released Amad Diallo in space on the right flank. Milos Kerkez was slow to react, Van Dijk slow to recover and mark the forward's movement while Giorgi Mamardashvili, deputising for the injured first-choice keeper in net, was comfortably beaten from the position.

Officiating and Focus Questions

Slot could reasonably question his head and wonder where the foul was from the referee, an referee with whom he has a contentious history, but also question the focus and coordination levels his defenders. The forward's strike indicates Slot’s team have kept only two shutouts in a dozen games so far, the most recent occurring eight games ago at Burnley.

Repeated Targeting of Left Flank

The visitors carved open the left flank repeatedly in a first half in which Fernandes, Mason Mount and also the attacker all came close to increasing the visitors’ advantage. Releasing Diallo early against Kerkez was clearly part of the manager's gameplan. It worked time and again in the opening half. The £40 million new arrival from Bournemouth experienced another difficult match in a Liverpool shirt. Throw-ins were also a issue for Andy Robertson’s chosen successor, who almost put Mbeumo through while attempting one challenge. The defender and the captain seem on different wavelengths at the moment.

Manager’s Explanation and Acknowledgment

“Our approach involves a many gambles,” the head coach explained following the opposition's win. “After the 62nd minute we had six or seven attacking players on the field. This is maybe why our organization for the set-piece was not as perfect as we typically are. Normally we would have more defensive personnel on the field. Perhaps it is a coincidence but it is no justification. The team understands we have to improve.”