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The time has come to start judging Alexander Isak fairly as a £125m Anfield attacker, Arne Slot remarked on the weekend. As such, evaluation needs to be severe, but as Britain’s most expensive footballer sat next to Mohamed Salah on the Reds bench while the English top-flight title holders tried in vain to force an equaliser against their rivals without them, it was not the manager's underperforming attack that deserved the strongest criticism at the stadium. The team's backline structure has vanished.

Anonymous Performance from Key Attackers

Yes, the Swedish striker was predominantly quiet in the No 9 role and the Egyptian winger disappointing again as his individual toils continued versus the team he usually scores against. The Swedish player had his first shot on target in the Premier League as a Liverpool member in the 35th minute, excellently denied by the opposition's latest shot-stopper the young keeper. Salah wasted a glorious second-half chance facing the Kop and could not complain when their substitution came up. The Dutch attacker also hit the woodwork on multiple occasions and inexplicably was unable to score a second shortly after the defender's winner.

Unthinkable Defeat Despite Chances

It seemed impossible for the hosts to lose a match in which they generated plenty of chances, the manager stated. But it is possible with a defence in this form, as Crystal Palace, another rival and now Manchester United have proven.

Defensive Breakdown Under Scrutiny

While overseeing a fourth consecutive loss as the club's head coach, the first man to do so after Brendan Rodgers in November 2014, Slot must have been frustrated at a defence display that invited the visitors to take the initiative as well as their initial win at Anfield since January 2016. Filled with the identical errors that the team's coaching staff had focused on solving after the pause, featuring yet another dead-ball score, it was a display that completely undermined the champions’ second half recovery and cost them the match.

Advantage Squandered Despite Improvement

Momentum was finally with the home side when the substitute equalized Bryan Mbeumo’s early opener. Liverpool could sense one more late win with substitutes one attacker, Curtis Jones and another forward igniting improvement and United in defensive mode. Instead, it was a further last-gasp Premier League loss, the third straight, after Liverpool’s dead-ball frailties re-emerged and Maguire found himself among several United players unmarked past Ibrahima Konaté in the 84th minute.

Purposeful Rivals Excel

A powerful header into the goal that Maguire missed in the final moments of last season’s 2-2 draw gave Ruben Amorim the best win of his turbulent club reign. Despite the negativity surrounding the coach it was his team that performed with obvious strategy and a smartly implemented plan for the majority of a compelling contest. The first back-to-back Premier League wins of Amorim’s reign were the result. The Liverpool side again looked like strangers at times, particularly when conceding a set-piece score for the fifth occasion in the Premier League this season.

Early Opener Reveals Defensive Issues

Liverpool were exposed from the start to the finish of Mbeumo’s 62-second opener. There was little impact on the initial attempt from Virgil van Dijk, a probable consequence of having to pass two players to connect with the ball, to be fair, and no pressure on the playmaker when he received the ball and passed to the winger in open area on the right. Milos Kerkez was slow to react, Van Dijk slow to track back and mark the forward's movement while the goalkeeper, deputising for the unavailable Alisson in net, was easily beaten from the angle.

Refereeing and Concentration Questions

The manager could justifiably point to his head and wonder why the whistle was from the referee, an referee with whom he has a contentious history, but also question the concentration and coordination levels his backline. Mbeumo’s strike means Slot’s team have managed only two shutouts in 12 matches so far, the last occurring many matches previously at another ground.

Repeated Exploitation of Left Flank

The visitors carved open the left side frequently in a opening period in which the midfielder, Mason Mount and also Gakpo all nearly scored to increasing the away team's advantage. Releasing the winger quickly against Kerkez was clearly in Amorim’s strategy. It succeeded repeatedly in the opening half. The £40m summer signing from Bournemouth endured a further tough evening in a Liverpool jersey. Throw-ins were even a problem for the previous player's chosen successor, who almost put Mbeumo in on goal while attempting one interception. Kerkez and the captain appear on not in sync at the moment.

Manager’s Explanation and Admission

“We take a lot of gambles,” Slot commented after the opposition's win. “After the 62nd minute we had multiple attacking players on the pitch. That’s maybe why our structure for the dead-ball was not as perfect as we usually are. Usually we would have more defending personnel on the field. Perhaps it is a coincidence but it is no justification. The team understands we have to improve.”