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Now is the moment to begin evaluating Alexander Isak fairly as a record-breaking Liverpool attacker, Arne Slot remarked on Friday. Therefore, judgment must be harsh, but as Britain’s costliest footballer was seated alongside Mohamed Salah on the Liverpool bench while the Premier League champions attempted unsuccessfully to secure an equaliser against their rivals without them, it was not the manager's underperforming offence that warranted the harshest criticism at Anfield. The team's defence has evaporated.

Anonymous Display from Key Attackers

Yes, Isak was largely unnoticeable in the centre-forward role and Salah subpar once more as his difficulties continued versus the team he often plunders. The Swedish international had his first shot on target in the Premier League as a Liverpool member in the 35th minute, well saved by the opposition's latest shot-stopper Senne Lammens. The forward squandered a glorious second-half opportunity in front of the Kop and neither complain when their substitution were shown. Cody Gakpo also struck the woodwork on multiple occasions and somehow failed to net a second shortly after the defender's decisive goal.

Impossible Loss In Spite of Opportunities

It seemed impossible for the hosts to lose a match in which they generated so many opportunities, the manager claimed. But it is not impossible with a backline in current state, as Crystal Palace, another rival and now Manchester United have proven.

Backline Collapse During Pressure

As he presided over a fourth consecutive defeat as Liverpool head coach, the first person to do so after a previous manager in years past, Slot must have felt dismayed at a defence display that allowed the visitors to take the initiative as well as their first victory at Anfield since January 2016. Littered with the repeated issues that Liverpool’s coaching staff had worked on eradicating following the international break, including another set-piece goal, it was a display that completely undermined the title holders' after halftime comeback and lost them the match.

Momentum Lost Despite Improvement

The upper hand was finally with the home side when Gakpo cancelled out the forward's quick opener. The Merseyside club could sense one more late victory with replacements one attacker, a midfielder and Federico Chiesa igniting improvement and the opposition in retreat. Rather, it was a further last-gasp top-flight loss, the third in succession, after Liverpool’s set-piece frailties resurfaced and the defender found himself one of three United members unmarked behind the centre-back in the closing stages.

Purposeful Rivals Excel

A thumping header into the goal that the player missed in the dying seconds of the previous campaign's tie gave Ruben Amorim the best victory of his challenging club tenure. For all the criticism surrounding Amorim it was his team that played with obvious strategy and a smartly implemented plan for the majority of a compelling contest. The first consecutive Premier League victories of the manager's reign were the outcome. Slot’s side again appeared like strangers at points, especially when conceding a dead-ball score 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 execution of the attacker's quick-fire opener. There was little impact on the first header from Virgil van Dijk, a likely consequence of having to pass two players to reach the ball, to be fair, and no pressure on Bruno Fernandes when he received the ball and released the winger in open area on the right. Milos Kerkez was slow to react, Van Dijk delayed to recover and mark the forward's movement while the goalkeeper, filling in for the unavailable first-choice keeper in net, was easily beaten from the angle.

Officiating and Focus Issues

The manager could reasonably point to his head and ask where the foul was from Michael Oliver, an official with whom he has a feisty past, but also question the concentration and coordination among his defenders. Mbeumo’s strike indicates Slot’s team have managed only a couple of shutouts in a dozen games so far, the last occurring eight games previously at another ground.

Repeated Targeting of Left Flank

The visitors carved open Liverpool’s left flank repeatedly in a opening period in which Fernandes, Mason Mount and even the attacker all nearly scored to doubling the visitors’ lead. Sending the winger early versus Kerkez was obviously in Amorim’s tactic. It succeeded repeatedly in the first 45 minutes. The £40m new arrival from his former club experienced another difficult evening in a Liverpool shirt. Throw-ins were even a issue for Andy Robertson’s chosen successor, who almost put the forward in on goal while attempting an challenge. The defender and the captain appear on different wavelengths at present.

Manager’s Analysis and Acknowledgment

“We take a many gambles,” the head coach explained following United’s win. “Following the 62nd minute we had six or seven attacking players on the pitch. This is perhaps why our organization for the dead-ball was not as perfect as we usually are. Normally we would have additional defensive players on the field. Maybe it is a fluke but it is no justification. We know we have to improve.”