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Now is the moment to start judging Alexander Isak equitably as a £125 million Anfield striker, the Liverpool head coach remarked on the weekend. As such, evaluation needs to be severe, but as the UK's highest-priced footballer sat alongside Mohamed Salah on the Liverpool bench while the English top-flight champions attempted unsuccessfully to force an equaliser versus their rivals without them, it was not the manager's underperforming forward line that earned the harshest scrutiny at the stadium. His defensive foundation has evaporated.

Quiet Performance from Star Attackers

Indeed, Isak was largely quiet in the centre-forward role and Salah subpar once more as his difficulties continued against the team he typically plunders. The Swedish international had his initial shot on target in the top division as a Reds member in the 35th minute, smartly stopped by United’s new goalkeeper the young keeper. Salah missed a glorious second-half chance facing the Kop and neither protest when their numbers came up. The Dutch attacker also hit the crossbar three times and inexplicably failed to score a second shortly after Harry Maguire’s decisive goal.

Impossible Defeat Despite Opportunities

It seemed unthinkable for Liverpool to be defeated in a match in which they created numerous chances, Slot claimed. But it is not impossible with a backline in current state, as Crystal Palace, Chelsea and now United have demonstrated.

Defensive Breakdown During Scrutiny

While overseeing a fourth consecutive loss as Liverpool head coach, the first man to do so since a previous manager in years past, the coach must have been frustrated at a backline effort that invited the visitors to dominate as well as their first victory at Anfield since January 2016. Filled with the repeated issues that the team's management had focused on fixing after the international break, including another dead-ball goal, it was a display that completely undermined the title holders' after halftime recovery and lost them the match.

Advantage Lost Despite Uptick

The upper hand was at last with the home side when the substitute equalized Bryan Mbeumo’s early opener. The Merseyside club could sense another late victory with replacements Hugo Ekitiké, Curtis Jones and another forward igniting progress and United in retreat. Rather, it was another late top-flight loss, the third straight, after the team's set-piece frailties resurfaced and Maguire found himself among several United members free past the centre-back in the 84th minute.

Organized Rivals Outperform

A thumping header into the net that Maguire missed in the dying seconds of the previous campaign's 2-2 draw gave Ruben Amorim the finest victory of his challenging United reign. For all the criticism around the coach it was his team that performed with clear purpose and a well-executed plan for the bulk of a thrilling contest. The initial consecutive Premier League wins of Amorim’s reign were the result. Slot’s side again looked like strangers at points, particularly when allowing a set-piece score for the fifth time in the division the current campaign.

Early Goal Exposes Defensive Flaws

The home side were lacking from the start to the finish of the attacker's 62-second first goal. There was no purchase on the initial attempt from the captain, a probable consequence of having to go through two players to reach the pass, to be fair, and little challenge on the playmaker when he received the ball and released Amad Diallo in open area on the right. the defender was late to react, Van Dijk delayed to recover and follow the forward's run while Giorgi Mamardashvili, deputising for the injured Alisson in goal, was comfortably beaten from the position.

Refereeing and Focus Questions

Slot could justifiably point to his decisions and ask where the whistle was from the referee, an referee with whom he has a feisty past, but also question the focus and coordination among his defenders. The forward's goal means Slot’s team have managed only a couple of shutouts in a dozen games this season, the most recent occurring eight games ago at Burnley.

Repeated Targeting of Defensive Side

The visitors exposed the left side frequently in a first half in which the midfielder, another player and even Gakpo all came close to increasing the visitors’ advantage. Releasing Diallo quickly versus Kerkez was clearly part of Amorim’s strategy. It succeeded time and again in the first half. The £40m new arrival from Bournemouth experienced a further difficult evening in a club shirt. Set-pieces were even a problem for the previous player's replacement, who nearly sent Mbeumo in on goal while attempting one challenge. Kerkez and the captain seem on different wavelengths at present.

Coach's Explanation and Admission

“We take a lot of gambles,” Slot explained after United’s win. “Following the second half we had six or seven offensive members on the pitch. That’s perhaps why our structure for the set-piece was not as perfect as we typically are. Usually we would have additional defending players on the pitch. Maybe it is a fluke but it is no justification. We know we have to do better.”