🔗 Share this article

It is now appropriate to commence assessing Alexander Isak fairly as a record-breaking Liverpool attacker, the Liverpool head coach stated on Friday. As such, the assessment should be critical, but as Britain’s most expensive footballer sat next to Mohamed Salah on the Reds bench while the English top-flight champions struggled to secure an equaliser against Manchester United without them, it was not the manager's misfiring offence that warranted the fiercest blame at the stadium. The team's backline structure has disappeared.

Anonymous Display from Key Attackers

Yes, the Swedish striker was predominantly quiet in the centre-forward role and the Egyptian winger subpar once more as his personal struggles persisted against the club he typically plunders. The Swedish player had his first shot on target in the top division as a Reds member in the first half, smartly stopped by United’s new goalkeeper Senne Lammens. Salah missed a golden after the break opportunity facing the Kop and could not complain when their numbers came up. The Dutch attacker also hit the crossbar on multiple occasions and inexplicably failed to score a second shortly after Harry Maguire’s winner.

Impossible Defeat In Spite of Opportunities

It should have been unthinkable for Liverpool to be defeated in a game in which they created numerous opportunities, the manager remarked. But it is not impossible with a defence in current state, as Crystal Palace, another rival and now United have demonstrated.

Backline Collapse During Pressure

As he presided over a fourth consecutive loss as Liverpool manager, the first person to do so after Brendan Rodgers in years past, the coach must have been frustrated at a backline effort that allowed United to seize control as well as their initial win at the ground since January 2016. Filled with the repeated issues that Liverpool’s coaching staff had focused on eradicating after the international break, featuring another set-piece score, it was a display that totally derailed the champions’ after halftime comeback and cost them the match.

Advantage Lost Despite Improvement

The upper hand was at last with the home side when Gakpo equalized Bryan Mbeumo’s quick opener. The Merseyside club could sense one more late victory with substitutes Hugo Ekitiké, Curtis Jones and Federico Chiesa sparking progress and the opposition in retreat. Instead, it was another last-gasp top-flight loss, the third in succession, after Liverpool’s dead-ball frailties resurfaced and Maguire found himself among several United members free behind the centre-back in the closing stages.

Organized Opposition Excel

A powerful goal into the goal that the player blazed over in the dying seconds of the previous campaign's tie gave Ruben Amorim the best victory of his challenging United tenure. Despite the criticism around Amorim it was his squad that played with obvious strategy and a well-executed approach for the majority of a compelling encounter. The initial consecutive Premier League wins of Amorim’s reign were the result. The Liverpool team once more appeared like strangers at points, particularly when conceding a dead-ball goal for the fifth time in the Premier League the current campaign.

Early Opener Exposes Backline Flaws

The home side were exposed from the inception to the finish of the attacker's quick-fire first goal. There was little impact on the initial attempt from Virgil van Dijk, a probable consequence of having to go through opponents to connect with the ball, to be fair, and little challenge on the playmaker when he took possession and passed to Amad Diallo in space on the right. Milos Kerkez was slow to respond, the centre-back slow to recover and follow the forward's run while Giorgi Mamardashvili, deputising for the injured Alisson in net, was comfortably beaten from the position.

Refereeing and Concentration Questions

Slot could reasonably question his head and ask why the whistle was from Michael Oliver, an official with whom he has a contentious history, but also doubt the concentration and coordination among his backline. Mbeumo’s goal indicates Slot’s side have managed only two clean sheets in a dozen games this season, the most recent occurring eight games ago at Burnley.

Repeated Exploitation of Left Flank

The visitors carved open the left flank frequently in a first half in which the midfielder, another player and even Gakpo all nearly scored to doubling the visitors’ lead. Sending Diallo early versus the full-back was obviously in Amorim’s gameplan. It worked repeatedly in the opening half. The £40 million new arrival from Bournemouth endured another tough evening in a Liverpool shirt. Throw-ins were also a problem for the previous player's replacement, who almost sent Mbeumo through while attempting an interception. The defender and Van Dijk seem on different wavelengths at the moment.

Coach's Explanation and Admission

“We take a lot of risks,” Slot explained following United’s win. “Following the second half we had six or seven offensive players on the pitch. That’s perhaps why our structure for the dead-ball was less organized as we usually are. Normally we would have more defending personnel on the field. Maybe it is a coincidence but it is not an excuse. The team understands we have to do better.”