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The time has come to commence assessing Alexander Isak fairly as a £125 million Anfield attacker, the Liverpool head coach remarked on Friday. As such, judgment must be harsh, but as the UK's highest-priced footballer sat alongside Mohamed Salah on the Reds substitutes while the English top-flight champions tried in vain to secure an leveler against their rivals in their absence, it was not Slot’s misfiring attack that deserved the harshest scrutiny at Anfield. His backline structure has evaporated.

Anonymous Performance from Star Attackers

Yes, Isak was largely unnoticeable in the No 9 role and the Egyptian winger disappointing again as his difficulties continued versus the club he typically plunders. The Swedish player had his initial attempt on goal in the top division as a Reds member in the 35th minute, well saved by the opposition's latest goalkeeper the young keeper. The forward missed a excellent second-half opportunity facing the Kop and could not protest when their numbers were shown. The Dutch attacker also struck the crossbar three times and somehow was unable to net a another goal shortly after Harry Maguire’s winner.

Impossible Loss In Spite of Chances

It ought to have been impossible for the hosts to be defeated in a game in which they generated plenty of chances, the manager stated. But it is possible with a defence in such condition, as one opponent, Chelsea and currently United have demonstrated.

Backline Collapse Under Scrutiny

As he presided over a fourth straight defeat as the club's manager, the first man to achieve this after a previous manager in years past, the coach must have despaired at a defence display that allowed the visitors to take the initiative as well as their first victory at Anfield in nearly a decade. Filled with the identical errors that Liverpool’s coaching staff had focused on solving following the pause, including yet another dead-ball score, it was a display that totally undermined the champions’ second half recovery and cost them the game.

Advantage Lost Despite Improvement

The upper hand was at last with the hosts when Gakpo equalized Bryan Mbeumo’s early opener. The Merseyside club could sense one more late victory with substitutes one attacker, Curtis Jones and another forward igniting progress and United in defensive mode. Instead, it was another late Premier League loss, the third in succession, after Liverpool’s set-piece weaknesses re-emerged and Maguire found himself among several opposition players unmarked past Ibrahima Konaté in the 84th minute.

Purposeful Opposition Excel

A thumping header into the net that Maguire missed in the dying seconds of the previous campaign's tie gave Ruben Amorim the finest win of his turbulent United reign. Despite the negativity around Amorim it was his team that played with obvious strategy and a smartly implemented approach for the majority of a thrilling encounter. The initial consecutive league wins of Amorim’s reign were the outcome. Slot’s side once more looked like strangers at points, especially when allowing a set-piece score for the fifth time in the division the current campaign.

Early Goal Exposes Backline Flaws

The home side were exposed from the start to the finish of Mbeumo’s quick-fire opener. There was no purchase on the first attempt from Virgil van Dijk, a probable result of having to go through opponents to connect with the pass, to be fair, and little challenge on Bruno Fernandes when he received the ball and passed to the winger in space on the right. the defender was slow to respond, the centre-back slow to track back and mark Mbeumo’s run while Giorgi Mamardashvili, filling in for the injured Alisson in goal, was easily beaten from the angle.

Refereeing and Focus Questions

Slot could justifiably question his head and ask why the foul was from the referee, an official with whom he has a contentious past, but also question the focus and communication levels his backline. The forward's strike means Slot’s team have managed only two clean sheets in 12 matches so far, the last occurring eight games ago at another ground.

Constant Targeting of Left Flank

United carved open the left flank repeatedly in a first half in which Fernandes, Mason Mount and even Gakpo all came close to increasing the away team's lead. Releasing the winger early versus the full-back was obviously part of the manager's tactic. It worked repeatedly in the first 45 minutes. The £40m summer signing from Bournemouth experienced another tough evening in a club jersey. Throw-ins were even a issue for Andy Robertson’s replacement, who nearly sent the forward in on goal while attempting an interception. The defender and the captain appear on different wavelengths at present.

Manager’s Analysis and Admission

“We take a lot of risks,” the head coach explained after the opposition's victory. “After the second half we had six or seven attacking players on the field. 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 not an excuse. We know we have to do better.”