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It is now appropriate to begin evaluating Alexander Isak fairly as a record-breaking Liverpool attacker, the Liverpool head coach stated on Friday. Therefore, the assessment should be critical, but as the UK's costliest player sat next to Mohamed Salah on the Liverpool bench while the Premier League champions tried in vain to secure an equaliser against their rivals without them, it was not Slot’s misfiring offence that warranted the fiercest scrutiny at Anfield. The team's defensive foundation has evaporated.

Quiet Performance from Key Attackers

Yes, the Swedish striker was mostly anonymous in the No 9 position and the Egyptian winger subpar once more as his personal struggles persisted against the club he often scores against. The Sweden 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. The forward squandered a golden second-half opportunity facing the home end and neither complain when their substitution came up. The Dutch attacker also struck the crossbar on multiple occasions and somehow was unable to net a another goal shortly after the defender's winner.

Impossible Defeat In Spite of Chances

It seemed impossible for Liverpool to be defeated in a game in which they generated numerous opportunities, Slot remarked. But it is possible with a backline in this form, as Crystal Palace, another rival and now Manchester United have shown.

Defensive Collapse During Scrutiny

While overseeing a fourth consecutive loss as the club's manager, the first person to achieve this after Brendan Rodgers in years past, the coach must have despaired at a backline effort that allowed the visitors to seize control as well as their first victory at Anfield in nearly a decade. Filled with the identical errors that the team's management had worked on eradicating following the pause, featuring yet another dead-ball goal, it was a display that totally undermined the title holders' after halftime comeback and cost them the game.

Advantage Lost Despite Uptick

The upper hand was at last with the home side when Gakpo equalized the forward's quick opener. The Merseyside club could feel one more late win with replacements one attacker, a midfielder and Federico Chiesa igniting progress and the opposition in defensive mode. Rather, it was a further last-gasp top-flight defeat, the third straight, after Liverpool’s dead-ball weaknesses re-emerged and the defender found himself among several opposition members unmarked past Ibrahima Konaté in the closing stages.

Purposeful Rivals Outperform

A thumping goal into the net that Maguire blazed over in the final moments of the previous campaign's tie gave the United manager the finest victory of his challenging club tenure. Despite the negativity surrounding Amorim it was his team that performed with clear purpose and a smartly implemented approach for the majority of a compelling contest. The initial consecutive Premier League wins of Amorim’s time in charge were the result. The Liverpool side once more appeared like unfamiliar at points, especially when allowing a set-piece score for the fifth occasion in the Premier League this season.

Quick Opener Exposes Defensive Flaws

Liverpool were exposed from the inception to the finish of Mbeumo’s 62-second first goal. There was no purchase on the first header from the captain, a likely consequence of having to go through two players to connect with the pass, admittedly, and no pressure on Bruno Fernandes when he received the ball and released Amad Diallo in space on the right flank. the defender was late to react, the centre-back delayed to track back and mark Mbeumo’s movement while Giorgi Mamardashvili, deputising for the injured first-choice keeper in goal, was comfortably beaten from the position.

Officiating and Focus Questions

The manager could justifiably question his decisions and wonder why the foul was from the referee, an official with whom he has a contentious past, but also question the concentration and coordination levels his defenders. The forward's strike indicates Slot’s team have kept only a couple of clean sheets in a dozen games this season, the last occurring eight games previously at Burnley.

Repeated Targeting of Defensive Side

United carved open the left flank repeatedly in a first half in which the midfielder, another player and also the attacker all came close to doubling the away team's lead. Releasing the winger early against the full-back was clearly part of the manager's tactic. It succeeded time and again in the first 45 minutes. The £40 million summer signing from Bournemouth endured another difficult evening in a Liverpool jersey. Set-pieces were also a problem for Andy Robertson’s replacement, who nearly sent the forward through while making one challenge. Kerkez and the captain seem on different wavelengths at the moment.

Coach's Analysis and Acknowledgment

“We take a lot of risks,” Slot commented after United’s win. “After the 62nd minute we had six or seven offensive players on the field. This is maybe why our organization for the dead-ball was less organized as we usually are. Usually we would have more defending players on the field. Maybe it is a coincidence but it is not an excuse. The team understands we have to improve.”