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Now is the moment to begin evaluating Alexander Isak justly as a record-breaking Liverpool centre forward, the Liverpool head coach remarked on Friday. As such, judgment must be harsh, but as the UK's most expensive player sat alongside Mohamed Salah on the Reds substitutes while the Premier League title holders attempted unsuccessfully to secure an leveler versus their rivals without them, it was not Slot’s underperforming attack that deserved the fiercest scrutiny at the stadium. The team's defence has vanished.

Quiet Performance from Key Attackers

Indeed, the Swedish striker was mostly anonymous in the No 9 position and the Egyptian winger subpar once more as his difficulties persisted against the club he usually plunders. The Sweden international had his first attempt on goal in the Premier League as a Reds player in the 35th minute, smartly stopped by United’s new shot-stopper the young keeper. Salah wasted a golden after the break opportunity in front of the Kop and could not protest when their substitution were shown. The Dutch attacker also hit the crossbar on multiple occasions and inexplicably was unable to score a second shortly after Harry Maguire’s decisive goal.

Impossible Defeat Despite Chances

It should have been impossible for the hosts to be defeated in a game in which they generated plenty of chances, Slot stated. But it is not impossible with a backline in this form, as Crystal Palace, another rival and currently Manchester United have shown.

Defensive Collapse Under Pressure

As he presided over a fourth consecutive defeat as the club's head coach, the first person to achieve this after a previous manager in November 2014, Slot must have felt dismayed at a backline effort that allowed the visitors to seize control as well as their initial win at the ground since January 2016. Littered with the identical errors that the team's management had focused on fixing after the pause, featuring yet another set-piece goal, it was a performance that completely undermined the title holders' after halftime comeback and lost them the game.

Advantage Squandered Despite Uptick

The upper hand was finally with the home side when the substitute equalized the forward's early breakthrough. Liverpool could feel another last-minute win with substitutes one attacker, a midfielder and Federico Chiesa igniting improvement and the opposition in retreat. Rather, it was another late top-flight defeat, the third in succession, after Liverpool’s dead-ball frailties re-emerged and the defender found himself one of three United players free behind the centre-back in the 84th minute.

Organized Rivals Outperform

A powerful goal into the goal that Maguire blazed over in the dying seconds of last season’s 2-2 draw gave Ruben Amorim the best win of his challenging United reign. Despite the negativity around the coach it was his team that performed with obvious strategy and a smartly implemented plan for the majority of a thrilling encounter. The first back-to-back Premier League victories of the manager's reign were the outcome. The Liverpool team once more appeared like strangers at times, especially when allowing a set-piece goal for the fifth occasion in the division this season.

Early Goal Exposes Backline Flaws

Liverpool were lacking from the start to the finish of Mbeumo’s 62-second opener. There was little impact on the initial header from Virgil van Dijk, a probable consequence of having to go through opponents to reach the pass, to be fair, and little challenge on Bruno Fernandes when he took possession and passed to Amad Diallo in space on the right flank. Milos Kerkez was slow to react, the centre-back slow to track back and follow Mbeumo’s run while the goalkeeper, filling in for the unavailable Alisson in goal, was easily beaten from the position.

Refereeing and Concentration Issues

Slot could reasonably point to his decisions and ask where the whistle was from Michael Oliver, an official with whom he has a contentious history, but also doubt the concentration and communication among his backline. The forward's strike indicates the team have kept only a couple of clean sheets in 12 matches so far, the last coming eight games ago at Burnley.

Constant Exploitation of Defensive Side

The visitors exposed the left flank frequently in a opening period in which Fernandes, another player and also Gakpo all nearly scored to doubling the away team's advantage. Releasing the winger early versus Kerkez was obviously part of the manager's strategy. It succeeded repeatedly in the opening 45 minutes. The £40 million summer signing from Bournemouth endured a further difficult match in a Liverpool shirt. Throw-ins were also a problem for the previous player's chosen successor, who nearly put the forward through while making one challenge. Kerkez and the captain seem on not in sync at the moment.

Manager’s Explanation and Acknowledgment

“We take a many gambles,” Slot explained following the opposition's victory. “Following the second half we had six or seven attacking members on the pitch. This is maybe why our structure for the dead-ball was less organized as we usually are. Usually we would have more defending personnel on the pitch. Maybe it is a fluke but it is not an excuse. The team understands we have to improve.”