🔗 Share this article Defensive Problems Pose Bigger Headache for Slot Than Getting Isak and Mohamed Salah to Perform Now is the moment to commence assessing Alexander Isak fairly as a £125m Liverpool attacker, Arne Slot remarked on Friday. In that case, the assessment should be critical, but as Britain’s costliest footballer sat alongside Mohamed Salah on the Reds substitutes while the Premier League champions attempted unsuccessfully to force an equaliser against Manchester United without them, it was not the manager's underperforming forward line that earned the fiercest blame at the stadium. His defensive foundation has vanished. Anonymous Display from Key Forwards Indeed, Isak was mostly anonymous in the No 9 role and the Egyptian winger disappointing again as his personal struggles persisted against the team he often plunders. The Swedish player had his first shot on target in the top division as a Liverpool player in the first half, excellently denied by the opposition's new shot-stopper the young keeper. Salah missed a golden after the break chance facing the Kop and could not complain when their substitution came up. Cody Gakpo also struck the crossbar three times and inexplicably was unable to score a another goal moments after Harry Maguire’s decisive goal. Unthinkable Defeat In Spite of Opportunities It ought to have been unthinkable for Liverpool to lose a game in which they created so many chances, the manager stated. But it is not impossible with a defence in such condition, as Crystal Palace, another rival and currently Manchester United have proven. Defensive Collapse During Scrutiny As he presided over a fourth consecutive defeat as Liverpool manager, the first person to achieve this after a previous manager in years past, Slot must have despaired at a backline effort that invited United to take the initiative as well as their first victory at the ground in nearly a decade. Filled with the repeated issues that Liverpool’s management had focused on eradicating following the pause, including another set-piece goal, it was a performance that completely undermined the title holders' second half comeback and cost them the game. Advantage Lost Despite Uptick Momentum was finally with the hosts when Gakpo cancelled out Bryan Mbeumo’s quick breakthrough. The Merseyside club could sense one more late victory with replacements one attacker, a midfielder and Federico Chiesa igniting progress and the opposition in defensive mode. Instead, it was another late top-flight defeat, the third straight, after Liverpool’s dead-ball weaknesses re-emerged and Maguire found himself among several opposition players unmarked behind Ibrahima Konaté in the closing stages. Purposeful Opposition Outperform A thumping header into the net that the player missed in the final moments of the previous campaign's 2-2 draw gave the United manager the finest victory of his turbulent United tenure. Despite the criticism around the coach it was his team that performed with clear purpose and a smartly implemented plan for the majority of a thrilling encounter. The initial consecutive league victories of the manager's time in charge were the result. Slot’s side once more looked like unfamiliar at points, especially when conceding a set-piece goal for the fifth occasion in the division the current campaign. Quick Opener Reveals Defensive Flaws The home side were lacking from the start to the finish of Mbeumo’s quick-fire first goal. There was no purchase on the initial header from the captain, a likely consequence of having to pass two players to reach the pass, admittedly, and no pressure on Bruno Fernandes when he received the ball and passed to Amad Diallo in open area on the right. the defender was slow to react, the centre-back delayed to track back and follow the forward's run while Giorgi Mamardashvili, deputising for the injured Alisson in net, was easily beaten from the angle. Officiating and Concentration Questions Slot could justifiably question his decisions and ask where the whistle was from Michael Oliver, an official with whom he has a feisty past, but also doubt the focus and coordination among his defenders. The forward's strike means the side have kept only a couple of shutouts in 12 matches this season, the last coming eight games previously at another ground. Constant Targeting of Defensive Side United exposed the left side frequently in a first half in which Fernandes, Mason Mount and also Gakpo all came close to doubling the visitors’ advantage. Releasing Diallo early against the full-back was obviously part of Amorim’s gameplan. It worked time and again in the first 45 minutes. The £40m summer signing from Bournemouth experienced a further difficult evening in a club shirt. Throw-ins were also a problem for Andy Robertson’s chosen successor, who almost sent the forward through while making an challenge. The defender and the captain seem on not in sync at the moment. Manager’s Explanation and Admission “We take a many risks,” Slot commented following the opposition's victory. “After the second half we had six or seven offensive players on the field. That’s maybe why our structure for the dead-ball was not as perfect as we typically are. Normally we would have additional defensive players on the pitch. Perhaps it is a coincidence but it is not an excuse. We know we have to do better.”