🔗 Share this article Defence Problems Pose Greater Headache for Liverpool's Manager Than Getting Isak and Mohamed Salah to Score The time has come to start judging Alexander Isak justly as a £125 million Anfield attacker, Arne Slot stated on the weekend. In that case, the assessment should be critical, but as the UK's costliest footballer was seated alongside Mohamed Salah on the Reds bench while the Premier League title holders tried in vain to secure an leveler versus their rivals without them, it was not Slot’s misfiring attack that warranted the fiercest scrutiny at the stadium. His defensive foundation has disappeared. Quiet Display from Key Attackers Yes, the Swedish striker was mostly quiet in the No 9 role and Salah subpar once more as his difficulties continued versus the club he usually scores against. The Sweden international had his first attempt on goal in the top division as a Reds player in the 35th minute, smartly stopped by the opposition's latest goalkeeper Senne Lammens. Salah missed a excellent second-half chance in front of the Kop and could not protest when their numbers were shown. The Dutch attacker also hit the woodwork three times and somehow failed to score a another goal shortly after Harry Maguire’s winner. Impossible Defeat In Spite of Chances It seemed unthinkable for Liverpool to be defeated in a game in which they created numerous chances, Slot remarked. But it is not impossible with a defence in this form, as one opponent, Chelsea and currently Manchester United have demonstrated. Defensive Collapse Under Pressure While overseeing a fourth straight defeat as Liverpool manager, the first person to do so since Brendan Rodgers in November 2014, the coach must have felt dismayed at a backline effort that allowed the visitors to seize control as well as their initial win at Anfield since January 2016. Littered with the identical errors that the team's coaching staff had focused on eradicating after the international break, featuring yet another dead-ball score, it was a display that completely derailed the champions’ after halftime recovery and lost them the match. Momentum Lost Despite Improvement The upper hand was finally with the home side when the substitute equalized Bryan Mbeumo’s quick breakthrough. The Merseyside club could feel one more late win with replacements one attacker, a midfielder and another forward igniting improvement and the opposition in defensive mode. Rather, it was a further last-gasp top-flight loss, the third in succession, after Liverpool’s set-piece frailties re-emerged and Maguire found himself among several opposition players free behind Ibrahima Konaté in the closing stages. Purposeful Rivals Excel A powerful goal into the net that the player blazed over in the final moments of the previous campaign's tie gave the United manager the best win of his turbulent United tenure. For all the negativity around Amorim it was his team that performed with obvious strategy and a well-executed plan for the majority of a thrilling encounter. The first back-to-back Premier League victories of Amorim’s time in charge were the outcome. The Liverpool side again looked like strangers at points, especially when allowing a dead-ball score for the fifth time in the Premier League this season. Early Opener Exposes Backline Flaws Liverpool were found wanting from the start to the execution of the attacker's 62-second first goal. There was no purchase on the initial attempt from Virgil van Dijk, a probable result of having to go through opponents to reach the ball, to be fair, and no pressure on Bruno Fernandes when he received the ball and passed to Amad Diallo in open area on the right. Milos Kerkez was late to react, the centre-back delayed to track back and follow Mbeumo’s run while the goalkeeper, filling in for the unavailable first-choice keeper in goal, was comfortably beaten from the angle. Officiating and Focus Questions Slot could reasonably point to his head and wonder why the foul was from the referee, an official with whom he has a contentious history, but also doubt the focus and communication among his defenders. Mbeumo’s goal means Slot’s team have managed only two clean sheets in a dozen games so far, the most recent occurring eight games previously at Burnley. Repeated Targeting of Defensive Side The visitors carved open the left side frequently in a first half in which the midfielder, another player and also the attacker all came close to increasing the away team's lead. Releasing Diallo quickly against Kerkez was obviously part of Amorim’s strategy. It succeeded time and again in the opening half. The £40m summer signing from Bournemouth endured a further difficult evening in a Liverpool jersey. Throw-ins were even a issue for the previous player's replacement, who nearly sent Mbeumo through while attempting one challenge. Kerkez and the captain seem on different wavelengths at the moment. Manager’s Explanation and Admission “Our approach involves a lot of gambles,” the head coach explained after United’s victory. “Following the second half we had multiple offensive members on the field. That’s perhaps why our organization for the dead-ball was not as perfect as we usually are. Normally we would have more defensive personnel on the field. Maybe it is a coincidence but it is not an excuse. The team understands we have to do better.”