🔗 Share this article Defensive Problems Present Bigger Concern for Slot Compared to Making Isak and Mohamed Salah to Score It is now appropriate to start judging Alexander Isak equitably as a £125 million Liverpool striker, the Liverpool head coach stated on the weekend. Therefore, evaluation needs to be severe, but as the UK's costliest player was seated next to Mohamed Salah on the Liverpool bench while the English top-flight champions struggled to force an leveler against their rivals in their absence, it was not Slot’s underperforming forward line that warranted the fiercest scrutiny at the stadium. His backline structure has disappeared. Anonymous Display from Key Attackers Indeed, Isak was mostly unnoticeable in the No 9 role and the Egyptian winger again poor as his difficulties continued against the team he usually plunders. The Swedish player had his first shot on target in the top division as a Reds player in the 35th minute, excellently denied by the opposition's latest goalkeeper Senne Lammens. Salah squandered a excellent after the break chance facing the Kop and neither complain when their numbers came up. Cody Gakpo also hit the crossbar on multiple occasions and inexplicably was unable to score a another goal moments after Harry Maguire’s winner. Unthinkable Defeat Despite Chances It seemed unthinkable for the hosts to lose a game in which they generated numerous chances, the manager remarked. But it is possible with a defence in such condition, as one opponent, Chelsea and currently Manchester United have demonstrated. Defensive Breakdown Under Pressure As he presided over a fourth consecutive loss as Liverpool manager, the first person to achieve this since Brendan Rodgers in years past, the coach must have despaired at a defensive performance that allowed the visitors to dominate as well as their first victory at the ground in nearly a decade. Filled with the same mistakes that Liverpool’s management had focused on solving after the pause, including yet another dead-ball goal, it was a performance that completely derailed the champions’ after halftime recovery and cost them the match. Advantage Squandered Even with Uptick Momentum was at last with the home side when the substitute equalized the forward's early breakthrough. Liverpool could feel another late victory with substitutes one attacker, a midfielder and Federico Chiesa igniting progress and United in defensive mode. Instead, it was another last-gasp Premier League defeat, the third straight, after the team's dead-ball weaknesses re-emerged and the defender found himself among several United members unmarked behind Ibrahima Konaté in the 84th minute. Purposeful Opposition Outperform A powerful header into the net that Maguire missed in the dying seconds of the previous campaign's 2-2 draw gave Ruben Amorim the best victory of his turbulent club reign. For all the criticism around the coach it was his squad that performed with clear purpose and a smartly implemented plan for the majority of a compelling encounter. The first consecutive league wins of Amorim’s reign were the result. The Liverpool side once more looked like unfamiliar at points, especially when allowing a set-piece score for the fifth time in the Premier League the current campaign. Early Opener Reveals Defensive Flaws Liverpool were lacking from the inception to the finish of Mbeumo’s 62-second first goal. There was no purchase on the initial attempt from the captain, a likely result of having to go through two players to reach the ball, to be fair, and no pressure on Bruno Fernandes when he received the ball and passed to the winger in open area on the right flank. Milos Kerkez was late to respond, the centre-back slow to track back and mark Mbeumo’s run while Giorgi Mamardashvili, filling in for the unavailable first-choice keeper in goal, was comfortably beaten from the position. Officiating and Focus Questions The manager could reasonably point to his decisions and wonder why the foul was from the referee, an official with whom he has a feisty past, but also doubt the focus and coordination among his backline. The forward's goal indicates the team have managed only two shutouts in a dozen games so far, the last coming eight games previously at another ground. Constant Exploitation of Defensive Side The visitors carved open the left side repeatedly in a opening period in which Fernandes, Mason Mount and even Gakpo all came close to doubling the visitors’ advantage. Releasing Diallo quickly versus the full-back was obviously in Amorim’s strategy. It succeeded repeatedly in the first half. The £40m summer signing from Bournemouth endured a further tough match in a Liverpool shirt. Set-pieces were even a issue for the previous player's chosen successor, who almost sent the forward through while making an interception. Kerkez and Van Dijk appear on different wavelengths at the moment. Manager’s Analysis and Acknowledgment “Our approach involves a many risks,” Slot explained following the opposition's victory. “Following the 62nd minute we had multiple offensive players on the field. That’s perhaps why our structure for the dead-ball was not as perfect as we usually are. Normally we would have additional defending personnel on the pitch. Maybe it is a fluke but it is no justification. The team understands we have to do better.”