Liverpool's defensive frailties have become a bigger concern for Arne Slot than the misfiring form of record signing Alexander Isak and talisman Mohamed Salah, as the Premier League champions slumped to a fourth consecutive defeat at Anfield on Saturday. Manchester United secured their first win at Anfield since January 2016, with Harry Maguire's late header sealing a 2-1 victory after Bryan Mbeumo's early opener had been cancelled out by Cody Gakpo.
The result leaves Slot as the first Liverpool head coach since Brendan Rodgers in November 2014 to lose four league games in a row. Despite creating numerous chances, the champions were undone by a defensive performance littered with errors, particularly from set pieces. United's winner came from a corner in the 84th minute, with Maguire finding himself unmarked behind Ibrahima Konaté to head home.
Slot's side have now kept only two clean sheets in 12 matches this season, the last coming eight games ago at Burnley. The opening goal in the 62nd second exposed a lack of concentration, with Virgil van Dijk failing to deal with an initial header and Milos Kerkez slow to react to Amad Diallo's run. The left flank was repeatedly carved open, with Kerkez enduring another difficult evening.
While Isak and Salah have been below par—Isak registering his first shot on target as a Liverpool player in the 35th minute and Salah squandering a second-half chance—the defensive issues are more pressing. Slot admitted it should have been impossible to lose a game with so many chances created, but acknowledged the defending made it possible. The set-piece goal was the fifth Liverpool have conceded in the Premier League this season.
