Arne Slot made no excuses for Liverpool's defeat to Manchester United, marking their fourth consecutive loss across all competitions. The Premier League champions fell behind early when Bryan Mbeumo slipped
past Virgil van Dijk and scored against Giorgi Mamardashvili. Despite Cody Gakpo hitting the woodwork three times, he eventually scored with 12 minutes left. However, Harry Maguire's late header secured United's first win at Anfield since 2016.
The Reds have now lost four matches in a row for the first time since November 2014. They have also suffered three consecutive Premier League defeats for the first time since February 2021. Since May, Liverpool has conceded two or more goals in eight of their 12 league games, more than any other team. Slot acknowledged the difficulty of facing a team that defends deep and relies on long balls.
Slot expressed his frustration over Liverpool's set-piece vulnerabilities, which have been costly this season. "If you lose a game after losing four, emotions run high," Slot said. He emphasized the need to focus on improving both scoring and defending, especially from set pieces. The defeat to United follows late losses to Crystal Palace and Chelsea, both decided by goals in the final moments.
Liverpool created numerous chances against United but failed to capitalize fully. Their expected goals (xG) total was 2.76 from 19 shots compared to United's 1.26 from 12 attempts. Alexander Isak and Mohamed Salah missed key opportunities, while Gakpo's individual xG of 1.55 surpassed United's entire tally.
Liverpool's attacking prowess has faltered this season, with Mohamed Salah notably struggling. After scoring 29 Premier League goals last season, Salah has now gone seven games without a non-penalty goal, a first in his Liverpool career. Despite this, Slot remains unconcerned about individual performances.
"After games like this, it's normal to focus on individual players," Slot noted. He acknowledged discussions around new signings but stressed the importance of collective improvement rather than singling out players like Salah.
Slot also highlighted the risks taken when trailing by a goal, noting that while they conceded extra chances beyond the goals allowed, they had to take those risks to equalize. "We hardly conceded a chance," he added, emphasizing the need to defend set pieces better.
The ongoing issues with set pieces make it challenging for Liverpool to secure victories consistently. Slot pointed out that having a negative balance on set pieces makes winning difficult.
Despite recent setbacks, Slot believes Liverpool did enough to win against United based on their performance metrics and chances created during the match.
