For the first time in 11 years, Liverpool have lost four matches in a row. The Reds controversially went behind just over a minute in after Bryan Mbueno scored after Alexis Mac Allister went down with a head injury (caused by the elbow of Virgil van Dijk). Liverpool continued their trend of looking very disjointed in all phases, especially in the first half. A raft of substitutions in the second half breathed new life and urgency into the Reds as they chased the game, and Liverpool found a leveler
and seemed to be in the ascendency. Just five minutes later, however, the Reds conceded what would be a match winner. Below, we take a look at some winners and losers on the night, and attempt to disentangle narrative from fact.
Winners
Alexis Mac Allister
The Argentinian midfielder is still well off his best form, but he was much improved against Manchester United. He had some nice moments on the ball, showing some better control and vision to provide ball progression that had been sorely missing from his game prior to this match.
Super Sub Fede
Federico Chiesa continues to be a consistent spark off the bench for Liverpool. The Italian dynamo was a bundle of energy per usual, with his hustle paying off to be in position to provide the assist to Cody Gakpo. He created some of the best moments as Liverpool were chasing the game.
Dominik Szoboszlai
The Hungarian was again one of the few consistent performers despite having to play multiple positions. Szoboszlai had 3 key passes, completed almost 90% of his passes, including 6 of 7 long passes, and also pitched in with 2 tackles and 2 clearances.
Losers
Virgil van Dijk
The captain was not up to his usual standard as the best central defender in the world. He failed to track the run of Bryan Mbueno in the opening minute, allowing the Manchester United attacker to sneak past him to receive the ball and score the opening goal. He seemed to lose his cool on several occasions and seems to be struggling to communicate his expectations to Milos Kerkez on his left.
Mohamed Salah
Things are just not clicking for Mo. Salah struggled to have any consistent involvement in the attack, and he could not find the magic on the ball, taking unusually heavy touches when he finally did get in 1v1 opportunities. He was dispossessed twice and had 5 unsuccessful touches when he had an opportunity to take a player on. He also was wasteful with his opportunities when he was able to get shots on target from a couple of stellar opportunities. With Liverpool needing a goal after conceding in the 84th minute, Salah was withdrawn.
Milos Kerkez
Liverpool are certainly not playing to the strengths of Kerkez, but the Hungarian was extremely poor with his crossing when he did get the opportunities to get forward with the ball. He finished the match connecting on just 1 of his 8 crosses, missing badly on quite a few. Kerkez and Virgil van Dijk still seem to be playing off of two sheets of music with their defensive spacing and understanding of where the other will be.
Cody Gakpo vs the Woodwork
The Dutchman had the goalkeeper beat twice on his own, and saw an additional cross deflected and leave the keeper rooted. In all three instances, however, Gakpo could not beat the woodwork, hitting the right upright three times in the match. Gakpo did get an initial equalizer from close range, but also missed a wide open net with a late header to tie the match up at 2-2. He also struggled to keep hold of the ball, leading all players with 7 unsuccessful touches and was dispossessed 1 time, with only 1 completed dribble.
Michael Oliver
Let’s be clear, the refereeing is not the reason Liverpool lost. It’s still worth pointing out just how poor Michael Oliver was in the middle of the pitch, however. Despite being just a few feet away from the collision, Oliver failed to stop play for a head injury to Alexis Mac Allister in the opening minute, with Manchester United scoring directly from the sequence as the Argentinian midfielder was down. Mac Allister required lengthy treatment to clean and bandage a head wound. A few minutes later Oliver whistled Mac Allister for a foul after the Argentinian was hacked down and fell into another player as a result. That set the tone as Oliver eschewed clear fouls and cards for much of the match in favor of waving his hands around and giving stern looks.
Talking Tactics
Liverpool are struggling mightily to find consistency and rhythm, especially in the first half of matches. Against Manchester United, the Reds continued their trend of being extremely spread out disconnected through midfield and the attacking band. While there were frequently options in midfield, Liverpool either missed the early passing lanes or just decided to recycle possession in attempts to draw Manchester United out in an effort to create fast breaks. When Liverpool did break forward, the spacing between the forwards was so spread out there was typically not a support option, meaning it was up to the player on the ball to make something happen against multiple defenders or turn the ball backwards. Alexander Isak had just 19 touches during his 71 minutes on the pitch as he struggled to find a connection with the other attackers.
The wide play also continues to be concerning. Both starting fullbacks, Conor Bradley and Milos Kerkez, are know for their direct play running down the wings. The wide forwards, however, are staying far out on the wings and not really leaving space for the fullbacks to run into with or without the ball.
Liverpool were better in the second half, and finished with a very respectable 2.76 xG according to FotMob. Unfortunately, the finishing in front of net was poor yet again. The likes of Mohamed Salah and Cody Gakpo fluffed big chances.
What Happens Next
Arne Slot and his squad will head to Germany to for a Champions League match with Eintracht Frankfurt on Wednesday. Liverpool will be on the road next weekend as they head to the London region to face Brentford on Saturday.
