Liverpool Slump Deepens as Man United Win 2-1 at Anfield, Fourth Straight Defeat

Bryan Mbeumo had scored before the second minute was out. That was how Sunday's Premier League match at Anfield began for Liverpool, and it set the tone for an afternoon that ended 2-1 to Manchester United, the club's fourth consecutive defeat.

The goal came against Giorgi Mamardashvili, who was making his home league debut in place of Alisson. He was beaten too easily by Mbeumo, according to the This Is Anfield ratings, and he looked nervy soon afterward when he spilled a cross. He did bail out Milos Kerkez after a poor back pass, but the verdict was blunt: he isn't Alisson. Virgil van Dijk was also faulted for the opener, for not dealing with Mbeumo's run.

The first half, in the assessment of the writer, was alarming for how open Liverpool were. Ibrahima Konate was a rare positive, playing a superb through-ball to Alexander Isak and defending with purpose. Kerkez, preferred again to Andy Robertson at left-back, had a dreadful afternoon, rated 3 out of 10, a constant weak link whose aimless crosses and defensive lapses did not help Van Dijk. Alexis Mac Allister, rated 4, was clattered in the build-up to Mbeumo's goal but looked far from fit. Conor Bradley struggled too, though he kept Matheus Cunha relatively quiet.

Liverpool did pull level in the 78th minute. Federico Chiesa, on as a substitute for Isak in the 72nd minute, assisted Cody Gakpo, who finished from close range. Van Dijk had made a vital tackle just before. Gakpo was easily the most effective attacker, with two shots and a deflected cross hitting the post. But he then missed a sitter that would have made it 2-2.

United punished that. In the 84th minute Harry Maguire scored the winner, and Konate, otherwise good, lost him far too easily. Arne Slot had switched to a 4-2-4 after the break. The ratings called it panic tactics, saying Liverpool lost their shape and predictably conceded.

Salah, rated 3, was awful apart from one immaculate through-ball to Gakpo, with too many passes and crosses off target. The fact that Slot replaced him when chasing a goal, the piece argues, sums up his form. Isak, the record signing, managed one saved shot and only four touches in United's penalty area, and again looked short of full fitness. Ryan Gravenberch was crisp and hard-working before going off with an ankle injury.

Dominik Szoboszlai was named man of the match with a 6, described as better than the rest, trying to break lines and again doing well at right-back in the second half. Among the substitutes, Chiesa and Jeremie Frimpong, who created a huge chance for Gakpo and sent in another great cross after replacing Salah in the 86th minute, each earned a 7. Hugo Ekitike, Florian Wirtz and Curtis Jones, all on in the 61st minute, got 6s. Robertson was among the unused substitutes.

Slot got a 4. The writer says he faces genuine pressure for the first time, with Liverpool in a crisis by their standards. Leaving out Wirtz and starting Mac Allister felt baffling, and the loss came against what the piece calls a bad United side. A massive response is needed.