Ian Doyle with the main Liverpool talking points after a disappointing Premier League defeat at home to Manchester United on Sunday afternoon
05:00, 20 Oct 2025Updated 21:29, 21 Oct 2025
Ian Doyle has covered Liverpool for more than 20 years, following them across Europe in multiple Champions League and Europa League finals and as far afield as Thailand, Singapore, the United States, Hong Kong and Qatar, and has reported on the Reds winning every major honour. He previously also covered Everton for 18 years and followed England, reporting on the European Championships and World Cup final. Once had to tell Jude Law he does not drive a Mini.
Arne Slot, head coach of Liverpool, looks on during the Premier League match against Manchester United at Anfield(Image: Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images)
When Manchester United were last in town at the start of the year, Trent Alexander-Arnold’s alarming performance could at least in part be explained by having his head turned days earlier by official interest from Real Madrid. There was, though, no doubt United had targeted Alexander-Arnold and Liverpool’s full-backs in general as an area to exploit.
Given the wide areas of the defence remain in a state of flux for the Reds this season, United, unsurprisingly, repeated that approach with Milos Kerkez this time the player in their sights.
It was a wise decision. The left-back too often struggled to find an answer, not helped by a succession of wrong decisions in coping with Amad Diallo and occasionally Matheus Cunha.
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Going forward, an understanding with Cody Gakpo down the left just isn’t there at present, although Kerkez must surely be under instruction to resist overlapping.
The issue can no longer be avoided. Having started every Premier League game since arriving from Bournemouth in the summer, Kerkez would surely be best served by being taken out of the firing line for Andy Robertson and given time to regroup and rebuild his confidence.
On the other flank, Conor Bradley was decent enough before making way on the hour. But Slot’s call to not introduce Jeremie Frimpong and instead shift Dominik Szoboszlai to right-back merely limited the influence of the Hungarian having impressed in midfield.
Reds problem still set
Liverpool took to the field with their usual sponsors logo replaced by the message “Play On” to raise awareness for the club and Standard Chartered’s joint initiative to keep girls in sport.
That phrase, though, was the last thing the Reds were expecting to hear from referee Michael Oliver barely a minute into this desperate defeat.
With Alexis Mac Allister prone on the turf after being accidentally caught on the back of the head by Virgil van Dijk’s elbow, Anfield expected the play, as is customary for such injuries, to be halted.
So there was a mixture of astonishment and anger when the game continued and Bryan Mbeumo shot through a weak Giorgi Mamardashvili attempt to save.
The Premier League later explained that with the incident having not been spotted by myopic Oliver and his officials, and no foul having been committed, VAR were not compelled to intervene.
Liverpool, though, had switched off. Just as they did collectively six minutes from time when, after a clearance from a set-piece had fortuitously dropped for Bruno Fernandes, Harry Maguire was one of three United players lining up to head in the cross at the far post ahead of Ibrahima Konate.
While their main title rivals prosper, dead-ball situations are sucking the life out of Liverpool’s season at present.
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Defence concerns continue
With both teams starting with goalkeepers who had made only one previous career Premier League start, this was always going to be a test for those lining up in between the sticks.
And it’s fair to say United came out on top. Mamardashvili will have been disappointed not to have saved Mbeumo’s opener and later prompted some panic among the crowd with one dropped cross.
Visiting keeper Senne Lammens, meanwhile, produced one fine save from Alexander Isak and did enough to put off Mohamed Salah in one key opening. He didn’t look overawed by the occasion.
But the finger can’t be pointed at Mamardashvili for Liverpool having now conceded two goals in seven of their 12 games so far this season.
That level of leakiness is simply unsustainable for any team harbouring genuine aspirations of winning trophies.
With problems from front to back, Slot has much on his plate. The biggest challenge of his Liverpool career is now upon him.