Liverpool were beaten 2-1 by Manchester United in their Premier League clash on Sunday.
The Red Devils took the lead within the first minute, with Liverpool only managing to equalise in the 78th despite dominating almost all of the second half.
And, just when the Reds were getting some momentum, Harry Maguire put the final nail in the coffin after he headed home a goal in the 84th minute, gifting Man United the win.
The Reds are now fourth in the top-flight table and are four points adrift of league leaders Arsenal.
Although Arne Slot chose to make some changes in the game, former Red Phil Thompson believes that the Dutchman should have taken Alexis Mac Allister off at the start of the second half after what happened to him.
Phil Thompson thinks Alexis Mac Allister should have been substituted at half-time for Liverpool
Last year, Mac Allister was one of the Reds’ best players.
He helped Ryan Gravenberch and Dominik Szoboszlai control the midfield and, now and then, he managed to chip in with a goal or two.
This season, it’s taken a while for him to get up to full fitness due to him missing some of Liverpool’s pre-season due to injury.
However, now that he’s getting up to scratch, it’s clear that he’s one of the first names on Slot’s teamsheet.
But, within the first minute of Sunday’s game, Virgil van Dijk elbowed Mac Allister in the back of the head after going up for the ball, which allowed Man United to score.
And, although he seemed okay at the time, Thompson still thinks Mac Allister would have benefited from being taken off at the end of the first half.
“Everybody likes a Macca in midfield, it may be the bang on the head, but I felt he could have made way a half-time, in my mind,” he said on the Official Liverpool FC Podcast.
Liverpool must buck their ideas up against Eintracht Frankfurt on Wednesday
Wednesday’s Champions League game against Eintracht Frankfurt will be a good test of whether Liverpool’s recent form has just been a blip or not.
Of course, Liverpool losing four games in a row is far from ideal, but the fact that fans and even some pundits are entertaining the idea of Slot being sacked is baffling.
However, if the Dutchman doesn’t manage to turn things around over the next few games, that’s when questions need to be asked.
Liverpool should have far too much quality for Frankfurt on Wednesday, especially since they’ll have plenty of inside information from Hugo Ekitike.
However, if they don’t buck their ideas up and they end up performing like they have over the last few weeks, they could be in for a bit of a shock.
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