Liverpool came out swinging during the second-half at Old Trafford after being played off the park during the opening 45 minutes.
The Reds were lucky to be only 2-0 down at the break, having been second best all over the pitch.
Jamie Carragher called it ‘soft and weak’ in commentary for Sky Sports, and that was being kind. Liverpool were absolutely woeful.
Can someone explain why this was allowed to stand?
Apparently United are allowed to handle balls into the net now 😤
Then, out of nowhere, they suddenly turned up. Goals for Dominik Szoboszlai and Cody Gakpo may have been of United’s own making with some sloppy mistakes of their own, but it was also clear that Arne Slot‘s decision to swap Gakpo and Florian Wirtz caused the home team all kinds of problems.
Playing Gakpo through the middle changed the game
Prior to the match on Sunday, Rousing The Kop predicted that Gakpo could take over from Mohamed Salah as Liverpool’s go-to man against their old enemy.
The Dutchman has an excellent record against United, and after news filtered through that Alexander Isak would miss the game through injury, it seemed an obvious choice for Slot to play his countryman through the middle.
The Liverpool boss made a different choice, though, going with Wirtz in a false nine role and Gakpo on the left.
READ MORE: Liverpool fans are in complete agreement about Arne Slot against Manchester United
Safe to say, it did not work, and while he ran hard, Wirtz’s lack of physical presence meant United’s defenders were given an easy day at the office.
Something needed to change, and to Slot’s credit he made the necessary switch.
Gakpo is not a target man by any stretch of the imagination, but he is a much taller, bigger person than Wirtz, and the extra presence just gave Harry Maguire and Andrey Heaven something more to think about.
In the meantime, Wirtz began pulling the strings from slightly wider on the left. No longer charged with leading the line, the German started making a difference between the lines.
Which Liverpool player was most to blame for defeat against Manchester United?
Switch not enough to win, but offers hope moving forward
Ultimately, Liverpool’s first-half performance left them with too much to do to get back and take something from their trip to Old Trafford. It’s another defeat in a season of far too many for Slot.
The manager has insisted that Isak’s injury is not a bad one, and it remains to be seen whether that really is the case. But, if the Swede is not ready for next week’s clash with Chelsea, it has to be Gakpo who plays in his place.
The Wirtz conundrum continues to baffle everyone connected with Liverpool, and is still not clear where his best position for the Reds will be.
What is now obvious, however, is that it will not be as the furthest forward, central point of their attack.
Slot learned that the hard way against United, and though he deserves credit for changing things and improving Liverpool, there will be frustration that he did not choose the right way from the start.
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