Arne Slot names Man Utd star who hurt Liverpool repeatedly in defeat at Old Trafford

 Red Devils punish Liverpool in transition

Slot watched his team suffer their 11th league loss of the season at Old Trafford on Sunday, falling 3-2 to an in-form United side. The visitors fought back valiantly from two goals down after early strikes from Matheus Cunha and Benjamin Sesko. Goals from Dominik Szoboszlai and Cody Gakpo levelled the game, only for Kobbie Mainoo to net a 77th-minute winner. The result clinched Champions League football for United and ensured they will almost certainly finish above Liverpool, just 12 months after the Anfield club lifted the Premier League title.

Slot praises Fernandes

Analysing the tactical breakdown of the match, Slot was honest about his side's inability to cope with the Portuguese playmaker. "We weren’t able to control their strengths," Slot said. "We were aware of them – set-pieces and counter-attack. You have to know where to lose the ball if you play against United. They are really strong when they play into the middle. They have so many fast players, Bruno Fernandes to hurt you in transition and that’s exactly what happened with the second goal."

A recurring nightmare for the champions

Despite the frustration of the final result, Slot admitted that the collapse after reaching two-all was somewhat characteristic of their season. "That is what happens. We were 2-0 down, came back in the second-half to 2-2 and then we shut off and immediately conceded the goal," he remarked. "I don’t think anyone expected us to lose that game after a 2-2. Or maybe you do after the whole of our season. As I’ve shown so many times this season, when we are playing well or we think we are able to win it, we switch off. We had a lot of ball possession, one of their strengths is also defending. I tried to play a bit more on both sides with the wingers. We went a bit too much for the middle in the first-half where they can counter attack you. The same issues keep coming back which is not a huge surprise as you don’t have long to fix it during the season."

Seeking solutions for systemic issues

Looking ahead, Slot knows there is no quick fix for the systemic issues affecting the squad. Liverpool is preparing to play three crucial matches in the remaining rounds of the Premier League to secure their Champions League spot; hosting Chelsea at Anfield, travelling to face Aston Villa, and concluding the season against Brentford. The Reds currently sit fourth in the standings with 58 points, level with fifth-placed Aston Villa, and just six points ahead of sixth-placed Bournemouth, who sit outside the Champions League qualification spots, making every point in the upcoming fixtures crucial.