Slot has seen his tactical approach questioned, with Doku being allowed to run riot against Bradley as Egyptian winger Salah refused to track back. Ex-Reds midfielder Danny Murphy told BBC Sport: “Doku was a pleasure to watch, irrespective of who you support and who you wanted to win. You had to admire his skill, pace, strength and bravery - and his goal was just amazing. The way Liverpool were set up, though, actually helped him shine.
“He was electric and the game's star man. This was the best I've seen him play in a City shirt, but Salah not being asked to defend made it so easy for him. It became a really productive area of the pitch for City, and was one of the reasons they won so comfortably in the end.
“Because Salah stayed high up the pitch when O'Reilly was flying forward, it left Bradley isolated, and with a dilemma - did he commit and stick with Doku, or drop off him and pick up O'Reilly charging forward instead? Bradley was caught in between both players a lot because he was unsure what to do, but whatever he did it felt like there was always so much space over there for City to exploit.
“I am not saying Salah should now become a completely different player - you don't want him running back every time you lose the ball, because sometimes you want him ready for the transition where O'Reilly is out of position. Salah almost got in a few times like that on Sunday, because of his pace, but there has to be balance.
“In a game like this one, where you are 20 minutes in and Doku has been running your right-back ragged, then you could drop in for a spell even if you've been told you don't have to. I don't understand why he didn't do it at all.”
Liverpool will return to action after the international break with a home date against Nottingham Forest on November 22, while City will travel to Newcastle on the same day.