Ian Doyle with the main talking point from Liverpool's Premier League clash at Manchester United on Sunday afternoon
Benjamin Sesko scored Manchester United's second goal (Photo by Shaun Brooks - CameraSport via Getty Images)
Benjamin Sesko scored Manchester United's second goal (Photo by Shaun Brooks - CameraSport via Getty Images)
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Losing against Manchester United, no matter how contentious the outcome, can never be regarded a positive for Liverpool. But that the emotion at the full-time whistle was one of regret as much as disappointment should be used by Arne Slot and his players as motivation for the remainder of this season and beyond.
Make no mistake, the Reds' first-half showing here was a shocker, fears of a record score being racked up by their bitter North West rivals swiftly raised after they twice breached the Liverpool rearguard inside the opening 14 minutes.
That it required a deflection for Matheus Cunha to open the scoring and then a handball by Benjamin Sesko to be bizarrely missed by VAR for the second underlined United, as has been the case for much of this season, were hardly impressive.
But they were significantly better than Liverpool. And given the way the Reds' season has gone, that double salvo and the controversy over the second could have easily seen the listing visitors capitulate completely.
Yet they didn't. However, after their strong recovery that saw goals from Dominik Szoboszlai and Cody Gakpo, the real frustration is that for the umpteenth time this season, having dragged themselves back into a game Liverpool then saw it slip through their fingers once again.
We have long gone beyond the moment that changes from mere coincidence to something more sinister. Whether it's tactics or mentality, it's a shortcoming that requires more investigation besides the obvious remedy of not going behind in the first place.
In mitigation, it was at this point the fact the Reds went into the game missing arguably their three chief attacking threats following the withdrawal of Alexander Isak began to tell. Indeed, while there was more than a faint whiff of a third goal, Liverpool lacked a cutting edge.
So it proved. After all, United without Cunha, Sesko and the pesky Bryan Mbeumo would be a severely neutered beast.
Liverpool, then, still have work to do to qualify for the Champions League. But if they can't forget the hesitant, wayward first half here, then they should also not throw away the learnings from after the break.
Those who want Slot gone and Liverpool in the doldrums have been provided plenty of ammunition this season. Ultimately, though, this irksome afternoon cannot be considered one of them.