What's wrong with Liverpool? Midfield in trouble, Van Dijk struggling and a Mane-shaped hole in attack

The contrast with last season could hardly have been starker. As the jubilant Manchester United fans made their way, singing and dancing, to the Old Trafford exits, Liverpool’s supporters prepared themselves for a long, painful wait in silence in the away end.

In the press conference room, Jurgen Klopp wore the look of a man who’d been told to expect roadworks on his way home, while Erik ten Hag’s demeanour was that of someone for whom the weight of the world had, temporarily at least, been lifted.

Pitchside, Roy Keane was offering post-match analysis alongside Stormzy, light-hearted and pleased with the night’s work. Gary Neville was smiling and Jamie Carragher was grimacing. 

United were climbing and Liverpool were falling.

Three games into the new season, questions are mounting for the men from Anfield. If Fulham on the opening day was a blip, and Crystal Palace last week was coloured by circumstance, defeat at Old Trafford was something altogether more worrying. 

This is Liverpool’s worst start to a league campaign in a decade, and one which must cast serious doubt over their ability to challenge for the Premier League title as they have done so thrillingly in recent years. It may only be August, but something just isn’t right on Merseyside.

Here, GOAL takes a look at the key issues…