This had been a week in which Trent Alexander-Arnold’s future once again became a major talking point. His present, though, will now be of greater concern.

Alexander-Arnold’s performance against Manchester United was always going to come under intense scrutiny with Real Madrid having finally shown their hand with a failed attempt to persuade the Reds to allow the right-back to depart this month.

With no new contract agreement with Liverpool in sight, the Spaniards nevertheless remain strong favourites to snap up the player on a free transfer in the summer.

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But rather than show, as he has done for much of the campaign, that he was unaffected by speculation, Alexander-Arnold posted an absolute stinker. The passing radar was off, there appeared a lack of enthusiasm to do the dirty work and his decision-making could have been improved.

The pattern had been set earlier in the game when Alexander-Arnold was oblivious to United midfielder Kobbie Mainoo, having receiving treatment, trotting back on to the pitch behind him to challenge for possession.

Alexander-Arnold was caught out of position too easily first half and was among those culpable for United’s opener. And it was telling that having not won a single tackle all game, his 86th-minute replacement, Conor Bradley, made one inside 60 seconds of his welcome comeback.

As Arne Slot later insisted, Alexander-Arnold, like every other player, has had difficult games before. But the timing of this below-par showing could not have been any worse. And with Bradley back fit, there is once again genuine competition for his starting role.

Mac Allister steps up

Alexis Mac Allister was sidelined by injury when Manchester United came to Anfield last season. And the Liverpool midfielder was clearly determined to make up for lost time here.

While many of his team-mates floundered in the difficult conditions, Mac Allister, gloves on but sleeves metaphorically rolled up, challenged for the status of the home team’s stellar performer.

The Argentina international could have opened the scoring in the first half when his superb first-time finish was beaten out by the leg of United goalkeeper Andre Onana.

So it was no surprise it was Mac Allister who provided the slide-rule pass which invited Cody Gakpo to fashion the opening for Liverpool’s equaliser, and then later was the player who forced the needless handball from Matthijs de Ligt for Mohamed Salah’s penalty, the Egyptian now level with Thierry Henry in the all-time Premier League scoring charts.

Alongside him, Ryan Gravenberch was among those to come close to scoring but didn’t quite have the same level of defensive control as of late, while Curtis Jones struggled to make a consistent impact on the game.

And with Dominik Szoboszlai absent, it was perhaps curious Harvey Elliott wasn’t given longer than a brief cameo late on. Elliott, like many other fringe players, can now expect far more minutes with the League Cup semi-final first leg at Tottenham Hotspur and a home FA Cup third round tie against Accrington Stanley to come in the next six days.

Konate’s welcome return

Conor Bradley wasn’t the only player returning to the Liverpool defence. Ibrahima Konate was back in the starting line-up for the first time since the knee injury suffered against Real Madrid in late November.

While the now-hamstrung Joe Gomez has proven a more than able deputy, Konate’s centre-back partnership with Van Dijk has been the bedrock of Liverpool’s title challenge.

And while the France international started strongly, in truth Konate wasn’t quite ready to play the full 90 minutes. While strong in the air throughout, he understandably tired during the closing quarter and was slow to close down Alejandro Garnacho in the build-up to United’s equaliser.

Liverpool’s lack of control meant Van Dijk, exactly seven years on from his debut, was required to make a number of timely interceptions and blocks, and almost snatched a winner in injury time when denied by Onana. It was yet another frustration on an afternoon of many for Slot’s side.