Jurgen Klopp has one regret after Liverpool’s lacklustre performance at Old Trafford against Manchester United.

A new strategy has been discovered to defeat Liverpool. It consists of playing Harry Maguire as the sole central defender in a team with two specialized defenders, while also utilizing the £85 million right winger Antony as a left-back and having Bruno Fernandes alternate between quarterback and center-back. This approach includes an 11-man lineup with several wingers, but no designated center-forward. Its success relied on Antony’s first goal against a top-tier team in 336 days and Amad Diallo’s first goal for Manchester United in three years. It remains to be seen if other teams will adopt Erik ten Hag’s tactic and how it will play out.

United required moments of inspiration, however, the key to defeating Liverpool may have been to consider it as a challenging task. Jurgen Klopp believed victory needed to be achieved within 90 minutes at Old Trafford. They were leading after 111 minutes, but in the second half of extra time during their 46th match of the season, the game slipped from their grasp, bringing an end to their hopes of a quadruple. This highlights why achieving the quadruple is a rarity, as the pursuit of multiple titles can be overwhelming and eventually takes its toll. This is especially true in knockout competitions, and even more so when facing formidable opponents. No one can sustain brinkmanship indefinitely.

“Klopp stated that today’s game was extremely difficult for us and pushed us to our limits. He acknowledged United’s victory and showed grace in defeat. This was only Liverpool’s third loss in domestic competitions this season, with two of them being due to late goals while dealing with difficult circumstances, such as playing with nine men. Klopp recognized the effort and determination of his team, but ultimately accepted that it wasn’t enough.”

However, he also exhibited an analytical approach. He argued that comparing the number of games played between his team and United would not be fair. It could be argued that Liverpool faced consequences due to United’s incompetence in Europe and the Carabao Cup. This was the 18th game for Ten Hag’s team and the 12th for United, giving the former an advantage. For Liverpool, a team known for their constant high energy and gameplan, the late equalizer by Marcus Rashford and Amad’s even later winner revealed flaws that would have been severely judged if the team were fresher. Given the circumstances, Klopp was understanding. He stated, “The manner in which we conceded the final two goals demonstrates that we were no longer performing at our best. We were giving the ball away, but I have no criticisms for that.”

Darwin Nunez caused the loss of the ball that led to Rashford scoring the equalizer in the 112th minute. The match ended with Alexis Mac Allister, who had played 120 minutes in his 16th game of the 2024 season, unable to keep up with Alejandro Garnacho before Amad scored. Wataru Endo, another reliable starter, was partially at fault as United took advantage of a mistake by Harvey Elliott. Despite their superior performance, Liverpool’s players were limited by their fatigue. In extra time, it seemed that Liverpool’s only hope came from substitute Elliot’s relentless energy. However, too few others shared his vigor, with many players showing signs of exhaustion both physically and mentally.

Klopp expressed frustration with the rules of this specific competition, as they did not allow for an additional substitute. He stated, “I do not understand why the FA prohibits the substitution of a sixth player during extra time. Other competitions allow for six, but the FA appears to want to make it more challenging.”

Just because he didn’t have a strong contender for the sixth backup player, doesn’t mean he hadn’t faced similar situations before. In fact, he had managed to secure the Carabao Cup victory with three young players on the field. However, this reflected poorly on Chelsea’s performance. Despite being able to make several changes, Klopp was struggling to have enough top-notch players at Old Trafford. “For a while, everything seemed to be going well for 90 minutes but during extra time, we ran out of options,” he explained.

This statement demonstrated why, out of all the various players who were injured, the absence of Curtis Jones may have had the biggest impact. This is partly due to Jones’ exceptional performance level, but also because having players like Endo, Elliott, Mac Allister, and Szoboszlai in addition to Jones on the bench would have provided Klopp with extra high-quality midfield options to help revive Liverpool’s performance.

In private, the German may have had some additional remorse. While his choices have been nearly perfect in recent weeks, he surprised many with the force of his selection for the second leg against Sparta Prague, given their 5-1 lead. Mohamed Salah ultimately played the entire 90 minutes, which could have played a part in his substitution at Old Trafford. Endo, Nunez, and Joe Gomez, three of the usual starters, were taken out at halftime at Anfield, but could have possibly benefited from some time off. However, it should be noted that Liverpool has never had the privilege of rest and rotation.

Liverpool, as usual, demonstrated in their match against United that they possess the ability to modify and improve their performance. They displayed their capability to score goals and could have potentially scored more. However, on this occasion, they were unable to secure a victory. According to Klopp, their failure to seal the game allowed United to create scoring opportunities, especially when playing at Old Trafford.

Looks like Liverpool’s chances of scoring four goals in a game are over. Throughout the season, Liverpool has been gambling and taking risks, relying on their last available players, making comebacks, and occasionally scoring late goals. However, this was never a foolproof strategy. What’s strange is that when they ultimately faced defeat, it was against an unfamiliar lineup with Antony playing as a left-back.