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Arne Slot was asked directly whether Mohamed Salah's powers are waning after a tough start to the new season, but the Liverpool head coach was quick to point to other missed chances against Manchester United.
Dutch forward Cody Gakpo hit the woodwork three times and missed a sitter near the end of the game, while Alexander Isak went through one-on-one with goalkeeper Senne Lammens in the first half but could only produce a tame effort that was easily saved.
New signing Florian Wirtz, meanwhile, made an impact when he came off the bench in the second half but was left out of the starting XI for the second game in a row.
"I think after games like this, it is quite normal that people are very focused on individual players," Slot told Sky Sports. "In the first five or six games, it was mainly about the signings we did. Now, we have to talk about Mo Salah.
"I think we have had more than enough chances to score a goal. Mo missed a big one, and some others missed big chances.
"We are not used to this from Mo. We needed a goal, but we also needed a player who can create something in that end phase. That is what Jeremie Frimpong did, and he had a great action for Cody Gakpo.
"If we were 3-0 up, then I think Cody would have scored — I cannot guarantee this, but like I said, every player has tried everything, but it didn't work out."
Liverpool took 19 shots in total but scored only once. Bryan Mbuemo and Harry Maguire were more clinical for Manchester United, who earned a first victory at Anfield in almost 10 years.
"It makes it even harder if you are 1-0 down after one or two minutes," Slot added.
"If you told me that we would play against a low block and a team that plays so many long balls, that we would be able to create so many chances, I would think that we wouldn't lose the game, but we did, because we missed a lot [of shots].
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"The few chances we conceded led to two goals, and again, a set-piece is partly the reason why we lost the game.
"If you lose a game of football, especially after you have lost four, maybe I should not talk about that. No excuses. We have had more than enough chances to score a goal."
Liverpool.com says: Salah has been out of form, but there is too much quality around him for that to last forever. Wirtz and Isak aren't clicking either at the moment, but again, that can't be the case for long. Individually, they are each too talented not to work out.
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