No-one likes to lose, especially not a side with the quality and potential to succeed as Liverpool have. They succumbed to their 11th defeat of the season in all competitions, in disappointing circumstances with a rather comprehensive 3-0 defeat at the hands of traditional rivals Manchester United, who did not have to work very hard in truth to win and looked comfortable for the most part on a Sunday afternoon to forget.

Why was this? Liverpool were tactically inept and rightly punished for their lack of spatial awareness and the inability to take their chances, when handed on a platter. Raheem Sterling and Adam Lallana combined well attacking-wise in the early going, but they should have been ahead before the half-hour mark, instead found themselves scratching their heads as they conceded just 12 minutes into the game courtesy of a side-footed effort from Wayne Rooney which was easily preventable, if only every player stayed on their man. Antonio Valencia skinned Joe Allen with a nutmeg on the flank before setting a cut-back towards the United skipper, and the Liverpool team looked bewildered as the Englishman slotted past Brad Jones (who came in for the underperforming Mignolet) into the bottom corner of the net.

Sterling found his way beyond his marker yet again, but his shot was tame and the imposing wall of Spanish 'keeper David de Gea was enough to prevent The Reds from getting an equaliser. He was immense, and kept a clean sheet in an accomplished display of composure and good decision-making when called upon. I wish I could say that about Liverpool's goalkeepers at the minute.

Ashley Young's teasing cross into the area took a small flick off the head of Robin van Persie (if any), before bouncing into the path of creative midfielder Juan Mata - who could not miss from close range with a low flick beyond Jones into the back of the net.

Not only was it a cheap goal to concede, if Liverpool were able to sustain some form of solid marking, no controversy would be attached to the goal as a defender would have cleared it away to safety. If only.

Jordan Henderson's inviting delivery into the area was met well by Sterling who connected a header towards goal - but de Gea was equal to it and the danger was averted. If Raheem had opted to control the ball on his chest and hit it first-time, probably would have scored. That's not taking away from the fact that young full-back Alberto Moreno, was on the edge of the 18-yard-box and ready to pounce.

In the second-half, Sterling somehow managed to find himself in space inside the area, but his attempt on-goal was parried away by the legs of in-form de Gea. A poor backpass from defender Jonny Evans found the 20-year-old forward with acres of space and some time to pick his spot, but he took too long and the Spanish 'keeper regained his balance to deny Liverpool from getting back into the game. A MASSIVE chance not taken there.

Returning fresh from injury, Italian striker and substitute Mario Balotelli had an effort parried onto the crossbar from de Gea after a neat cut-back from Sterling, which just emphasises that the two players are starting to develop an attacking-minded partnership. A two-striker formation is a must, if they are going to score more goals and improve their lack of a clinical nature at present.

£20million pound summer signing and Croatian centre-back Dejan Lovren's poor attempt at a clearance resulted in the third and final goal of the game, which just summed it up perfectly. Liverpool would have averted the danger, but instead Mata opened up the defence with a weave and found van Persie lurking to his right, with the experienced Dutchman having no trouble slotting beyond Jones. 3-0, and it was easy street at this point. Balotelli had a late attempt in the area well stopped by de Gea, whilst Jones was called into action late on to deny van Persie's teasing effort over the bar. A day to forget for Liverpool, punished on the counter attack against one of their fiercest rivals.

CONCLUDING THOUGHTS:

Liverpool did not play well, and were punished by the better side on the day - United, who boasted a make-shift defence yet again and used their clinical touch to their advantage, scoring three goals without many more clear-cut chances.

They stay in third place in the Premier League table, which is remarkable given their lacklustre start to the campaign and their poor showings in games that they have WON in the past few weeks. Southampton and Arsenal are just two good examples of this. Liverpool amongst others should quite clearly take note.

The fact that Rodgers had the team lined up in a 3-5-1-1 formation showed bravery, but also a sense of tactical suicide on his part. Playing three at the back is risky at the best of times, but with Liverpool's shaky defensive capabilities of late, it would have been a much safer option to adopt a 4-2-3-1 formation for example, to provide support to the back as well as to not leave gaps in midfield or the wide areas.

Mignolet was dropped to the bench, and rightly so given his poor displays of late. Brad Jones did not do much better, and although none of the three goals he conceded were directly his fault, he probably could have done better with two of them.

Sterling should not be adopted as a lone striker, and instead needs a partner if he is going to play as an attacker as opposed to a winger.

Balotelli was a nuisance when he came off the bench, once he starts scoring his confidence will improve and Liverpool will benefit from it as a whole.

What does Emre Can have to do to get a first-team start? He was impressive during their 2-1 defeat at home against Chelsea last month, but constantly finds himself on the bench. Personally, he's better than Allen in the holding midfield role and deserves a chance to prove himself.

Liverpool's defence needs strengthening. I'm not sure how they are going to manage to lure the defensive quality that they need in the upcoming January transfer window, but they need to. It gets more evident almost every week, and with 22 goals conceded in the league alone, that surely says something.

And lastly, I'll give you a stat. This is Liverpool's worst start to a season in 50 years. Having being knocked out of the Champions League in midweek, this result will hit the club hard. Something must be done, and swifly too.