Liverpool put in a slightly worrying performance at Wembley on Sunday as they were beaten in the Community Shield.

Although they led twice against Crystal Palace, the Reds were unable to hold on and ultimately lost on penalties.

While defeat will mean little to nothing in the grand scheme of the season, the Liverpool squad will be disappointed at losing, especially against an inferior side in Palace.

One of the clear takeaways from the match is that Liverpool are light in attacking areas.

Virgil van Dijk may have just sent an urgent message to FSG after Liverpool lose Community Shield	Eddie Howe may have told Liverpool exactly what it needed to hear regarding Alexander Isak	£50m player may have just confirmed his Liverpool exit after today's Community Shield - opinion

Having lost Luis Diaz, Darwin Nunez and – tragically – Diogo Jota, the Reds have only signed Hugo Ekitike.

Liverpool are trying to buy Alexander Isak for a British record fee, and on this evidence they need him.

Captain Virgil van Dijk has never been shy in praising Isak, and after Sunday’s loss the Dutchman appeared to publicly push Liverpool towards signing the Swede.

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It was not only the forward line who struggled against Palace, there were plenty of problems in defence as well.

Liverpool fans were impressed by Marc Guehi’s performance as he continues to be linked with a move to Anfield, while Van Dijk himself was uncharacteristically off his game.

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The 34-year-old tends to front up whether in defeat or in victory, though, and he did the same after Palace won on Sunday.

As reported by journalist Alex Crook, Van Dijk urged Liverpool to dip into the market again in what sounded like a ‘go get Isak’ plea.

READ MORE: Harvey Elliott may have confirmed his Liverpool exit after the Community Shield defeat

“Virgil van Dijk very open with me on talkSPORT,” Crook posted on X.

Said after losing Nunez and Diaz they need another forward.

Sounded like a ‘go get Isak’ plea.”

One of the biggest positives to come out of Sunday was the encouraging performance of Ekitike at Wembley.

The Frenchman’s arrival has been somewhat overlooked as focus is on Isak, but he looks like a real coup for Liverpool to have landed.

But, Ekitike aside, Liverpool’s front three were woefully off form.

The Dutch forward was knocked off the ball far too easily in the build-up to both Palace goals and offered little to no threat going forward.

Some have queried why Liverpool need to spend such a huge sum on Isak in the final weeks of the transfer window.