I think the absence of Nunez in the Big Match match against Manchester United does not make Liverpool look weak, Liverpool still has other great players who are able to make Manchester United troops overwhelmed by the onslaught of Moh Salah and his friends. This match is a place to find victory for both teams, Liverpool, who won draws in the last two matches, really want to get full points in the third match. While Manchester United fortunes were worse than Liverpool, the defeat against a small team has drawn criticism for the team performance earlier in the season. Ten Hag desperately need a win in their third game of the season, but this time Ten Hag task is very tough because the team they face is stronger than Brighton and Brentford.
Still, this is still a loss for Liverpool especially when they are currently still not enough in their goal productivity with the loss of Nunez potentially making it even more difficult for them to score goals.
Even though in terms of performance, it is clear that Liverpool are far superior for now because they are still able to dominate compared to MU, whose current performance continues to decline.