Liverpool manager Arne Slot expressed his belief that his side should have been awarded a penalty during their 2-1 home defeat to Manchester City last night.
Slot’s comments followed a match decided by a late Erling Haaland penalty, which secured the win for City. The incident Slot highlighted involved Manchester City defender Marc Guéhi impeding Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah.
“He held onto Salah’s shirt. Anyone who has watched matches at this stadium over the last eight years knows that Salah would score from such an opportunity. In my view, it was a clear goal-scoring chance, but the final decision rests with the referee,” the coach remarked.
Despite the unfavorable result, Slot noted that Liverpool showed a significantly improved performance in the second half.
Manchester City had a clear chance to add a third goal in the final seconds of the game. With goalkeeper Alisson Becker out of position, Haaland broke free towards an open goal, only to be stopped by Liverpool’s Hungarian midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai, who pulled him back by his shirt. Szoboszlai, who had earlier scored Liverpool’s only goal from a free-kick, was shown a straight red card for the foul. Slot commented that while Szoboszlai could have let the ball go to avoid the dismissal, his decision to intervene was understandable in the heat of the moment.
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola acknowledged Liverpool’s strong second-half performance, stating that they are always a formidable opponent when playing at their home ground.
Following this defeat, Liverpool remains in sixth place with 39 points from 25 matches. Manchester City holds the second spot with 50 points, trailing league leaders Arsenal by six points.
