Arne Slot was left seething after Liverpool's 3-0 defeat to Manchester City, centering his frustration on the "wrong decision" to disallow Virgil van Dijk's headed equaliser. The goal, which would have leveled the score at 1-1, was chalked off due to Andy Robertson being deemed offside and interfering with play. Slot, however, strongly contested this interpretation of the rules.
Speaking to Sky Sports after the match, Slot didn't mince words, stating: "I think it is obvious and clear the wrong decision has been made, at least in my opinion". He argued that Robertson "didn't interfere at all with what the goalkeeper could do". The Liverpool head coach highlighted what he perceived as an inconsistency in refereeing, referencing a similar incident where a goal was allowed to stand for City against Wolves last season despite a player seemingly obstructing the goalkeeper. He said someone showed him the previous goal allowed by the same referee after today's game. That previous goal was John Stones' goal against Wolves in October 2024, which Chris Kavanagh allowed to stand despite Bernardo Silva being offside.
The disallowed goal occurred in the 39th minute, with Liverpool already trailing 1-0 to Erling Haaland's opener. Van Dijk rose highest to head past Gianluigi Donnarumma, and it appeared the score would be level going into halftime. However, referee Chris Kavanagh ruled the goal out for offside after a lengthy VAR review.
Despite his anger over the disallowed goal, Slot acknowledged that Manchester City were the better side, particularly in the first half. "A very difficult first half for us. They were pressing us really high, we struggled a lot in the first half. It was obvious they were better than us," he admitted.
The game saw Erling Haaland, Nico Gonzalez, and Jeremy Doku score for Manchester City, securing a comfortable victory for the home side. Doku was even named Man of the Match by Gary Neville after 62 minutes of play. While Liverpool had a good win over Real Madrid earlier in the week, this defeat brought them back to earth. The loss highlighted the work Slot still needs to do to close the gap between Liverpool and the reigning champions.
The defeat leaves Liverpool with much to ponder during the international break. While Slot will undoubtedly analyze the tactical shortcomings of the match, the disallowed goal and the perceived inconsistency in refereeing decisions will likely remain a point of contention for the Dutch manager and Liverpool fans alike.
