Coach Slot: 'The referee has robbed Liverpool of their victory'

Following the painful comeback loss at Anfield, Coach Arne Slot publicly condemned the referee's calls and affirmed that Marc Guehi should have been dismissed for the foul on Salah.

The epic clash at Anfield between Liverpool and Manchester City recently ended in an unbelievable way, leaving the home team deeply disappointed. Despite taking the lead at the 74th minute thanks to a stunning goal by Dominik Szoboszlai, Liverpool allowed their opponent to overturn the score and win 2-1 in the final moments of the game.

However, instead of blaming his players, Coach Arne Slot directed all his anger towards the referees' decisions, especially regarding the incident at the 68th minute.

Speaking at the post-match press conference, the Dutch tactician did not hesitate to call referee Craig Pawson's decision a serious error that affected the outcome of the match.

Recalling the moment when Marc Guehi pulled down Mohamed Salah, Slot stated firmly: “We can debate many situations, but if I had to highlight one moment, it would be when Salah had a clear chance one-on-one with the goal and Guehi fouled him. Everyone knows that was definitely a scoring opportunity. In general, anyone reviewing that incident would agree it should have been a red card.”

The Kops' manager argued that Liverpool was treated unfairly on their home ground. He reasoned that if Man City had played with one less player from the middle of the second half, the comeback scenario would certainly not have happened.

In fact, right after equalizing 1-1, Liverpool had a chance to launch a 3-on-1 counterattack, but Guehi once again stopped it successfully — something Slot believes the defender should not have been allowed to do on the field.

Regarding the match dynamics, Arne Slot admitted Man City controlled possession better in the first half but insisted Liverpool dominated the second half completely.

“In the second half, everything was reversed. I was expecting a goal, and when we scored, I was waiting for a second one. But one of the few times they penetrated our box, it resulted in a goal,” he shared regretfully about Bernardo Silva’s equalizer.

The match ended in chaos with Szoboszlai receiving a red card in the final stoppage minute, adding to Liverpool’s heavy losses. Coach Arne Slot sadly concluded: “Another great match between Liverpool and Man City, but the result is truly disappointing. We have to accept Dominik’s suspension and immediately find solutions for the upcoming game against Sunderland on Wednesday.”