match report: Liverpool lost 3-2 to Toulouse despite controversially denying a stoppage-time equalizer; Jarell Quansah’s goal in the 97th minute was disallowed due to a handball by Alexis Mac Allister during the build-up; Liverpool loses in the Europa League for the first time this year, but they still lead Group E.
After a thrilling equalizer in stoppage time, Jarell Quansah’s goal was controversially disallowed by VAR, and Liverpool lost 3-2 against Toulouse to suffer their first Europa League loss of the season.
Quansah believed he had equalized in the 97th minute, marking the academy graduate’s first goal for the team, but referee Georgi Kabakov went to the pitchside monitor before ruling out the goal, claiming Alexis Mac Allister had handled in the build-up.
After substitute Diogo Jota, who had replaced Luis Diaz only hours after his father’s release from kidnappers in Colombia, scored a goal in the 89th minute to make it 3-2, Liverpool had hope for a late comeback.
However, Frank Magri, a substitute for Toulouse, scored the game’s winning goal in the 76th minute after Aron Donnum (36), Thijs Dallinga (58), and Cristian Casseres’ own goal in the 74th minute had cut the French team’s lead in half.
Leaders of Group E lose. Toulouse moved two points ahead of Liverpool as the latter failed to secure the victory that would have advanced them to the round of 16.
Jurgen Klopp, the manager of Liverpool, acknowledges that his team’s defensive performance worries him more than the part VAR played in keeping his team from a late Europa League draw.
After a display rife with individual errors, Liverpool might have salvaged a point in a frantic denouement.
“I only saw the video back now and for me it’s not a handball – but how can I decide that?” Klopp stated.
To be honest, I would have preferred it if we had performed better. That is why I am a little more worried. My major concern for tonight is that.
“In the end, we were intense, we threw everything in, but the problem is in a football game you have to make the decisive things in the right moment to do them right.”
Liverpool’s late equalizer by Quansah was allowed, which felt harsh and might have been the wrong call.
When Mac Allister initiated the play that resulted in the defender’s goal, he unintentionally controlled the ball with his arm, which was near his torso.
However, IFAB regulations indicate that a “accidental handball that leads to a team-mate scoring a goal or having a goal-scoring opportunity will no longer be considered an offence” .
Without a doubt, Mac Allister did not intend to use his arm to control the ball, and before Quansah completed, the ball was touched by other players.
After crushing Toulouse 5-1 at Anfield earlier this month, Liverpool’s seven-game unbeaten streak in all competitions came to an end two weeks later when they lost in a wild match in the south of France.
Nine changes were made by Klopp from the draw at Luton on Sunday, with Diaz starting after it was announced prior to kickoff that his father had been rescued from his 12-day abduction in Colombia.
Following that encouraging development, Joe Gomez nearly gave Liverpool the lead in the fourth minute when he headed a Cody Gakpo free kick over the crossbar.
Donnum, who drove into the box and had his shot deflect off Quansah past Caoimhin Kelleher, caught Kostas Tsimikas asleep on the ball, and broke the tie in the 36th minute. The Reds kept pressing for an early lead.
Due to Tsimikas’ mistake, Wataru Endo—who had been booked—and adolescent Ben Doak were also hooked at halftime. Salah, Szoboszlai, and Alexander-Arnold were also introduced.
Toulouse, however, made a better start to the second half. Dallinga gave the Ligue 1 team the impression that they had increased their lead in the 50th minute, but referee Kabakov ruled that the striker had fouled Joel Matip in the area before gathering the ball and shooting past Kelleher.
However, Dallinga did double Toulouse’s advantage eight minutes later with a superb finish. After receiving a precise cross from Vincent Sierro, he produced a wonderful first touch and then hammered a low shot past Kelleher into the bottom far corner.
A weird own goal by Casseres in the 74th minute gave Liverpool a way back into the match when Gomez’s header across goal struck the midfielder’s shoulder and went in.
However, Toulouse quickly regained a two-goal lead when replacement Magri scored his first goal after Kelleher had saved Gabriel Suazo’s low cross.
After that, Jota set up a nerve-wracking finale with a tidy strike in the 89th minute, almost causing a last-gasp Liverpool comeback. However, VAR denied Quansah a dramatic equalizer, meaning Klopp’s 450th game in command of Liverpool ended in defeat.
Klopp: We can’t give up goals that we’ve already given up.
The issue for Liverpool was that despite making nine changes from the draw against Luton on Sunday, they were unable to establish any sort of rhythm or structure, which allowed opponents who had beaten them 5-1 at Anfield two weeks prior to exploit it.
Klopp: We can’t give up goals that we’ve already given up.
The issue for Liverpool was that despite making nine changes from the draw against Luton on Sunday, they were unable to establish any sort of rhythm or structure, which allowed opponents who had beaten them 5-1 at Anfield two weeks prior to exploit it.
The fact that Kostas Tsimikas dallied in possession and gave Aron Donnum the crucial opening goal did not assist them either.
Klopp continued, “We cannot give up the goals we gave up again.”
“The first goal is possible, but similar circumstances—we were wide open, the last line was too deep, and there was a counterattack—occurred in the second half as well.
They scored five goals, of which two were disallowed; this is plainly not acceptable. Although the outcome is unfavorable, the performance was just insufficient.
“They won nearly every important fight, thus their defeat was well-earned. There were far too many instances where we ought to have won the ball but failed to do so.
Furthermore, we easily handed up the ball at least twice. One of those goals was a goal, and the other one, I’m not sure if it was a disallowed or an allowed goal.
“Defending-wise it was just not good enough.”
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