Inter Milan 0-1 Liverpool: Dominik Szoboszlai’s late penalty gave Arne Slott a Champions League win as the Reds took to the pitch for the first time since Mo Salah’s outburst.
Dominik Szoboszlai’s late penalty gave Liverpool a crucial three points in the Champions League with a lifeline behind Mo Salah. The attacking midfielder carried out his duties in the spot during Salah’s absence and secured an important victory.
Liverpool thought they had the lead when Ibrahima Konate headed home. VAR quickly intervened and ruled that Hugo Ekitike had committed a handball after Virgil van Dijk’s first touch from inches away.
At that moment, Inter, which Liverpool had dominated in the early stages, came back to life. Lautaro Martinez came close to scoring just before half-time, but was unable to find the net.
That was often a problem for both teams, and chances didn’t come easily on Tuesday night. It was only when Alessandro Bastoni tugged on Florian Wirtz’s shirt and VAR was activated again that Liverpool found the breakthrough in the 88th minute and took the lead.
“Mirror Football” highlights the highlights of the match.
read more: The former Liverpool star is a candidate to replace Xabi Alonso, who could be sacked this week.read more: Jamie Carragher doubles down on Mo Salah stance following Liverpool star’s latest update
life without salah
After a dramatic few days, Liverpool have been given an insight into life without Mohamed Salah. They already had that recently when Arne Slott chose not to bring the Egyptian player off the bench.
With just 0.06xG in the opening 25 minutes, it didn’t take long to think that Salah’s presence could come in handy from time to time. It was Liverpool’s sixth Champions League game during the break that ended goalless until half-time under Slott.
His absence was due to an unwanted outburst, but Salah’s time at Liverpool was already ticking. It’s been less than 12 months since he signed his last new contract, but it feels like the end of his contract in 2027 isn’t that far away.
At some point, the Merseyside club will have to find a way to let go of their talisman. At the moment, it appears to be in development. However, Szoboszlai delivered in important moments.
two attackers
After making important signings in the summer, a formation with two strikers could still be a solution. According to Arne Slott, Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitike started against Inter, but this was probably due to player availability.
“The idea behind the lineup is that there’s not a lot available,” he said. “In my opinion, we don’t have any wingers available, apart from Rio, who is very young.
“The most logical solution is to have two number nines. They (Ekitike and Isak) are good players, but it’s normal that they need to find a combination.”
The latter point was hammered home in the game, as the system often divided the team on the pitch. There were individual flashes, but little proved convincing.
Stephen Warnock told BBC Radio 5 Live: “Alexander Isaac was fighting all night. He doesn’t look well at all.”
It’s now December and there has been little progress on that front. Sacrificing Salah would only put an extra spotlight on such an issue, which must already be a concern.
it hurts
Andy Robertson required treatment after a heavy challenge from Martinez in the first half, but only received a yellow. They were well behind the pace, but crucially there were no studs from the Argentine star.
Many Liverpool fans thought he should have been handed his marching orders, but nothing came quickly. The question is whether Martinez’s immunity should be revoked for the consequences Robertson clearly felt.
“If he had come in with his studs, it would have been a different type of challenge,” Mark Clattenburg said on Amazon Prime Video’s broadcast of the game. “He tries to pull his legs apart, so he hits him with his knee, even though he’s still hurting the player.
“But if he had come out wearing studs it would have been a different color and it would have been a red card, but I agree with a yellow card for this kind of challenge.”
Alan Shearer added: “He comes into the game early and decides what he’s going to do early, but he really pushes his legs in and goes into the game with his shins rather than his studs. It’s still a nasty challenge.”
Handball, really?
The Premier League and Champions League have different levels that must be met for handball decisions to be considered. In some ways it is surprising that Hugo Ekitike’s shot was deemed worthy of overturning Ibrahima Konate’s goal by both metrics.
No doubt, the ball touched Ekitike’s arm on the way to his compatriot. What he intended to do at such close range remains unclear, with little intent to change the direction of the ball.
“This is interesting because when the athlete is jumping, their arms go up and up,” Clattenburg said on Amazon Prime. “The argument would just be, ‘Was this an intentional handball?’ Because the handball went to a teammate, that precludes the argument that he scored a goal directly from an accidental handball. So the question would just be, ‘When the ball hits my arm, is this arm in a natural position to jump?’
“I think this could end up being disallowed because what you’re actually seeing is a slight movement of the arm towards the ball, and that movement of the arm towards the ball will result in the ball scoring towards a teammate.”
After four minutes of evaluation, I never felt that VAR time had made the correct decision.
UCL progress
With nine points from five games, Liverpool’s quest to secure a place in the finals was already on the back foot. The Reds’ trip to Italy came with the added pressure of a trip to Marseille after the new year.
With the three points against Inter, Liverpool remain in the top eight instead of 14th and things look much easier.
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