Arne Slot was uncharacteristically blunt in his post-match press conference after Liverpool beat Inter Milan 1-0, claiming his side “could have had 10 penalties” this season amid blunt criticism of the officials.
A foul on Florian Wirtz handed Dominik Szoboszlai the opportunity to fire home an 88th-minute penalty. That wasn’t the only VAR involvement of the evening, as the under-fire Ibrahima Konate thought he’d given the Reds a first-half lead.
The officials took an extended period of time in the VAR booth before disallowing the goal due to a handball. Slot also took the time to address Clare Seedforf’s comments on Mohamed Salah.
But his main gripe was the officiating, arguing that Liverpool have repeatedly faced inconsistent calls this season. He said the pattern has become impossible to ignore and suggested the threshold for giving fouls remains unclear from week to week.
‘The story of our season’
“All I could ask for, I think. The fourth game in 10 days, that’s not what you see a lot in football. Three in seven is already a lot, let alone four in 10. With only 13 outfield players available with Premier League or Champions League experience.
“After the blow we had conceding the 3-3 in extra time against Leeds, where we deserved so much more. Then to go into this stadium against such a strong Inter Milan team, you couldn’t have asked for more if you look at our performance.”
He used the moment to highlight what he feels has been a long-running issue for Liverpool. His comments tied directly into the wider theme of Arne Slot Liverpool penalties being a point of frustration across both competitions.
“Again, we hardly gave away a chance. The biggest one they had was I think just before half-time, after we had to again, the players, and me included and our fans, accept a referee decision that could have gone another way as well. But that has been the story of our season, as some other things.”
Slot then turned to the decisive flashpoint, admitting he did not expect such a soft call to be given in Europe.
Image: Arne Slot. Photo by JoeSchlip, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Slot bemoans penalty luck
“And in the end we got a penalty which if that is a penalty, we could have had 10 this season. That was a penalty that I don’t think in the Premier League would have been given, but again, I think the first goal was more clear a goal than it was wrong that the penalty was given.”
He rejected any suggestion of balance and said decisions should not depend on luck or accumulation.
“It shouldn’t be like that, of course. But I prefer to score in the 86th minute the 1-0 than in the 38th minute the 1-0. But it shouldn’t be like that. I think so many times this season referee decisions have gone against us, either in the Premier League or Champions League.
“I think this weekend I saw a handball at Brighton against West Ham in the lead-up to a goal and that was allowed. Probably people will tell me, ‘No, there was something different between it.’ But there’s always something that’s different, like the goal we scored against City.”
Despite the grievances, he praised the mentality of a side that continues to produce strong European performances even when domestic form has faltered.
“Another time where the players showed great mentality and this time we could win it instead of ending it with a draw.”
READ NEXT: “It was his opinion” – Arne Slot clarifies Mo Salah talk after Seedorf comments
