Arne Slot expressed his strong displeasure following the controversial decision to permit Manchester United’s second goal, which he believed should have been disallowed due to a handball by Benjamin Sesko. The Liverpool head coach stated, “The curve on the ball changed so there must have been a contact. But it’s no surprise to anyone that if there is a VAR intervention then the decision goes against us. It’s happened to us all season.” However, the PGMO (Professional Game Match Officials Limited) clarified at the time that “there was no conclusive evidence that Sesko handled the ball before scoring.” Slot’s attempt to attribute Liverpool’s recent loss solely to officiating errors appears to be an overreach. Manchester United’s dynamic play effectively dismantled the visitors in the first half. Furthermore, with key players like Mohamed Salah, Hugo Ekitiké, and Alexander Isak sidelined due to injury, Liverpool’s attacking threat was negligible until they managed to capitalize on two mistakes early in the second half. The defeat can be attributed to a lackluster first-half performance, and nothing more.
In other Premier League action, Mikel Arteta’s significant gamble paid off, and Josh Dasilva made an emotional comeback for Brentford.