The final whistle at Anfield brought a mixture of stunned silence and fury. Liverpool‘s 2-1 defeat to Manchester City was not just a loss; it was a narrative of what might have been. After taking the lead through Dominik Szoboszlai’s magnificent free-kick, the Reds looked in control, only for late goals from Bernardo Silva and Erling Haaland to shatter their dreams. Manager Arne Slot, speaking candidly in his post-match press conference, did not hold back his frustration, particularly regarding the officiating decisions that he felt turned the game on its head.
The Guehi Incident vs. Szoboszlai’s Red
While the world was debating Szoboszlai’s stoppage-time red card for pulling back Haaland, Slot was focused on an earlier incident that went unpunished. He was adamant that Marc Guehi should have seen red for a shirt pull on Mohamed Salah in the box.
Slot’s frustration was palpable. “If you follow the rulebook and you have a clear shirt-pull from Marc Guehi on Mo Salah—who for eight years is scoring that ball every single time, 100 out of 100 times he scores that goal—and that is not a red card, then there is more of my frustration,” Slot told reporters. For him, inconsistency was the real enemy. While he admitted he could “live with” Szoboszlai’s dismissal because of the rules, the failure to send Guehi off for a similar denial of a goal-scoring opportunity was the sticking point.
Progress Despite the Pain
Despite the heartbreak, Slot remains convinced that his project is working. He urged fans and critics alike to look beyond the result. “You cannot compare this game with three or four months ago. We have improved so much, but we need to improve the results,” he insisted. He felt his side deserved at least a point, especially given their dominance in the second half where they caused City real problems.
However, football is a results business, and the league table is unforgiving.
Premier League Standings: The Slip Continues
The loss leaves Liverpool in a precarious position. They remain in sixth place with 39 points from 25 games. The battle for the top four is tightening, and the Reds now find themselves four points adrift of Manchester United in the final Champions League spot.
Here is how the top of the table looks after Matchday 25:
| Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arsenal | 25 | 17 | 5 | 3 | +32 | 56 |
| 2 | Manchester City | 25 | 15 | 5 | 5 | +27 | 50 |
| 3 | Aston Villa | 25 | 14 | 5 | 6 | +9 | 47 |
| 4 | Manchester United | 25 | 12 | 8 | 5 | +10 | 44 |
| 5 | Chelsea | 25 | 12 | 7 | 6 | +17 | 43 |
| 6 | Liverpool | 25 | 11 | 6 | 8 | +5 | 39 |
With Arsenal commanding a six-point lead at the summit and City closing in, the pressure is mounting on Slot to turn these “moral victories” into actual points.
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