Slot Criticises Officiating in Liverpool Man City Game

Manchester, England — Liverpool departed the Etihad Stadium with a 2-1 defeat to Manchester City on Sunday evening, yet the post-match discourse centred less on the scoreline than on the officiating that Arne Slot believes tilted the contest.

Bernardo Silva cancelled Dominik Szoboszlai’s spectacular opener before Erling Haaland converted a second-half penalty to complete City’s comeback and keep the champions within six points of league-leading Arsenal. Yet the flashpoints that defined the narrative arrived at either end of the match.

At 0-0, Mohamed Salah raced clear only to be hauled back by Marc Guehi. Referee Stuart Attwell produced only a yellow, a decision Slot contrasted with the 87th-minute red shown to Szoboszlai for tugging Haaland’s shirt when the Norwegian was through on goal.

“When you ask me about what decision, I thought what do you mean… the disallowed goal at City earlier in the season? The penalty they got in the away game against us?” Slot fired in rapid succession. “The clear red card on Mo Salah in the second half here? Or the penalty they got in the second half, or do you mean the Szoboszlai red-card decision? That’s only over two games.”

The Dutch coach insisted he accepts the letter of the law when applied consistently. “I can live with the fact—although I don’t like it—that the referee follows the rulebook and Dominik makes a foul on Haaland… That’s a red card. If you follow the rulebook, and you have a clear shirt-pull by Guehi on Salah, who for eight years has been scoring that chance 100 times out of 100, and it is not a red card? Then there is more of my frustration.”

While Slot wrestled with perceived inequity, Pep Guardiola kept his gaze fixed on the title race. “Thirteen games, in my experience, is a lot of time,” the City manager said. “All we can do is breathe down the neck of Arsenal and being there, try if they go asleep, if they make a mistake, to use it.”

Liverpool’s immediate concern turns to squad depth. Szoboszlai will serve a suspension, while Joe Gomez and Jeremie Frimpong remain unavailable for Wednesday’s trip to Sunderland. For Slot, the evening encapsulated a season of fine margins and, in his view, pivotal calls falling the wrong way at the worst possible moments.