Arne Slot voiced a valid post-match complaint that is likely to spark serious scrutiny of PGMOL.
Arne Slot was left frustrated by one key refereeing call following Liverpool’s controversial loss to Manchester City at Anfield on Sunday.
A chaotic second half saw Dominik Szoboszlai dismissed for denying a clear goalscoring opportunity after pulling back Erling Haaland as he desperately tried to recover and prevent Rayan Cherki from netting from distance — a goal that was ultimately disallowed after a VAR review.
However, an earlier flashpoint proved to be the moment that truly angered Slot. With the game still level, Mo Salah looked to be breaking through on goal when Marc Guehi grabbed hold of his shirt just outside the penalty area. Despite the apparent danger, the England defender avoided a red card and was only cautioned.
Slot believed Guehi foul merited a sending-off
That incident was the main decision Slot took issue with after the match, insisting that most neutral viewers would have seen it as a denial of a goalscoring opportunity and therefore a red-card offence.
Speaking to Sky Sports, the Liverpool head coach explained that if there was one moment worth highlighting, it was Salah being hauled back when he was clean through. Slot stressed that anyone familiar with Liverpool over recent years knows that when Salah finds himself in that position, it almost always ends in a goal. In his view, it was clearly a goalscoring chance.
He suggested that while a small minority might argue otherwise, the overwhelming consensus would be that Guehi should have been sent off, adding that other contentious moments in the game were far more debatable.
Slot justified in highlighting refereeing inconsistency
Slot’s comments once again shine a light on the inconsistency that continues to plague Premier League officiating, particularly when two very similar offences result in vastly different punishments.
Some may point out that Salah wasn’t directly through the middle, but had he controlled the pass and continued his run, it would unquestionably have constituted a clear opportunity to score.
That only deepens the confusion over why Guehi escaped with a yellow card, while VAR intervened decisively late on to encourage referee Craig Pawson to dismiss Szoboszlai for a comparable infringement.
While refereeing decisions often involve an element of interpretation — and Liverpool ultimately only have themselves to blame for surrendering their lead — the contrast between those two calls perfectly encapsulates the double standards that so often frustrate managers, players and supporters alike.
PGMOL chief Howard Webb will not be comfortable with how events unfolded at Anfield, and it remains to be seen whether he will once again appear on the league’s carefully curated ‘Mic’d Up’ broadcasts to offer a questionable defence of the officials’ decisions.
What should happen instead is a direct conversation with the referees involved, demanding clarity on how two near-identical situations produced completely different outcomes — followed by a transparent explanation to the public.
Slot had every reason to feel aggrieved over the Guehi-Salah incident, and had City been reduced to ten men for the final stages, the match could easily have taken a very different direction.
In the end, Liverpool cannot alter the result. What they must do now is ensure they are more ruthless in front of goal, having failed to make the most of several promising chances in the latter stages of the game.
