There are certain moments in a season that sum everything up, and for us, the second goal conceded at Old Trafford might be exactly that.
Speaking via Liverpool’s official website after the 3-2 defeat to Manchester United, Arne Slot didn’t hold back when asked about Benjamin Sesko’s controversial second goal.
The incident came after the ball deflected into the United forward’s path, with replays appearing to show it brushing his hand before it crossed the line.
During the match, the Premier League Match Centre posted that the decision had been checked and confirmed, stating there was no conclusive evidence of handball.
Slot clearly wasn’t convinced.
“Yeah, if it was a touch, which I think it is, because if you know a bit about a ball sport, you know that if a ball has a certain curve and the curve changes, there must have been contact – but it’s always light.”
The Dutchman then went further, suggesting the law itself leaves little room for interpretation.
“Then we should have a debate in football, is that then enough to disallow a goal? But I think the rule is if there was a touch it should have been disallowed.”
Former referee Keith Hackett also weighed in on X, stating: “The law states that you cannot score a goal with your hand, even if considered accidental.”
What made the comments more telling was the wider context, because Slot didn’t frame this as a one-off moment but part of a bigger trend.
“But I don’t think it’s a surprise to anyone this season that if there is a VAR intervention… then that decision goes against us. That has been the whole season. Every single time [it’s] the same.”
Our head coach even pointed to previous examples, contrasting decisions involving Alexis Mac Allister and incidents in European games to underline his frustration.
At the same time, the 47-year-old was careful to acknowledge where we went wrong ourselves, admitting the goal wasn’t solely about the handball.
“But the second goal we did not concede because of the handball, we conceded it because we lost the ball in a stupid position and we lost a few big moments afterwards in duels.”
That point is backed up by Jamie Carragher’s assessment after the goal, with the former defender saying: “That goal… you talk about Liverpool’s season. They’ve been popping the ball about but they can’t cope with the counterattack. That has summed Liverpool up all season – they’re a nice team but they can’t handle physicality.”
That balance matters, because while there’s a clear sense we’ve been unfortunate with key calls, the bigger issue remains the moments we can control.
Still, when a deflection appears to come off a striker’s hand before crossing the line, it’s understandable why many of us feel this was another decision that simply didn’t go our way.
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