Arne Slot celebrates a crucial 0-1 win at Inter as VAR drama and a late Szoboszlai penalty lift Liverpool, while the coach calmly addresses the disruptive Mohamed Salah dispute and stresses team unity.
Once again asked about the Mohamed Salah case after Tuesday’s 0-1 win away at Inter, Arne Slot said that, naturally, it is never good for a team when a disagreement of that kind happens.
He stressed that Liverpool had produced a strong display in Milan under difficult circumstances and that, as far as Salah is concerned, situations like this normally affect the rest of the squad. Salah is one of the most influential figures at the club, both on and off the pitch, and Slot admitted that it is never ideal for the group when something happens to a teammate of that stature. He underlined that everyone makes mistakes in life and hinted that the key question now is how the situation will be handled behind closed doors. Slot openly wondered whether Salah realises he was in the wrong and whether the initiative to resolve the matter should come from the player or from the coach, before insisting that, in his view, the focus for the night had to remain on the victory in Milan.
By doing so, Slot tried to strike a delicate balance. On one side, he did not completely ignore or downplay the Salah incident, recognising that it has repercussions in the dressing room. On the other, he refused to allow the controversy to overshadow what he considered a vital result for Liverpool’s season. After a run of poor form and intense scrutiny over the relationship between manager and star forward, a 0-1 win away at Inter provided exactly the kind of platform Slot needed to steady the team and regain some control over the narrative.
The coach also heard Liverpool supporters chanting his name during and after the game and did not hide his appreciation. He explained that this meant a great deal to him personally, particularly in a period where criticism and speculation have been constant. At the same time, he kept the focus on the collective, repeating that, as he had already said the day before, he is not the most important element at Liverpool. For Slot, the main message was that having the backing of the fans in such difficult moments shows that everyone inside the club is still willing to fight for one another. He argued that this unity was precisely what both supporters and players had demonstrated in Milan, with the away end driving the team forward and the squad responding with commitment and defensive resilience.
On the pitch, the story of the evening was heavily shaped by VAR. What VAR took away, VAR gave back. Liverpool had a goal disallowed for handball in their visit to Inter Milan’s home ground, after several minutes of review, but would eventually benefit from a penalty in the 90th minute, also spotted by the video assistant referee system. That late decision secured just their second win in the last seven games and gave an extra motivational boost to Arne Slot, who for now appears to have the upper hand in his tense stand off with Salah.
The game itself was a cagey Champions League style contest, marked by tactical discipline on both sides and a scarcity of clear goalscoring chances. Inter tried to control the tempo and attack with measured possession, while Liverpool focused on compact defending and quick transitions whenever the opportunity arose. Even in this tight context, the Reds still managed to put the ball in the net twice. The first goal, however, did not stand: Konaté thought he had opened the scoring in the 32nd minute with a powerful header from a corner, sparking celebrations among the travelling fans. Yet German referee Felix Zwayer, after being alerted by his video assistants, spent several minutes reviewing the incident and eventually ruled out the goal due to the ball brushing Ekitiké’s arm after the initial header from captain Van Dijk.
It was a frustrating moment for Liverpool, who felt they had finally broken Inter’s resistance, but the decision underlined the unforgiving nature of VAR at this level. Instead of losing their heads, Slot’s men regrouped, maintained their defensive structure and waited for another opening. That maturity would be rewarded late on.
The incident that would decide the match came in the 85th minute, when Wirtz, introduced in the 68th minute to replace the very quiet Isak, made a clever run into the Nerazzurri penalty area. As he prepared to attack a cross, Bastoni gave him a slight pull that went unnoticed in real time. Felix Zwayer initially waved play on, judging the contact insufficient. However, after another intervention from VAR and a trip to the pitchside monitor, he changed his decision. The replay showed enough of a tug to justify a penalty under current interpretations, and this time Liverpool were on the right side of technology.
Szoboszlai, who had already been instrumental throughout the match with his energy and forward runs, took responsibility from the spot. Under intense pressure and against a hostile San Siro crowd, he did not flinch. His precise finish low past Sommer secured the 0-1 win, halted Liverpool’s negative run and gave their season a shot of confidence at a crucial moment.
Taken together, the night in Milan encapsulated the complexity of Liverpool’s current situation. Results had dipped, the team had been questioned, and the manager was dealing with a public dispute involving the club’s biggest star. Yet within that turbulence, Slot managed to organise a disciplined away performance, earn a vital Champions League victory and receive vocal backing from the fanbase. The Salah issue has not disappeared and will need to be resolved internally, but the 0-1 win at Inter has at least allowed Liverpool to move forward with a little more calm and a lot more belief.
