According to Arne Slot, Liverpool's overturned penalty against Paris Saint-Germain came as no surprise, as he believes his team has been on the receiving end of numerous unfavorable decisions throughout the season. The Reds were eliminated from the Champions League after suffering a 2-0 quarter-final defeat to PSG at Anfield, losing 4-0 on aggregate. Despite a spirited performance that unsettled the European champions until Ousmane Dembele's late double, Liverpool's efforts were in vain.
A penalty appeal by Alexis Mac Allister was denied after a VAR review, sparking controversy. "It's a soft penalty, but I think it's a penalty," said Tim Sherwood, who was watching the game on Soccer Special. Slot stated, "I'm not surprised, as many decisions have gone against us this season.
If the referee doesn't give a penalty, the VAR wouldn't have overturned it. However, I've seen numerous soft penalties given, and people say VAR can't interfere because there's contact.
That's what we clearly see." Liverpool defender Ibrahima Konate added, "For me, it was a clear penalty. I was behind the referee. If we had gotten the penalty and scored, it would have been completely different." PSG, on the other hand, were unfortunate not to be awarded at least one spot kick in the first leg, with VAR overturning the referee's decision to penalize Konate for a foul on Warren Zaire-Emery and opting not to punish the defender for a push on Nuno Mendes.
During the post-match press conference at Anfield, Sky Sports News' Vinny O'Connor expressed surprise at the overturned penalty decision, given the contact. Slot replied, "Me too, but not when it comes to us, as this has happened multiple times this season." Slot continued, "I think it was Rodri or Bernardo Silva who said Manchester City has been very unlucky with referees this season.
I heard them say this a month ago. If you can say that, then remember both games you played against us and how many decisions went against us. What does this tell you about us?" Despite winning the Premier League under Slot last year, Liverpool has failed to build on that success, even after signing notable players like Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz in the summer. Slot has faced pressure to keep his job due to the team's underperformance and the challenge of securing a top-five finish in the Premier League to play Champions League football next season.
Slot explained, "Much has been said that the club is in a transition. The club has sold 8-10 players to make money to sign five very talented players. We have to sell to buy, and we're losing some players on a free transfer, like Mo Salah and Andy Robertson.
It's a big challenge in the summer, but the club has shown that this model works. As I've said many times, the future looks very good, especially if we can sign players after good players leave this summer."