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Jamie Carragher admitted the Liverpool penalty was “a little bit harsh” as Arne Slot’s team snatched a Champions League win at Inter.
On Tuesday, Liverpool took on Inter at the San Siro in Milan. The Reds were without Mohamed Salah, who was not included in the squad that traveled to Italy for the showdown.
Salah's absence from the squad contributed to Arne Slot's decision to play Hugo Ekitike and Alexander Isak together in a front two against Inter. But the decision failed to pay off, with Liverpool struggling to break through before the controversial penalty led to a late winner.
Slot opted to set his team up in a diamond formation, with Ryan Gravenberch, Alexis Mac Allister, Curtis Jones, and Dominik Szoboszlai lining up behind the forward duo. After another goalless first half, Liverpool tried to move ahead and take advantage of being on top.
Ibrahima Konate had seen a goal ruled out for offside, and it was the Reds looking most likely to break the deadlock, but Slot needed a bit more from his attackers in front of a solid defensive base. Florian Wirtz was thrown on, and the German won a contentious penalty, which Szoboszlai converted to clinch all three points for the Reds.
Wirtz's jersey was adjudged to have been pulled by Alessandro Bastoni inside the penalty area. It was a controversial call, with Szoboszlai stepping up from 12 yards.
Ultimately, Carragher was pleased to see Liverpool claim victory — but he was not pleased with the penalty decision. On CBS Sports, the former defender acknowledged it was a soft decision.
“I'd be very disappointed if this went against me or my team,” Carragher said. His colleague Micah Richards quickly chimed in: “You'd be saying it's a disgrace.”
“No, what I would say is, I don't think that's a penalty,” Carragher replied. “But if I was an Inter Milan player or the manager, I'd say, what are you doing grabbing his shirt... even giving the referee a decision to make? I don't think it's a penalty, but just don't pull his shirt.
“It's not like you're pulling him back because he's going through to the goal. He's got his back to goal, he's going nowhere. He's only got himself to blame there, but I do think it was a little bit harsh.”
The penalty helped Liverpool claim the win. The Reds were somewhat toothless for much of the game, as Slot was without Salah, Cody Gakpo, and Federico Chiesa, but three points mean Liverpool has moved up to eighth in the standings.
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