Liverpool could not produce another famous European comeback at Anfield as they were knocked out of the Champions League by Paris Saint-Germain – but had their second-half penalty not been controversially overturned, things could have been very different.
The hosts were trailing 2-0 on aggregate but still had the second leg finely poised at 0-0, knowing the pendulum could swing heavily in their favour if they made PSG’s net bulge.
It looked like they had secured the golden opportunity to do just that as Alexis Mac Allister went down under the challenge of Willian Pacho to earn Liverpool a penalty on 64 minutes.
Former referee Mark Clattenburg said on Prime Video’s coverage of the match that he expected the call against what he branded a “clumsy challenge” to stand, but to his and the commentators’ surprise, match official Maurizio Mariani was ordered to the pitchside monitor and promptly overturned his decision.
“We talk about clear and obvious every time we talk about interventions,” Clattenburg, bemoaning the decision. “When we see the contact on Mac Allister, people will say it’s soft but it’s not wrong. There is contact. Once the referee gives it, I expect the penalty to be upheld.”
Alan Shearer then added: “I’m surprised as well because Mac Allister does ever so well to protect that ball, inviting the challenge in from Pacho and once he tries to get the ball and doesn’t, and does make contact with him and the referee gives it, I’m really, really surprised he’s overturned it.”
It proved the beginning of the end for Liverpool’s hopes of a fightback, with PSG going up the other end and scoring through Ousmane Dembele eight minutes later, taking the aggregate score to 3-0.
Dembele then doubled his tally and PSG’s lead on the night in stoppage time to compound Liverpool’s woes.
Speaking after the match, both Liverpool manager Arne Slot and defender Ibrahima Konate expressed their frustration at the penalty decision.
“If you look at our season I am completely not surprised because so many decisions have gone against us,” Slot said, bemoaning his side’s luck with penalty call this season.
“For me it is quite simple, if the referee did not give a penalty the VAR would never have intervened. As I said I don’t think it is a surprise this season, not just the Champions League but also in the Premier League many decisions have gone against us.”
Konate added: “Last season we had a penalty like that. For me it was a clear penalty and was just behind the referee but he did not blow the whistle and we have to deal with that. If we got the penalty and score it would be completely different.”
And echoing their annoyance, Wayne Rooney was the first to highlight how he felt the referee was wrong to reverse his call, even if the original decision was “soft”.
“I think after giving it, I don’t think it should go to VAR,” he said. “It should have stood. It should be the penalty.
“Liverpool are really not to get that penalty at that 0-0 in tonight’s game. If they get that and they score, I think that it’s a different game, maybe a different outcome. You can see there’s clear contact on Mac Allister and I think that was the wrong decision.”
Robbie Fowler added that he felt “ VAR has probably not done its job there”, while Daniel Sturridge was resolute on the fact it was penalty offence.
“There’s clear contact. If it’s on VAR and you can see the contact then it’s a penalty,” Sturridge said.
“You can say that the action is to get his body across, which as an attacker, that’s what you do normally. So if the contact’s there and the ball’s coming to me, then it’s a penalty. Simple as that.”
