Key events
Show key events only
Please turn on JavaScript to use this feature
ReactionShare
Andy Hunter
The Liverpool hierarchy protected Arne Slot’s authority by axing Mohamed Salah from the Champions League trip to Milan. The Liverpool team followed suit by inflicting a first European home defeat on Inter since September 2022 courtesy of Dominik Szoboszlai’s 88th-minute penalty. A brooding superstar with a bruised ego looked on from afar.
Salah would have been on penalty duties had he not talked himself out of a showpiece occasion at the San Siro, another legend of the game that is showing its age. Instead it fell to Szoboszlai, the friend he argued should not be playing on the right ahead of him, to give Slot a precious victory after Alessandro Bastoni was penalised for pulling Florian Wirtz’s shirt in the box with minutes remaining. Liverpool had been resolute and fiercely committed to that point, well worthy of the point that was heading their way until the video assistant referee sent German official Felix Zwayer to the pitch-side monitor to review Bastoni’s foul.
ShareAndy Robertson’s reaction
We knew we were coming to a really tough place. The clean sheet was crucial and we got the goal: a perfect night for us and a big three points.
[On Konate’s disallowed goal] I think it took 7-8 minutes. In my opinion if it takes that long you should stick with the on-field decision. The penalty looked soft, but anywhere else on the pitch and it’s probably given.
[On the Mo Salah business] Yeah, look, it’s a tough situation. We’re talking about one of the greatest players ever to play for this club, he’s been unbelievable for us. I signed in the same window as him and we’ve been through so many highs, so many lows. Whatever happens now will happen internally. We’re all together in the changing room, that’s the main thing, and I think you saw that today.
[Can it be resolved?] That’ll be up to other people; it’s not up to me. But I love playing with Mo Salah and I hope to continue playing with him.
Liverpool move up to eighth in the Champions League table. Three teams have a game in hand and could overtake them; even so, with Marseille and Qarabag to come, Liverpool have a decent chance of finishing in the top eight.
Liverpool are the first team to beat Inter at San Siro in European competition since Bayern Munich in September 2022. In the circumstances, it’s been a brilliant night for them and especially for Arne Slot.
ShareFull time: Internazionale 0-1 Liverpool
The future starts here for Liverpool – even if they began life without Mo Salah* by producing a display from the Bob Paisley era. It was a classic European away performance, the sort we used to see from the team of Hansen, Souness, Dalglish and Rush. Their defensive excellence quietened a hostile crowd and they nicked the game at the death through Dominik Szoboszlai’s penalty.
The award of the penalty was debatable, but then so was the decision to disallow Ibrahima Konate’s first-half goal. Overall, Liverpool were deserved winners.
90+4 min “Evening from Naples,” writes Colum Fordham. “The pull on Wirtz was soft but the good thing is he’s not a heavyweight so it did affect his balance! Anyway, I’ve seen some soft penalties in my time in the Serie A so Inter can’t really complain. Great penalty from Szobozslai, and just reward for a solid performance.”
Szoboszlai’s right foot is one big sweet spot, isn’t it.
90+3 min Lautaro Martinez’s shot deflects behind for an Inter corner… which is swung straight into the warm embrace of Alisson.
90+2 min Liverpool finish the league stage with games against Marseille (A) and Qarabag (H), so they have a fair chance of finishing in the top eight. Teams 1-8 go straight through the last 16; teams 9-24 go into the playoff round.
90+1 min There will be six minutes of added time.
90 min Liverpool have been really good tonight, particularly in defence. Ekitike, who has a shot blocked as I type, has also been excellent in attack.
ShareGOAL! Internazionale 0-1 Liverpool (Szoboszlai 88 pen)
Dominik Szoboszlai, Liverpool’s quiet talisman, pings an emphatic penalty into the net. Sommer went the right way, to his right, but he had little chance of saving it.
Dominik Szoboszlai smashes home the penalty! Photograph: Guglielmo Mangiapane/ReutersShare
Updated at 16.58 EST
88 min Konate’s goal probably shouldn’t have been disallowed in the first half, so I guess it’s 1-1 on the VAR scoresheet.
87 min Bastoni gets a yellow card for the foul (sic) on Wirtz, and Liverpool have the chance to steal three points. Who’s their penalty taker these days?
SharePenalty to Liverpool!
It’s been given!
Oooh, this is soft. Photograph: Fabrizio Carabelli/PAShare
Updated at 16.54 EST
86 min It’s still being checked by VAR. This could well be given… and the referee is going to the monitor. Weird. In slow motion there is a clear shirt pull, but there’s no way it was strong enough for Wirtz to fall over.
84 min: VAR check for a Liverpool penalty Wirtz goes over in the area after a slight shirt pull from Bastoni. I thought it was a dive but who knows anymore.
83 min: Triple substitution for Inter Petar Sucic, Ange-Yoan Bonny and Carlos Augusto replace Mkhitaryan, Thuram and Dimarco.
82 min Now the other substitute, Wirtz, shoots not far wide from distance.
80 min: Good save by Sommer! The enterprising Bradley, who has energised Liverpool’s attack, runs onto a short return pass from Ekitike and forces a shot from the angle that is beaten away at the near post by Sommer. It’s a pretty good save, but though it wasn’t a sitter for Bradley, he may feel he could have done better.
Conor Bradley is causing all sorts of trouble for Inter. Photograph: Luca Bruno/APShare
Updated at 16.51 EST
79 min Liverpool drew none of their first 18 games in the Premier League and Champions League this season. Now they’re 10 minutes away from a third draw in seven days.
76 min Wirtz’s through ball towards Ekitike is cleared by Sommer, sweeper-keeping in the modern style. I’d like to see it again but it looked like Wirtz overhit the pass and gave Sommer the chance to clear. Ekitike was certainly clear of the defence.
Updated at 16.42 EST
73 min Curtis Jones has been booked for something or other, and now there’s a bit of pushing and shoving involving the players on both sides. Much ado about nowt.
70 min Szoboszlai decides to cross rather than shoot and Inter clear the danger. But this is Liverpool’s best spell of the second half.
70 min Mac Allister is fouled 28 yards from goal by Thuram. Szoboszlai is over the ball…
69 min Bradley almost makes a goal straight away with a precise low cross to pick out Ekitike 15 yards from goal. His fierce first-time shot is crucially blocked by an Inter defender.
68 min: Double substitution for Liverpool Florian Wirtz and Conor Bradley replace Alexander Isak, who had another quiet game, and Joe Gomez.
66 min Dimarco’s corner is headed away to Barella on the edge of the D. He launches a Hackney Marshes shot high and wide.
65 min Inter break well after clearing Gomez’s long throw. The move is held up and then Thuram shoots wide from 25 yards. Decent effort but Alisson’s heart rate was unaffected.
62 min A long-range shot from Ekitike bounces awkwardly in front of Sommer, who holds on well.
60 min A dangerous break from Inter. Barella, on the left, picks out a fine angled pass to find Martinez just outside the area. He controls the ball on the run and whips a shot that is well blocked by Van Dijk.
58 min A dangerous cross from Robertson is shanked across his own six-yard box by Bastoni; that could easily have gone into the far corner of the net.
57 min Mkhitaryan is booked for a late challenge on Szoboszlai.
56 min More patient possession from Liverpool. This has been a bit like watching one of their classic, crowd-quietening away performances in the late 1970s and early 1980s – they’ve barely given Inter a sniff.
Great moustaches and great days. Photograph: David Cannon/Getty ImagesShare
Updated at 16.29 EST
54 min Nothing much happening at the start of the second half. Both teams look like they have prioritised a clean sheet.
50 min Martinez lobs a brilliant pass down the left to release Mkhitaryan… but he overhits his cross/pass towards Thuram at the far post.
47 min Isak, who has been quiet so far, wins the ball on the edge of the Inter area, turns and mishits a shot well wide of the far post.
Alexander Isak continues his patch Liverpool form. Photograph: Liverpool FC/Getty ImagesShare
Updated at 16.17 EST
46 min Inter get the second half under way. No additional changes; Inter lost Calhanoglu and Acerbi in the first half.
Half-time reading
ShareHalf time: Internazionale 0-0 Liverpool
A quiet first half in Milan. Ibrahima Konate has a goal disallowed for a debatable offside, while Alisson made a good save to deny Lautaro Martinez on the stroke of half-time. That was Inter’s only attempt on target against a Liverpool team who have defended with calm authority.
45+6 min: Good save by Alisson! Inter work the ball patiently on the left. Then, with no warning, a thrust of the dagger: a curling cross from Bastoni, lovely movement from Martinez to lose Van Dijk and a powerful downward header from 10 yards. Alisson reacts smartly, diving to his left to to push it away.
Updated at 15.54 EST
45+3 min Those two shots from Jones and Gravenberch in the 18th minute are the only efforts on target at either end.
45+1 min Okay, apart from the West Ham match. I meant against a top team, okay!
Two injuries + a long VAR check = seven minutes of added time.
45 min And it should be said that Liverpool’s defence hasn’t looked this solid in a long time, certainly away from home.
44 min We’re all friends here, so let us speak frankly: it’s been a forgettable, uneventful first half. But after recent events, Liverpool won’t complain if they have a quiet night.
Updated at 15.45 EST
40 min From the resulting free-kick, Barella flashes a lovely curler just wide of the near post. Alisson flew across his goal and probably had it covered. But I wouldn’t put the farm on it.
39 min Ekitike is booked for a late tackle on Thuram.
37 min A 1-0 lead wouldn’t have flattered Liverpool, who have defended with authority and had the better of the few chances. Saying which, Bisseck marches forward from the back, chops inside Gravenberch and hits a shot from 20 yards that spins behind off a defender.
In fact that Bisseck shot hit Van Dijk’s arm, but it was down by his side so let’s move on.
Updated at 15.39 EST
NO GOAL! Internazionale 0-0 Liverpool
In fact Van Dijk won the ball first and headed it against the arm of Ekitike – but the referee has decided to disallow the goal anyway. As Mark Clattenburg says on Prime Video, that goal would probably have stood in the Premier League. Confused? That’s okay; all I need are the three digits on the back of the card.
Referee Felix Zwayer consults the VAR screen for around four hours before ruling it out for handball. Photograph: Justin Setterfield/Getty ImagesShare
Updated at 15.48 EST
35 min: The referee is going to the monitor No rush, folks, it’s only taken three minutes so far.
34 min: VAR check ongoing The ball definitely hit Ekitike’s arm before looping towards Konate. It’s still being checked…
ShareGOAL! Inter 0-1 Liverpool (Konate 32)
Ibrahima Konate gives Liverpool the lead! Szoboszlai curled a high outswinging corner to the far post, where Ekitike headed the ball into the six-yard box. Konate leapt in front of Sommer to head into the net – but there’s a VAR check for handball in the build up. I think the ball hit Ekitike’s arm rather than his head.
Ibrahima Konate heads Liverpool in front….or does he? Photograph: Claudia Greco/ReutersShare
Updated at 15.35 EST
31 min: Inter substitution Acerbi’s race is run; he’s replaced in defence by Yann Bisseck.
Another Inter player is down as Francesco Acerbi gets treatment. Photograph: Marco Bertorello/AFP/Getty ImagesShare
Updated at 15.34 EST