Ibrahima Konate had a goal disallowed for the Reds during the Champions League clash with Inter Milan at the San Siro
Liverpool defender Ibrahima Konate saw a goal be chalked off for handball during the Champions League clash with Inter Milan. Konate thought he had put the Reds in front at the San Siro when he finished off a set piece by heading in from close range.
As soon as the ball hit the back of the net, Inter players were straight into the vicinity of referee Felix Zwayer, claiming there was a handball. Konate was not the culprit as the ball bounced off the arm of Hugo Ekitike on its way into Konate’s path.
However, upon closer inspection, it was Virgil van Dijk who headed onto Ekitike’s arm from point blank range, before the French central defender beat Inter goalkeeper Yann Sommer with his header. After a lengthy VAR review, Zwayer disallowed the goal.
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Ex-Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg said he would have allowed the goal had he been the man in the middle, but also stated UEFA have a different interpretation of the handball rule. “It’s an interesting one, because as the player is jumping, his arm does come out for elevation,” Clattenburg said on Amazon Prime Video’s coverage of the match.
“It will just be the argument ‘was this a deliberate handball’ or not, because that handball does go to a team-mate so it gets rid of the argument that he scores the goal direct from the accidental handball.
“So it will only be ‘Is this arm in a natural position for jumping when the ball hits the arm’. What you do see is a slight movement of the arm toward the ball.
“I think this could end up being disallowed because of that movement of that arm going toward the ball makes the ball go toward his team mate to score the goal.”
Clattenburg added: “In the Premier League this would not be given as a handball, however in UEFA football especially Champions League, they punish handball a lot stricter.”
UEFA further clarified the reason why the goal was disallowed with a short explanation. It said: “VAR review complete. Decision overturned: goal disallowed. Goal disallowed – handball offence.
“Liverpool’s player, No. 22, touched the ball with his left arm, which was in an unnatural position, out of the body in the build-up to the goal.”
It was a moment of bad luck Arne Slot and his Liverpool players really cannot afford right now. The build-up to the clash at the San Siro was dominated by Mohamed Salah’s explosive tirade against Slot immediately after the 3-3 draw away to Leeds United.
The Liverpool boss reacted by leaving Salah at home while he and the rest of the squad travelled to Milan. The Reds are in desperate need of a victory against the Serie A heavyweights.
Their 4-1 home loss to PSV Eindhoven left the Reds with only nine points from five matches. Last season, 16 points proved to be the benchmark when it came to finishing in the top eight and qualifying for the last-16 automatically.
