Liverpool endured yet another nightmare afternoon under Arne Slot, falling 3–0 to Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City in what marked the Spaniard’s historic 1000th game as a manager.
The defeat deepened frustration among Reds supporters, who once again saw their side crumble under pressure — and this time, they believe VAR played a part.
City’s goal machine, Erling Haaland, eventually opened the scoring in the 29th minute after earlier seeing his penalty brilliantly stopped by Liverpool’s temporary goalkeeper, Giorgi Mamardashvili. The Georgian shot-stopper — standing in for the injured Alisson — had given Liverpool hope with that crucial save, but Haaland’s persistence soon paid off.
Moments later, Liverpool thought they’d found their way back into the match. Virgil van Dijk’s header hit the back of the net, sparking wild celebrations… until VAR stepped in.
Andy Robertson was flagged for offside in the buildup, and after a lengthy review, the goal was wiped out.
The Premier League later released a statement confirming the decision:
> “The referee’s call of offside and no goal to Liverpool was checked and confirmed by VAR – with Robertson in an offside position and deemed to be making an obvious action directly in front of the goalkeeper.”
That call appeared to drain the life out of the visitors. Before halftime, City struck again through Nico Gonzalez after a slick attacking sequence that left Liverpool’s defence wide open.
Jeremy Doku then completed the rout with a stunning second-half strike — a goal that had City fans roaring and Liverpool supporters fuming.
But the anger didn’t stop at the scoreline. A large section of the fanbase turned on Ibrahima Konaté, accusing the defender of poor focus and weak defending amid rumours of a potential move to Real Madrid.
Social media erupted with frustration:
“Sell Konaté in January, his mind’s already in Madrid,” one fan posted.
Another ranted, “He can’t pass, makes awful decisions, and gets bullied too easily.”
A third joked, “Can someone start a fundraiser for Konaté’s ticket to Madrid? Gomez can manage till summer.”
Others bluntly labelled him a “liability,” suggesting that if Madrid actually signed him, Liverpool would be the real winners of that deal.
In the end, it was a bitter evening for Liverpool — a heavy defeat, a controversial VAR ruling, and a growing sense that Arne Slot’s side is still far from finding stability.
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