Liverpool star Alexis Mac Allister weighs in on UEL loss to Toulouse
The Reds’ Europa League campaign took an unexpected twist on Thursday evening when they faced Toulouse in what turned out to be a thrilling encounter that ended 3-2 against us. The turning point came in the 97th minute when Liverpool defender Jarell Quansah thought he had netted his first-ever senior goal with Alexis Mac Allister also a part of the build-up of quick passes.
Jurgen Klopp’s men came very close to securing a dramatic late equalizer to make it 3-3, only for VAR to rule it out. Quansah’s strike gave the fans so much relief in the dying embers, but the celebrations did not last long because of an unusual twist of events. Referee Georgi Kabakov initially awarded the goal. However, what followed was a stark reminder of the VAR system’s capacity to create confusion and controversy.
At the centre of this controversial incident, as earlier mentioned, was Liverpool midfielder Alexis Mac Allister, who played a significant role in the disallowed goal. Macca was adjudged to have handled the ball after it bounced off his chest just 13 seconds earlier in the same move.
In the aftermath of the match, Mac Allister shared his thoughts on the incident, describing it as “weird” and highlighting the referee’s initial decision to award the goal. He said (h/t ECHO):
“The last situation, it’s a weird one because the referee said goal and then 10 seconds later he changed the decision. I don’t know exactly how the rule is but it first hit my chest so it’s weird. But it’s not an excuse, we didn’t play well, as we know, and it’s a fair result.”
Was it actually handball?
Despite the controversial turn of events, Mac Allister displayed a commendable sense of sportsmanship and maturity by not dwelling on the incident as an excuse.
To be honest, that is the least we can expect from him. While the player is absolutely top-class, he has still to hit his best and has been sub-par for the Reds more often than not. Mostly due to playing out of his natural position. Hopefully, Macca and the support staff work on what is not going his way and get him back on track.
While the disallowed goal will be a topic of discussion for days to come, it’s essential for the Reds to regroup and focus on their forthcoming challenges.
As the VAR debate continues, we must also remember that the technology is still not completely automatic and is manually operated partially. Anyways, we can not crib about external factors after this performance given how substandard Liverpool played against a side they were EASY favourites to win against.
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There is massive room for improvement. Hopefully, we see the start of a positive change when the Reds take on Brentford at home on Sunday in a 2 PM kickoff.
