‘Not a surprise anymore’ – Slot reacts to VAR call vs Man United

“Then we should have a debate in football, is that then enough to disallow a goal? But I think the rule is if there was a touch it should have been disallowed.”

Former referee Keith Hackett also weighed in on X, stating: “The law states that you cannot score a goal with your hand, even if considered accidental.”

‘This has been the whole season’ – Liverpool frustration grows

What made the comments more telling was the wider context, because Slot didn’t frame this as a one-off moment but part of a bigger trend.

“But I don’t think it’s a surprise to anyone this season that if there is a VAR intervention… then that decision goes against us. That has been the whole season. Every single time [it’s] the same.”

Our head coach even pointed to previous examples, contrasting decisions involving Alexis Mac Allister and incidents in European games to underline his frustration.

At the same time, the 47-year-old was careful to acknowledge where we went wrong ourselves, admitting the goal wasn’t solely about the handball.

“But the second goal we did not concede because of the handball, we conceded it because we lost the ball in a stupid position and we lost a few big moments afterwards in duels.”

That point is backed up by Jamie Carragher’s assessment after the goal, with the former defender saying: “That goal… you talk about Liverpool’s season. They’ve been popping the ball about but they can’t cope with the counterattack. That has summed Liverpool up all season – they’re a nice team but they can’t handle physicality.”

That balance matters, because while there’s a clear sense we’ve been unfortunate with key calls, the bigger issue remains the moments we can control.

Still, when a deflection appears to come off a striker’s hand before crossing the line, it’s understandable why many of us feel this was another decision that simply didn’t go our way.