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Beth Lindop
MILAN, Italy — It’s not often that a throw-in garners such enthusiastic celebration. When Alexis Mac Allister fell to the ground to let the ball go out of play during the final moments of added time at San Siro, the Liverpool supporters filled the stadium with cheers that would typically accompany a goal.
This moment encapsulated the gritty determination displayed by the Reds in their 1-0 win over Internazionale. After a tumultuous week for head coach Arne Slot and his players, the atmosphere both on the pitch and in the stands was one of resilience. The victory, clinched with a penalty kick taken confidently by the indefatigable Dominik Szoboszlai in the 88th minute, carried its own irony.
No one was watching more keenly than the excluded Mohamed Salah when referee Felix Zwayer reviewed Alessandro Bastoni’s challenge on Florian Wirtz in the penalty area. Salah, who was left out of the matchday squad following his controversial interview last weekend, has been Liverpool’s primary penalty taker for eight years and might have added to his impressive tally had he not chosen to address his frustrations about both Slot and the club at Elland Road recently.
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A match at Inter’s storied stadium is typically a significant event, yet much of the pre-game chatter revolved around Salah’s assertion that he has been “thrown under the bus” by the club, suggesting that next weekend’s encounter against Brighton & Hove Albion might be his last in Liverpool colors.
However, amidst the surrounding controversies, Liverpool proved their worth on the pitch with a gritty performance that propelled them momentarily to eighth place in the Champions League standings.
With Salah sidelined and Cody Gakpo out with injury, Slot had to make changes to his lineup against Inter, starting Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitike together up front for only the second time since their combined £204 million transfer in the summer.
The hope was that these two could demonstrate that Liverpool’s attack could still thrive without Salah’s brilliance, but Isak’s lack of impact meant the experiment didn’t yield the desired results. Struggling with form and fitness since his contentious move from Newcastle United, the Swedish international had just 25 touches before being substituted midway through the second half.
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Nevertheless, Liverpool appeared far more organized and solid than in recent matches, limiting Inter’s chances, with their sole significant opportunity coming when Alisson Becker expertly saved a header from Lautaro Martínez in the first half. Slot’s team thought they had taken the lead when Ibrahima Konaté scored with a powerful header, only for the goal to be disallowed after a VAR review ruled that Ekitike had handled the ball during the build-up.
The encouraging aspect for Slot will be how confidently his players, particularly Konaté, responded to that setback. The Frenchman showed significant improvement at San Siro following a difficult period of form.
Liverpool’s newfound strength allowed them to secure a late win after Bastoni was penalized for pulling Wirtz’s shirt. While Slot noted post-match that a similar infraction might not have warranted a penalty in the Premier League, the spot-kick, along with the victory, felt like a just reward for Liverpool’s relentless effort throughout the match.
“It’s all I could ask for,” Slot remarked when summarizing his team’s performance. “This was our fourth game in 10 days with only 13 outfield players available who have experience in the Premier League or Champions League. After conceding a late equalizer in Leeds, facing such a formidable team as Inter, we restricted their chances, with the biggest threat coming just before half-time due to a referee’s decision we had to accept. The mentality in the second half was great. We kept improving.”
Significantly, the loudest applause at the end of the match was directed toward Slot himself. The fans had begun chanting his name even before the team took the lead, and they cheered even more fervently as the final whistle blew, a gesture Slot acknowledged as very meaningful.
If the Dutchman’s authority was previously questioned following Salah’s outburst, it was reaffirmed as Liverpool ended Inter’s streak of 18 consecutive European home games without a loss, a run that dated back to September 2022. Slot is well aware, however, that this victory doesn’t resolve all the issues facing his side.
Upon their return to Merseyside on Wednesday afternoon, Slot will need to focus on mending relations with Salah, who is set to depart for the Africa Cup of Nations this weekend. Remarkably, Tuesday marked Liverpool’s first away Champions League victory without the Egyptian star since November 2009.
Slot may find that this statistic strengthens his position going forward.