A controversial video assistant referee decision denied Liverpool a stoppage-time equaliser as they suffered a surprise Europa League loss to Toulouse.
Jarell Quansah’s goal to make it 3-3 in the seventh minute of added time was ruled out after Alexis Mac Allister was judged to have handled the ball.
Quansah slammed in from close range to spark wild Liverpool celebrations and furious protestations from Toulouse before Bulgarian referee Georgi Kabakov was called to the VAR screen – having already appeared to point to the centre circle.
The ball had bounced off Mac Allister’s chest into his upper arm much earlier in the move, which was ruled enough to disallow the goal.
Toulouse impressed for much of the match and went 2-0 up though strikes from Aron Donnum and Thijs Dallinga.
Liverpool pulled one back through a bizarre own goal from Cristian Casseres Jr, but Frank Magri restored the French side’s two-goal advantage.
Substitute Diogo Jota then scored for Liverpool with two minutes of normal time left and they thought they had earned a point with virtually the final kick of the match, before VAR’s intervention.
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Lacklustre Liverpool in surprise loss
This match becomes the latest to feature VAR-related controversy in a turbulent week, although while Liverpool were denied a point, they had been well below their best.
Toulouse are 14th in Ligue 1 – just one point above the relegation play-off places – and had lost 5-1 at Anfield in the reverse fixture earlier in this group.
But after withstanding heavy pressure they took the lead on 36 minutes through a mistake by Kostas Tsimikas. The Greek left-back was robbed by Donnum, who strode forward into the area and found the back of the net with a shot that deflected off Quansah.
Toulouse top scorer Dallinga bagged the second just before the hour, slamming into the bottom corner following a fine team move.
The hosts were rocked when a defensive mix-up saw a high cross bounce off Casseres’ back and into his own goal, after he turned his back on the ball expecting a team-mate to head it away.
But they hit back immediately, Magri slamming in from close range after Caoimhin Kelleher palmed out a low cross.
Jota’s powerful low strike set up a grandstand finish, but Toulouse held on for a famous win – with help from the officials.
Having won their three previous Europa League games, Liverpool are still well placed to qualify from Group E and need just one more victory from their final two pool matches to at least reach February’s play-off round.
Salah and co unable to save Reds
For his 450th game in charge of Liverpool, Jurgen Klopp made nine changes to his starting XI from the Premier League draw at Luton.
Despite this, he was able to name a stacked bench including Dominik Szoboszlai, Mohamed Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold – all of who were thrust on following an opening 45 minutes which started well but petered out.
After only four minutes Joe Gomez – captaining Liverpool with Virgil van Dijk unwell – hit the bar with a flicked header.
Half an hour in, teenage winger Ben Doak fired a shot straight at Guillaume Restes after the Toulouse keeper fumbled a cross.
But after failing to take their chances, Liverpool were made to pay for Tsimikas’ loss of concentration from which they never fully recovered – even after calling for the cavalry.
Impressive Toulouse earn famous win
Among the nine players to come into the Liverpool XI was Luis Diaz. After a difficult 12 days following the kidnap of his parents in Colombia, he started this game knowing his father was safe having “wanted” to play, according to Klopp.
Having scored a dramatic late equaliser against Luton, Diaz was full of effort once again in France. On 26 minutes, he hammered a low shot which Restes gathered at the second attempt.
But it summed up Liverpool’s first half showing – dominant, but lacking end product.
This gave Toulouse a much-needed confidence boost. They had not won in five matches, and had been beaten by Liverpool in three previous meetings.
But fired up by a fervent home crowd, they rode out the Liverpool storm, grabbed their opportunity and were subsequently the better team.
Despite Liverpool bringing on the big guns, Dallinga found the net three times after the interval. His first was ruled out after he fouled Joel Matip and the third was offside, but his second was just right.
Following Dallinga’s disallowed goals, Liverpool suffered the same fate – albeit in much more dramatic circumstances.
Line-ups
Toulouse
Formation 4-4-2
- 50RestesBooked at 90mins
- 3Desler
- 6Evans Costa
- 2NicolaisenBooked at 90mins
- 23Diarra
- 15DønnumSubstituted forKamanziat 81′minutesBooked at 90mins
- 8Sierro
- 24Cásseres
- 17Suazo
- 9DallingaSubstituted forGelabertat 88′minutes
- 20SchmidtBooked at 11minsSubstituted forMagriat 70′minutes
Substitutes
- 10Cissoko
- 11Gelabert
- 12Kamanzi
- 13Mawissa Elebi
- 14Begraoui
- 19Magri
- 21Bangré
- 25Keben
- 30Domínguez
- 40Lacombe
Liverpool
Formation 4-3-3
- 62Kelleher
- 2Gomez
- 32Matip
- 78Quansah
- 21TsimikasSubstituted forSzoboszlaiat 45′minutes
- 19Elliott
- 3EndoBooked at 34minsSubstituted forAlexander-Arnoldat 45′minutes
- 10Mac Allister
- 50DoakSubstituted forSalahat 45′minutes
- 18GakpoSubstituted forNúñezat 73′minutesBooked at 90mins
- 7DíazSubstituted forJotaat 81′minutes
Substitutes
- 1Alisson
- 5Konaté
- 8Szoboszlai
- 9Núñez
- 11Salah
- 20Jota
- 44Chambers
- 48Scanlon
- 49Gordon
- 53McConnell
- 66Alexander-Arnold
- 93Mrozek
Match Stats
Live Text
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Match ends, Toulouse 3, Liverpool 2.
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Second Half ends, Toulouse 3, Liverpool 2.
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VAR Decision: No Goal Toulouse 3-2 Liverpool.
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Rasmus Nicolaisen (Toulouse) is shown the yellow card.
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GOAL OVERTURNED BY VAR: Jarell Quansah (Liverpool) scores but the goal is ruled out after a VAR review.
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Hand ball by Alexis Mac Allister (Liverpool).
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Guillaume Restes (Toulouse) is shown the yellow card.
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Foul by Diogo Jota (Liverpool).
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Cristian Cásseres (Toulouse) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
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Attempt missed. Joe Gomez (Liverpool) right footed shot from outside the box misses to the left following a set piece situation.
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Darwin Núñez (Liverpool) wins a free kick on the left wing.
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Foul by Frank Magri (Toulouse).
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Attempt missed. Diogo Jota (Liverpool) header from the centre of the box misses to the left. Assisted by Trent Alexander-Arnold with a cross following a set piece situation.
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Warren Kamanzi (Toulouse) is shown the yellow card.
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Darwin Núñez (Liverpool) is shown the yellow card.
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Darwin Núñez (Liverpool) wins a free kick on the left wing.
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Foul by Logan Costa (Toulouse).
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Foul by Diogo Jota (Liverpool).
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Cristian Cásseres (Toulouse) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
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Foul by Alexis Mac Allister (Liverpool).
Player of the match
MagriFrank Magri
with an average of 6.88
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Squad number19Player nameMagri
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Squad number11Player nameGelabert
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Squad number12Player nameKamanzi
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Squad number9Player nameDallinga
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Squad number15Player nameDønnum
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Squad number6Player nameLogan Costa
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Squad number23Player nameDiarra
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Squad number20Player nameSchmidt
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Squad number17Player nameSuazo
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Squad number2Player nameNicolaisen
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Squad number8Player nameSierro
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Squad number24Player nameCásseres
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Squad number3Player nameDesler
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Squad number50Player nameRestes
Liverpool
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Squad number7Player nameDíaz
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Squad number20Player nameDiogo Jota
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Squad number50Player nameDoak
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Squad number19Player nameElliott
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Squad number78Player nameQuansah
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Squad number10Player nameMac Allister
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Squad number2Player nameGomez
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Squad number18Player nameGakpo
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Squad number62Player nameKelleher
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Squad number8Player nameSzoboszlai
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Squad number11Player nameMohamed Salah
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Squad number32Player nameMatip
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Squad number3Player nameEndo
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Squad number66Player nameAlexander-Arnold
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Squad number9Player nameNúñez
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Squad number21Player nameTsimikas
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