Liverpool led through a brilliant Dominik Szoboszlai free-kick in the 74th minute, but collapsed late: Bernardo Silva equalized in the 84th, and Erling Haaland sealed it with a stoppage-time penalty (90’+3’) after Alisson fouled Matheus Nunes. The finale turned chaotic with VAR disallowing a would-be City third goal from Rayan Cherki (from near halfway after a quick counter), instead awarding a direct free-kick and showing Szoboszlai a red card for denying a goalscoring opportunity in the buildup foul on Haaland. This left fans split—some fuming at the “ruined” drama and VAR intervention, others accepting it as correct per ex-referee explanations.
The heaviest online backlash targets Cody Gakpo. Fan reactions on social media and forums slammed his display as “abysmal,” a “disaster,” and accused him of poor decision-making, lack of impact, or “annual brainfart” moments that contributed to the loss. Posts explicitly call for him to be dropped entirely, with some saying he “cost us this game” and should “never play again” or even leave the club. Player ratings from sources like Tribuna highlighted him with a low score (e.g., 4/10), fueling the calls.
Szoboszlai drew criticism too for the late red card (described as brainless or idiotic, earning a likely three-game ban), but the primary fury focuses on Gakpo’s overall performance in the match.
This outrage is typical after a gut-wrenching defeat in a high-stakes game—especially with Liverpool’s inconsistent season form, sitting outside the top four and needing results to climb.
Arne Slot expressed anger and disappointment post-match, questioning officiating consistency (e.g., no red for City’s Marc Guehi on Salah earlier), while fans vented about the team “sleepwalking” or imploding late. Liverpool now face challenges without Szoboszlai for upcoming fixtures, like against Sunderland. Emotions run high, but these calls often cool with time or better performances.
