In a surprising twist in the European League’s group stage, Liverpool suffered a 3-2 setback against French side Toulouse, marking their first group stage defeat since 2012. Toulouse, now etched in history, have become the first French team to net three goals against Liverpool in a European competition since Strasbourg in the 1997 UEFA Cup.
Liverpool Stal Mohamed Salah-Source: X
The match saw Liverpool’s lead at the top shrink to a mere two-point cushion, now standing at 9 points, while Toulouse climbed to second with 7 points. Meanwhile, Belgium’s Royal Antwerp slipped to third place with 4 points, leaving Austria’s LASK Linz at the bottom with 3 points.
| Team | Position | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Liverpool | 1st | 9 |
| Toulouse | 2nd | 7 |
| Royal Antwerp | 3rd | 4 |
| LASK Linz | 4th | 3 |
Liverpool’s perfect start in Group E comes to a halt with a 3-2 loss to Toulouse.
Despite a controversial VAR ruling denying a late equalizer, the Reds maintain their lead in the group with 9 points. Toulouse is now just two points behind in the race for the last-16 as group… pic.twitter.com/K7oJg3byoh
— Football Hits (@footballhits179) November 9, 2023
Toulouse’s Aaron Dunam capitalized on a defensive blunder by Kostas Tsimikas to break the deadlock at the 33rd minute. Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp responded with reinforcements in the second half, introducing Mohamed Salah, Trent Alexander-Arnold, and Dominik Szoboszlai.
Salah, soon after taking the field, narrowly missed an opportunity to level the score and collided with the goalkeeper, necessitating medical attention before returning to play. Toulouse, undeterred, doubled their lead at the 58th-minute mark with a fierce strike from Théo Dallinga.
Liverpool’s comeback effort was briefly sparked by a Toulouse own goal in the 74th minute, but the French side responded with a swift and decisive goal two minutes later, solidifying their lead at 3-1. Liverpool’s Diogo Jota, entering in the 81st minute, made an immediate impact by scoring a solo effort, bringing the score to a nail-biting 3-2.
In the dying moments of added time, Liverpool believed they had snatched a draw with a goal from Jariel Quensah, only for VAR to intervene, disallowing the goal due to a handball in the buildup, sealing a rare European defeat for the Reds.
لحظات جنونية في آخر دقائق مباراة تولوز وليفربول.
الحكم يرجع للـ”فار” للتأكد من صحة هدف ليفربول #الدوري_الاوروبي #تولوز_ليفربول pic.twitter.com/Pl2q1BiB9J
— beIN SPORTS (@beINSPORTS) November 9, 2023
