Liverpool’s hopes of securing a place in the knockout stage of the Europa League were dealt a blow as they suffered a shock 3-2 defeat at Toulouse on Thursday. The French side, who had lost 5-1 at Anfield two weeks ago, scored three goals from deflected shots and survived a late VAR drama to claim a famous victory.
Toulouse took advantage of Liverpool’s errors
The hosts took the lead in the 36th minute when Aron Donnum intercepted a sloppy pass from Kostas Tsimikas and drove into the box. His shot took a wicked deflection off Joe Gomez and wrong-footed Caoimhin Kelleher in the Liverpool goal. It was a harsh reward for Liverpool, who had hit the crossbar early on through Gomez and had several chances to score.
Toulouse doubled their advantage in the 58th minute when Thijs Dallinga pounced on a loose ball in the area and fired a low shot that clipped the heel of Jarell Quansah and rolled into the net. Liverpool was stunned by the turn of events and struggled to find their rhythm against a spirited and well-organized Toulouse side.
Liverpool fight back but fall short
Liverpool pulled one back in the 73rd minute when Cristian Cásseres turned a cross from Harvey Elliott into his net. The visitors sensed an opportunity to salvage a point and pushed forward with more urgency. Diogo Jota, who had come off the bench, reduced the deficit to one goal in the 89th minute with a superb solo effort. He dribbled past two defenders and slotted the ball into the bottom corner.
Liverpool thought they had completed a remarkable comeback in the seventh minute of stoppage time when Quansah stabbed the ball home from close range. The young defender, who was making his first start for the club, celebrated wildly with his teammates. However, the referee was alerted by VAR to a possible handball by Alexis Mac Allister in the build-up. After a lengthy review, the goal was disallowed and Toulouse held on for a historic win.
Toulouse revive their qualification hopes
The result means that Liverpool remain top of Group E with nine points, but their lead has been cut to two points by Toulouse, who have seven points. The French side, who are currently second in Ligue 2, have revived their hopes of reaching the last 16 of the competition. They have two games left to play, away to St Gilloise and at home to Rapid Vienna.
Liverpool, meanwhile, will have to regroup and bounce back from their first European defeat of the season. They have two relatively easy fixtures left, at home to Rapid Vienna and away to St Gilloise. However, they will have to improve their defensive performance and avoid making costly errors. Jürgen Klopp, who was in charge of his 450th game for Liverpool, admitted that his side were not good enough and deserved to lose.
