Arne Slot bemoaned an inconsistent refereeing performance and a wasteful night in front of goal as Liverpool left their Champions League campaign in the balance in Istanbul.
The Reds fell to a 1-0 first-leg defeat at Galatasaray and left themselves with it all to do at Anfield next Wednesday after Mario Lemina’s first-half goal.
But Slot was frustrated that his team did not get a penalty in the second half for a pull on Virgil van Dijk in an incident that saw Ibrahima Konate have a goal disallowed for handball.
‘In the Premier League there is much more allowed than in the Champions League,’ said Slot. ‘We talk about those things in the lead up to this game. That is why I was so surprised it was not a penalty.
‘In all the incidents where (the referee) thought he saw something where we made a foul and he was so fast to give Galatasaray a free-kick, it is really surprising that the referee in the same incident when they make a foul says “OK I will accept that completely”.
‘Over the 90 minutes I don’t think I can be surprised by that decision.’
Slot had earlier said: ‘If, if, if it’s correct that the goal was disallowed, which is difficult to judge as I’ve heard different opinions from people… it’s not completely obvious but let’s say that decision is right… I was even more frustrated that every free-kick and corner kick we took, even if we just looked at a Galatasaray player, the referee already gave a free-kick for Galatasaray.
‘If you then look at how much they pulled Virgil’s shirt before the ball hit Ibou’s arm, then it’s safe to say we weren’t the only ones impressed by the atmosphere here today.’
The Reds boss, who brought up his century in charge of Liverpool, believes that things will be more ‘normal’ next week when the Turkish side come to Anfield in the second leg.
He added: ‘We weren’t able to score and like last time, with their first attack it led to a corner and you have to give credit to the way when they get a chance they play it like it’s the last chance of their lives.
‘It’s definitely something we can learn from. We sometimes get our chances and it comes across like we think we’ll get 10 more.
‘It’s already a difficult place to come to, but when you’re 1-0 down it makes it even harder.
‘What I do know is now it’s half-time. We have lost here twice 1-0 and the good thing is the next game isn’t played here, it’s played at Anfield and our fans can create a similar atmosphere.
‘I don’t think it’s possible so many things can go against us as they have the last two games (against Galatasaray).
‘Things will be more normal in the home game. And I also think we can improve over performance and that with the help of our fans has to lead to a good game next week.’
