Florian Wirtz defended by ex-referee chief as 'stupid' Inter player to blame

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While it was unfortunate for Liverpool that Ibrahima Konate's header was ruled out for a Hugo Ekitike handball offense, the penalty that led to Dominik Szoboszlai's winner against Inter Milan was a debatable one. "Holding is an offense and the defender is clearly holding the player's shirt," he told Football Insider.

Law 12 is clear that holding is an offense, and that’s what the defender did. Arne Slot celebrates with his Liverpool players after the excellent Champions League win over Inter at the San Siro (Image: Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images) "He held the shirt of the opponent and the decision to award a penalty kick was the correct decision." That is certainly not the view of Inter Milan midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan.

The former Manchester United star was left fuming at the decision, which he claimed was an unfair reflection on the game. "So the thinking behind the lineup is there are not so many available, and in my opinion, if you don’t have wingers available — apart from Rio Ngumoha, who’s very young — it's, I think, the most logical thing to do to play with two number nines." Liverpool.com says: Wirtz showed his class in this game, even if the penalty was fortunate.