Quansah’s Late Strike Cancelled as Liverpool Falls to Toulouse

In the dying moments of added time, Liverpool’s Academy graduate, Jarell Quansah, had his dream of scoring his first goal shattered by VAR, contributing to Liverpool’s 3-2 defeat in Toulouse and jeopardizing their chances of securing qualification for the Europa League knockout stage.

Substituting for the unwell captain Virgil van Dijk, the 20-year-old managed to slot the ball home in the seventh additional minute, seemingly salvaging a point for the team in southern France.

However, VAR intervened, detecting a potential handball in the build-up as the ball rebounded off Alexis Mac Allister’s chest. Referee Georgi Kabakov, prompted by VAR, controversially disallowed the goal. Even a draw wouldn’t have masked the numerous individual errors and lack of cohesion displayed by a team that underwent nine changes.

Toulouse, previously thrashed 5-1 at Anfield, presented a different challenge on their home turf, capitalizing on Liverpool’s disorganized defense. Despite still leading the group, Liverpool’s two-point advantage has diminished. Jürgen Klopp’s 450th game in charge turned out to be one to forget as Liverpool suffered their first European defeat of the season.

The only positive news before the match was Luis Diaz’s father being released from a 12-day kidnap ordeal in Colombia. However, this couldn’t alleviate the frustration caused by defensive lapses, such as Kostas Tsimikas’s slow play leading to Toulouse’s crucial first goal.

An own goal from Cristian Casseres briefly revived Liverpool’s hopes at 2-1, but they conceded again within three minutes. Substitute Diogo Jota’s late contribution in the 89th minute set the stage for the dramatic conclusion.