A controversial video assistant referee decision denied Liverpool a stoppage-time equalizer as they suffered a surprise Europa League loss to Toulouse.
Jarell Quansah’s goal to make it 3-3 in the seventh minute of added time was ruled out after Alexis Mac Allister was judged to have handled the ball.
Quansah slammed in from close range to spark wild Liverpool celebrations and furious protestations from Toulouse before Bulgarian referee Georgi Kabakov was called to the VAR screen, having already appeared to point to the centre circle.
The ball had bounced off Mac Allister’s chest into his upper arm much earlier in the move, which was ruled enough to disallow the goal.
Toulouse impressed for much of the match and went 2-0 up, thanks to strikes from Aron Donnum and Thijs Dallinga.
Liverpool pulled one back through a bizarre own goal from Cristian Casseres Jr., but Frank Magri restored the French side’s two-goal advantage.
Substitute Diogo Jota then scored for Liverpool with two minutes of normal time left, and they thought they had earned a point with virtually the final kick of the match before VAR’s intervention.
