Arne Slot revealed that illness rather than injury forced Jarell Quansah off during Liverpool’s 1-0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur in their Carabao Cup semi-final first leg.
The academy graduate, who was making only his sixth start of the season, had to be replaced 30 minutes into the match with Wataru Endo forced into action as a makeshift centre-back.
“Jarell didn’t feel really well,“ Slot said. “From the moment the game started until the moment we had to take him off, he felt a bit of pressure I think he said on his chest.
“I have to ask him exactly, but he said he didn’t feel well. It was not an injury. In the last few days he was a bit ill but we thought he was on his way back. Maybe that had something to do with it.”
Liverpool’s 24-game unbeaten run was ended in controversial fashion as Lucas Bergvall scored a late winner just moments after he had escaped a second yellow card for a foul on Kostas Tsimikas. With Tsimikas off the pitch after receiving treatment, Liverpool were down to 10 men when the Swedish teenager scored.
On a night when referee Stuart Attwell made an in-stadium announcement as part of a trial after Dominic Solanke saw an effort disallowed for offside following a VAR check, Slot insisted it would have been better for the referee to explain why Bergvall wasn’t sent off.
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“I don’t think there’s any debate (about the possible second yellow),” Slot said. “They say he didn’t stop the counter-attack. I think any manager would prefer to have a second yellow card for the other team rather than to finish the counter-attack with a man less to play with.
“For the VAR decision, he (Attwell) had to tell everyone what his decision was. If it’s offside, I don’t think anyone has to explain something. You saw the red and the blue lines.
“I think it would have been more interesting for everyone if had explained why he didn’t give the second yellow rather than explaining why he cancelled the goal which is what everyone could see on the screen.
“Nobody would have thought it would have such a big impact 30 seconds later. I’m 99.9 per cent sure that I wasn’t the only one who felt not the best. I’m 99.9 per cent sure that when Bergvall scored, the referee was like ‘Ah, is this really happening?’ He couldn’t change it anymore. I think for him it was also far from ideal.
“Very unlucky for us but if you ever have to lose a game it’s better to lose when there is still a second leg to be played.”
Liverpool return to action on January 11 in their FA Cup third round tie against Accrington Stanley while the second leg of their Carabao Cup tie against Spurs taking place at Anfield on February 6.
(Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
