Liverpool lost to the 14th ranked team in Ligue 1

France Using the second team, Liverpool's seven-match unbeaten streak ended when they lost 2-3 to Toulouse in Group E of the Europa League.

The drama came in the seventh minute of injury time of the second half, in the final seconds, when centre-back Jarell Quansah scored a rebound from a loose ball into the box to make it 3-3. Bulgarian referee Georgi Kabakov initially awarded the goal by pointing to the spot of the kick-off, but VAR Dragomir Draganov called him out to review the situation where the ball hit midfielder Alexis Mac Allister's hand.

Slow-motion replays showed that after the Argentine midfielder held the ball on his chest, it bounced off his arm. Mr Kabakov decided to cancel Quansah's goal, meaning Toulouse secured the win.

Midfielder Mac Allister (No. 10) was sad after Liverpool lost to Toulouse in the fourth round of Group E of the Europa League in France on the evening of November 9, 2023. Photo: Reuters — Midfielder Mac Allister (No. 10) was sad after Liverpool lost to Toulouse in the fourth round of Group E of the Europa League in France on the evening of November 9, 2023. Photo: *Reuters*

Liverpool's defeat was not too surprising, because Jurgen Klopp only used the second team, although there were still pillars like Allister and Luis Diaz. The captain's armband was given to defender Joe Gomez and he almost scored his first goal in 119 games for Liverpool. In the fourth minute, striker Cody Gakpo crossed the ball from a free kick on the left, for Gomez to head at the near post, hitting the crossbar and bouncing out.

Former Liverpool midfielder Joe Cole said Toulouse deserved to take the lead at half-time. The home side even created two dangerous chances early in the second half, but failed to hit the target.

Liverpool midfielder was pulled down in the match between Toulouse and Liverpool in the fourth round of Group E of the Europa League in France on the evening of November 9, 2023. Photo: *Reuters*

Coach Klopp brought in Mohamed Salah, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Dominik Szoboszlai early in the second half, but before they could make a breakthrough, they conceded another goal. This time they made another mistake on the left wing, when Diaz was surrounded by three home players and lost the ball. Midfielder Vincent Sierro received the ball, crossed it into the penalty area for striker Thijs Dallinga to shoot low across the corner, leaving goalkeeper Kelleher rooted to the spot as the ball went into the net.

Liverpool pulled one back from a funny and unexpected situation. Alexander-Arnold crossed the ball into the left side of the penalty area for Gomez to head towards the second post. The home goalkeeper and defender rushed forward, but the ball fell off the shoulder of midfielder Cristian Casseres Jr into the net as he turned away from his teammate.

However, it took Toulouse just three minutes to regain their two-goal lead, this time striker Gabriel Suazo crossed to the back post for Frank Magri to run in unmarked and tap the ball into the net. The home team's players and coaching staff jumped up to hug each other to celebrate the goal, and the Toulouse crowd later turned on their phones to create a lighting effect. They may have believed that goal was enough to secure the victory, but it still nearly cost them points.

The visitors' efforts only earned them one more goal, when Diogo Jota dribbled into the box from the centre, beat two players and fired a low left-footed shot into the far corner. The narrow defeat saw Liverpool miss out on an early qualification spot, but they still top Group E.

Toulouse have just won a major title in their history, the 2023 French Cup, which helped them qualify for the Europa League this season. They have striker Yanis Begraoui - Nguyen Quang Hai's former teammate at Pau FC. According to Opta , Toulouse is the 136th-ranked club in the world , lower than 20 Premier League teams. In Ligue 1, they are ranked 14th out of 18 teams in the tournament.

Starting lineup

Toulouse : Restes, Desler, Costa, Nicolaisen, Diarra, Suazo, Schmidt, Sierro, Casseres Jr, Donnum, Dallinga.

Liverpool : Kelleher, Gomez, Matip, Quansah, Tsimikas, Elliott, Mac Allister, Endo, Doak, Gakpo, Diaz.

Hoang An

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