Using the second lineup, Liverpool broke their seven-match unbeaten streak when they lost 2-3 to Toulouse in Group E of the Europa League.

Liverpool’s defeat was not too surprising, because Jurgen Klopp only used the second squad, even though it still had pillars like Allister or Luis Diaz.

Liverpool uses a squad with many reserve players

Diogo Jota pulled one back on 88 minutes

VAR spotted that the ball bounced up off Alexis Mac Allister’s chest and on to his sleeve.

Luis Diaz is helpless

The captaincy 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, allowing Gomez to head at the near post and bounce off the crossbar.

But other than this situation, Liverpool did not create any significant opportunities in the first half. They even conceded a goal after defender Kostas Tsimikas let Aron Donnum steal the ball and rush into Toulouse’s right penalty area. The Norwegian international stole the ball and hit the foot of center-back Jarell Quansah, changing direction and flying towards the high corner at the near post, leaving goalkeeper Caoimhín Kelleher unable to react.

Former Liverpool midfielder Joe Cole said Toulouse deserved to lead after the first half. The home team even created two dangerous opportunities at the beginning of the second half, but both failed to hit the target.

Coach Klopp brought in Mohamed Salah, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Dominik Szoboszlai at the beginning of the second half, but before they could make a breakthrough, they conceded another goal. This time they still made a mistake on the left wing, when Diaz was surrounded by three home players and lost the ball.

Midfielder Vincent Sierro received the ball and hung it into the penalty area for striker Thijs Dallinga to shoot low at an angle, causing goalkeeper Kelleher to stand still and watch the ball go into the net.

Liverpool pulled one goal back from an amusing and unexpected situation. Alexander-Arnold hung the ball on 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 on the shoulder of defender Cristian Casseres Jr. into the net while he was facing away from his teammates.

Cristian Casseres scored an unfortunate own goal

However, it only took Toulouse three minutes to regain their two-goal lead, this time striker Gabriel Suazo stretched towards the second post for Frank Magri to rush in unmarked and tap the ball into the net. The home players and coaching staff jumped up and hugged each other to celebrate this goal, and the Toulouse audience then also turned on the lights from their phones to create light effects. They may have believed that goal was enough to secure victory, but still nearly dropped the point.

The away team’s efforts only helped them score one more goal, when Diogo Jota dribbled the ball in the middle into the penalty area, passed two players and then shot a low left-foot shot to the far corner. Liverpool is only 1 goal away from a draw

The drama came in the seventh minute of extra time in the second half, the final seconds, when centre-back Jarell Quansah kicked in the penalty area from a shaky situation, to equalize the score 3-3. Bulgarian referee Georgi Kabakov initially recognized the goal by pointing to the point of delivery, but VAR Dragomir Draganov called him out to review the situation where the ball touched midfielder Alexis Mac Allister’s hand.

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The slow motion shows that after the Argentine midfielder supported his chest, the ball bounced to his arm. Mr. Kabakov decided to cancel Quansah’s goal, meaning Toulouse preserved the victory.

The close defeat caused Liverpool to miss the opportunity to advance to the next round, but they still lead Group E.

Toulouse just won a major title in history, the 2023 French Cup, helping 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 club ranked 136th in the world, lower than all 20 Premier League teams. In Ligue 1, they are ranked 14th out of 18 teams in the tournament.