Inter Milan 0-1 Liverpool: Expert Clarifies Reason Behind Florian Wirtz Penalty Decision

Liverpool snatched a late Champions League victory over Inter Milan after Dominik Szoboszlai converted a stoppage-time penalty, though many onlookers – both in the San Siro and at home – felt the spot-kick was extremely soft.

Arne Slot’s side thought they had gone ahead earlier when Ibrahima Konaté headed into the net, but VAR ruled Hugo Ekitike had handled the ball in the buildup. Liverpool could argue that call was harsh, yet a later decision went their way.

Florian Wirtz went down inside the box after what initially looked like an exaggerated fall. Replays showed a slight shirt pull from an Inter defender, prompting Alan Shearer and Mark Clattenburg on Prime Sport to suggest Liverpool were lucky to be awarded the penalty.

Szoboszlai buried the kick past Yann Sommer to seal the win, but most observers believed the spot-kick should never have been given.

Rules analyst Dale Johnson told BBC Sport that under Premier League guidelines, Wirtz’s incident would not have been a penalty, but European competition uses a stricter interpretation. He explained:

“Liverpool may have been unfortunate with the earlier handball call, but this time the differing interpretations between UEFA and the Premier League worked in their favour. In England, the shirt pull on Wirtz would be judged minimal. In the Champions League, that’s enough for VAR to award a penalty.

“In the Premier League, how easily Wirtz went down would also be considered – which is why Nick Woltemade didn’t get a penalty at Bournemouth.”

Former AC Milan boss Fabio Capello was furious with the decision, blasting it as a “scandalous” call and accusing Wirtz of a clear dive. Speaking to Football Italia, he said:

“It’s a scandalous penalty.
I don’t understand why VAR intervened when the referee saw everything – the obvious simulation, throwing himself to the ground.”