Former England Manager Calls Liverpool’s Penalty Against Inter ‘scandalous’

Liverpool secured a 1-0 victory in a contentious match, with Dominik Szoboszlai scoring the only goal from a penalty given after Alessandro Bastoni pulled Wirtz inside the area. Following the match, heavy debate arose regarding whether the decision was too harsh on Inter Milan.

Among the critics was former England manager Fabio Capello, who shared his thoughts on Sky Sports: “It is a scandalous penalty – I don’t understand why VAR had to intervene when the referee saw everything, including the obvious simulation of throwing himself to the ground.”

He also criticised the officiating team, saying: “I don’t understand VAR tonight at all. It took three minutes to disallow a clear handball goal.”

Earlier in the match, controversy had already sparked in the first half. From a corner, Ibrahima Konaté scored with a header, but after a three-minute VAR review, the goal was disallowed because Hugo Ekitike had touched the ball first. But it was the late penalty that left the 79-year-old manager furious.

To conclude, Capello added: “They called the referee for a shirt tug - that means we’d have a million penalties per game. They’ve set a precedent and it’s shameful.”

The defeat damages Inter Milan’s position in the standings, dropping them to 5th place, and they risk falling out of the top eight if teams behind them - such as Real Madrid, Dortmund or even Newcastle - win today.

Inter Milan now have work to do, with Genoa up next at 00:00 on December 15th (GMT+7). They will then play a crucial fixture: the Supercoppa Italiana semi-final against Bologna on December 20th. Their final match of 2025 will be against Atalanta on December 29, followed by a rematch with Bologna at home on January 5th, 2026.

Liverpool, after this victory, return to Anfield for an intense end-of-year schedule. The Premier League champions will face Brighton (December 13th), Tottenham (December 20th), Wolves (December 27th), Leeds (January 2nd, 2026) and Fulham (January 4th, 2026).