I managed to catch this game exactly as Liverpool 2025/26 has deserved: first half relegated to my phone screen. Was this one pretty? No. Did they get the job done (semi-surprisingly)? Absolutely.
It was nice to see the errors made by the opposition only in Milan, with Liverpool largely looking like a unit in challenging circumstances. Joe Gomez once again showed his usefulness, playing with a high level of intelligence and stability. While Dominik Szoboszlai will capture the headlines, the dynamic
pairing of Conor Bradley and Florian Wirtz brought major energy on late, helping Liverpool come away with the points (and not just because Wirtz drew the foul for the penalty and Bradley had what was arguably Liverpool’s best chance).
I didn’t hate large sections of that game, and that in itself is something.
Dissecting the Narrative
Mohamed Salah will not have liked the experience of the night, as the play and the result have left many wondering if Liverpool is tactically better without the Egyptian on the pitch. You never expected to see Salah after his conversation with the press following the weekend’s draw, but a narrow away win in Europe seen out with a late penalty sounds like a very Mohamed Salah match, and he would’ve preferred to make his mark in it, I’m sure.
On the whole, though, there can’t be much of a narrative shift here. The San Siro is a remarkably difficult place to go, and Liverpool escaped with a win largely through due to the individuals involved: there were good moments (let’s not overlook Alisson’s truly excellent save at 0-0 here) and good form (we didn’t see the individual errors or poor form that has plagued Liverpool thus far happening today).
The results are still not where Liverpool would want them to be, but it’s impossible to avoid the fact that four matches unbeaten is a good sight better than the previous four, and the Reds seem to be a quality team massively underperforming rather than a side that lacks the talent to succeed at the top level.
How The Players/Manager Reacted
Speaking to the press after the final whistle, Liverpool vice captain Andy Robertson covered a lot of ground, from the challenge of San Siro to his thoughts on the Salah situation:
“We knew we were coming to a really tough place,” he said. “The clean sheet was crucial and we got the goal: a perfect night for us and a big three points.”
Robertson was displeased but measured about the big officiating decisions: “I think it took 7-8 minutes. In my opinion if it takes that long you should stick with the on-field decision. The penalty looked soft, but anywhere else on the pitch and it’s probably given.”
Regarding Mohamed Salah, Robertson avoided wading too far in: “Yeah, look, it’s a tough situation. We’re talking about one of the greatest players ever to play for this club, he’s been unbelievable for us. I signed in the same window as him and we’ve been through so many highs, so many lows. Whatever happens now will happen internally. We’re all together in the changing room, that’s the main thing, and I think you saw that today.
[Whether it will be resolved?] That’ll be up to other people; it’s not up to me. But I love playing with Mo Salah and I hope to continue playing with him.“
Speaking from the other side on the deciding moment of the night,Inter Milan’s Manuel Akanji felt personally that it wasn’t a penalty, but stressed that his side also had the responsibility to avoid these situations:
“He pulls his shirt, but it’s a soft pull. And obviously if you watch everything in slow motion then everything looks far worse than it actually is. If he’s running away from goal and the player pulls his shirt a bit…it’s one of the softest penalties I’ve ever seen, but in the end, we also have to be honest and we can’t get in that position to give the referee the opportunity to whistle a penalty there.”
While I actually think slow motion makes the impact of this shirt pull seem less intense, Akanji’s answer here feels very fair and professional: you’d hate to see that given against your side, but equally holding a player in that situation feels extremely foolish, as he has his back to goal.
What Happens Next
It’s Brighton next, a side who have had their own frustrations this season. The Seagulls come into Saturday’s match off a disappointing draw against West Ham that came on the heels of an equally frustrating loss at home to Aston Villa. Brighton and Liverpool are both on 23 points after 15 games, three points off of Crystal Palace in fourth place.
Liverpool feel like a team making steps in the right direction, but these steps feel fragile: an individual mistake last weekend against Leeds saw the whole thing come crashing down. The Reds are still seeking their best XI, but there’s an argument to be made for those that finished tonight’s match (with all respect due to Joe Gomez, who played well but is a bit less of an attacking threat than Conor Bradley is). That Arne Slot chose to make only two substitutions to bring Florian Wirtz on for Alexander Isak and Bradley on for Gomez suggests the manager might have the most faith in those named…but there are plenty of games to go.
Of course, we hope that some inroads can occur behind the scenes between Slot and Salah before the Egyptian leaves for AFCON. On that note, however, who would have expected to be going into a period without Salah available feeling quite like this?
