Liverpool returned to winning ways with a narrow 1 to 0 victory over Inter, sealed by an 88th minute penalty from Dominik Szoboszlai in a tense Champions League meeting at San Siro.
The result came without Mohamed Salah, who was left out following his fiery post match comments after the 3 to 3 draw with Leeds United.
Inter were unsettled from the start, losing Hakan Calhanoglu early to injury before Francesco Acerbi was also forced off. Their misfortune came between a strong double save from Yann Sommer, who denied Curtis Jones and Ryan Gravenberch in quick succession.
Liverpool thought they had taken the lead just after the half hour when Ibrahima Konate headed in from close range. A lengthy VAR check uncovered a handball in the buildup after Virgil van Dijk had redirected the ball onto the arm of Hugo Ekitike, and the goal was disallowed.
Inter responded with their best spell of the match. Nicolo Barella curled a free kick just wide before Piotr Zielinski and Lautaro Martinez forced Alisson into two sharp stops in first half stoppage time.
The second half offered little separation between the sides. Ekitike fired from distance only for Sommer to gather comfortably, while Liverpool edged forward with a steadier rhythm. Substitute Conor Bradley nearly broke the deadlock when his driven attempt was clawed away at the near post.
The decisive moment arrived two minutes from time. Alessandro Bastoni pulled back Florian Wirtz inside the box, leaving the referee with little choice. Szoboszlai placed the penalty with precision into the left side of the net to move Liverpool into eighth place in the group standings.
It was a laborious win, but one that steadied Liverpool at a critical point in their European campaign.
