'Liverpool handballed. That should have been a red card and a penalty for us. But the referee didn't see anything. Today, with VAR, it would have been us playing in the final' Radja Nainggolan believes Trent Alexander-Arnold nearly cost his former side

"We deserved to play in the final, the Belgian laments to FourFourTwo now. The match still pains Nainggolan as much now as it did then."

"With the game locked at 2-2 on the night just past the hour mark, Trent Alexander-Arnold dived to block a Stephan El Shaarawy shot from point-blank range."

"The Merseysider wasn't looking at the ball, but his arms were raised as he leapt into the path of the ball, and it deflected off his hand and over the bar."

"However, referee Damir Skomina missed it in real time, and VAR would not be introduced to Europe's premier competition for another couple of seasons."

In the 2018 Champions League semi-final, Liverpool faced Roma after a strong first leg. Despite Liverpool's early lead, Roma fought back with goals from Edin Dzeko and Radja Nainggolan. A controversial moment occurred when Trent Alexander-Arnold handled the ball, but the referee missed the call. Nainggolan expressed his belief that Roma deserved to reach the final, indicating that the match's outcome still affects him years later. The absence of VAR at the time contributed to the sense of injustice felt by the Roma players.

Read at www.fourfourtwo.com