Arne Slot said Liverpool’s players gave everything he could have asked after they put Mohamed Salah’s absence aside to inflict a first European home defeat on Inter in more than three years.

The Liverpool head coach conceded that Dominik Szoboszlai’s decisive 88th-minute penalty – awarded for a shirt pull by Alessandro Bastoni on Florian Wirtz – would probably not have been given in the Premier League. But following the difficulties caused by Salah’s incendiary interview at Leeds on Saturday, Slot was thrilled with the response of his team at San Siro.

“It was all I could ask for,” Slot said. “The fourth game in 10 days, I’m not sure you see that a lot in football, with only 14 outfield players available with Premier League or Champions League experience, after the blow we had conceding the 3-3 in Leeds, then to go into this stadium against such a strong Inter team – we couldn’t have asked for more.

“We hardly gave away a chance. The first one came just before half‑time after we had to accept a referee’s decision [to disallow an Ibrahima Konaté goal] that could have gone any way, but that’s been the story of our season.

“We showed a great mentality. We were close to scoring with Conor Bradley and Hugo Ekitiké, then we get a penalty that if that was a penalty we would have had 10 this season.”

Slot indicated in an interview on Amazon Prime Video with Clarence Seedorf that Salah should take the initiative and apologise for his comments at Elland Road.

But he later clarified: “I am happy that you asked about that. Clarence said that in his opinion [Salah should apologise] and I didn’t say who should make the first step.

“Tonight it should be all about the players that are here. In the rich history of Liverpool they have had many nights like this but in the season we are having it should be about the midfield, Ibou Konaté, and all the ones who are here. Tonight should be about all the players who are here.”