Liverpool Football Club has officially contacted the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) to formally challenge the controversial decision to disallow a Virgil van Dijk goal in their 3-0 defeat to Manchester City. The club contends that the ruling, which was upheld by the Video Assistant Referee (VAR), did not meet the criteria for an offside offence as defined by the game's laws.
The pivotal moment occurred in the 38th minute of Sunday's match at the Etihad Stadium. With Manchester City leading 1-0, Van Dijk headed the ball into the net, seemingly equalizing for the Reds. However, the on-field referee, Chris Kavanagh, immediately disallowed the goal. The decision was confirmed after a VAR review, overseen by official Michael Oliver, which determined that Liverpool's Andrew Robertson was in an offside position and interfered with play.
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According to the officials, Robertson was deemed to have made "an obvious action" by ducking directly in front of Manchester City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, thereby impacting the Italian's line of sight. This interpretation falls under Law 11 of the game, which states a player in an offside position is penalized for "interfering with an opponent by... clearly obstructing the opponent's line of vision."
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However, according to club sources, Liverpool strongly disputes this assessment. The club has conducted its own review, scrutinizing footage from multiple angles, and rejects the notion that Donnarumma's line of sight was significantly impacted by Robertson's position. The Anfield hierarchy is reportedly bewildered as to why the VAR process did not conclude with the goal being awarded, given their interpretation of the rules.
While Liverpool accepts the final outcome of the match, the decision to contact PGMOL head Howard Webb was taken because the club believes such a significant and contentious incident should not pass without official challenge and scrutiny. The club's argument hinges on the specific wording of Law 11, which requires a "clear" obstruction. Liverpool's position is that Robertson's action did not meet this high threshold and that the decision represents a misapplication of the offside rule, costing them a crucial goal in a high-stakes fixture against a direct rival.
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