Liverpool Erupts Over Shocking VAR Call That Sealed Manchester City Defeat
Liverpool have allegedly reached out to referees' boss Howard Webb to challenge Virgil van Dijk's ruled-out goal against Manchester City.
The current English title holders have made contact with PGMOL—Professional Game Match Officials Ltd—regarding the disputed decision that prevented the Reds from scoring their opening goal at the Etihad. The Athletic reports Liverpool "refuse to accept" the match official's verdict.
After going down 1–0 in the opening period, Arne Slot's squad believed they had briefly secured a leveler through their captain, who delivered a thunderous header beyond Gianluigi Donnarumma and into the goal.
The joy was short-lived for Van Dijk and the Reds, however, as the linesman raised his flag, ruling Andy Robertson to be in an offside position. A VAR examination upheld the call, which eventually nullified Liverpool's sole goal of the encounter.
Virgil Van Dijk's potential equalizer is DISALLOWED. Andrew Robertson was deemed to have interfered with the goalkeeper from an offside position. pic.twitter.com/yUkYaiCWY6
Debate surrounded the ruling, particularly after the Premier League's Match Centre declared Robertson was "in an offside position and deemed to be making an obvious action directly in front of the goalkeeper."
In truth, the left-back was positioned to Donnarumma's left and wasn't blocking the keeper's line of sight.
Liverpool subsequently suffered a 3–0 defeat to Man City, dropping to eighth place in the Premier League table.
Liverpool Believe a 'Different Outcome' Should Have Occurred
Michael Oliver, serving as VAR for Liverpool's encounter with Man City, did not instruct on-field referee Chris Kavanagh to review the monitor for Van Dijk's goal. Rather, the offside ruling was maintained and play resumed.
Fewer than 10 minutes afterward, Nico González netted the second for the Citizens deep into first-half injury time. What might have been an even scoreline rapidly transformed into a 2–0 advantage for Pep Guardiola's side.
Per The Athletic, Liverpool contend the "standard checks and balances" that normally occur during VAR procedures did not happen. Had they taken place, the club remains convinced a "different outcome" might have resulted.
Slot acknowledged the decision was an "obvious and clear" mistake by the match officials while Van Dijk stated there was "no point discussing" the disallowed goal since it ultimately didn't alter the result of the one-sided loss.