Premier League Referees Chief Sparks Fury with Explosive Defense of Liverpool's Disallowed Goal
PGMOL head Howard Webb maintained that the decision to rule out Virgil van Dijk's header against Manchester City last Sunday was correct, dismissing Arne Slot's complaints about inconsistency in the process.
Liverpool suffered a comprehensive 3–0 defeat at the Etihad in such a one-sided performance that Slot was compelled to abandon discussions about defending their Premier League crown. Nevertheless, Van Dijk believed he had equalized at 1–1 in the opening half after redirecting a header into the lower corner.
Following an exceptionally lengthy pause, the linesman raised his flag, determining that Andy Robertson was in an offside position and "considered to be performing an obvious movement directly in front of the keeper." Both Van Dijk and Slot expressed their displeasure.
The Dutch manager claimed it was a "clearly incorrect decision" from the officiating crew and VAR, who supported the field decision. Webb, however, backed his officials.
"As the ball travels toward Robertson—three yards from goal in the center of the six-yard area—he performs that distinct movement to duck beneath the ball," the referees' chief stated on Match Officials Mic'd Up. "It passes just above his head and reaches the goal in the section of the six-yard box where he is positioned.
"The referees must make an assessment: did that distinct movement affect the goalkeeper and his capacity to make the save? That's where the subjective element enters. They examined that movement so near to the goalkeeper and reached that conclusion.
"I understand that's not an opinion shared by everyone, but it's not unreasonable to comprehend why [the officials] would reach that determination when the player is so close to the keeper, the ball is approaching directly toward him and he must duck to avoid it.
"They conclude that it affects [Gianluigi] Donnarumma's capacity to dive toward the ball and execute the save.
"After they've made that field decision, the VAR's responsibility is to examine it and determine, 'Was the result clearly and obviously incorrect?' Only Donnarumma genuinely knows if he was affected by this and we must consider the factual evidence."
Webb Dismisses Arne Slot Argument
The final whistle had barely blown before one of Liverpool's staff members was presenting a screen to Slot's face. "Right after the match, someone displayed the goal that the same official permitted—City versus Wolves last season," he declared.
That specific incident Slot referenced occurred at Molineux in October 2024. John Stones's 95th-minute winner was permitted to stand despite Bernardo Silva moving from the ball's trajectory while positioned offside.
In that instance, the goal was initially disallowed by the field referee only to be reversed. As the Premier League clarified then: "VAR determined Bernardo Silva wasn't in the sight line and had no influence on the goalkeeper."
Webb dismissed this comparison. "There's a distinct difference here in that the ball travels directly above Sá's head and doesn't pass over Silva's head," he stated. "He is in an offside position, crucially he moves away from the ball's flight.
"It's challenging to observe this and believe in any manner Sá is influenced by Silva's movement. If the ball had passed over Silva's head, potentially causing Sá to pause in case it strikes Silva then we'd reach the same result of disallowed goal."