Real reason Liverpool goal was disallowed as fans fume at Howard Webb explanation

Liverpool had an equalising goal through Virgil van Dijk controversially disallowed in Sunday’s 3-0 loss at Manchester City, as Andy Robertson was adjudged to have been offside

Liverpool fans have been left furious after being told the real reason why Virgil van Dijk’s goal against Manchester City was controversially ruled out. The Premier League champions were pummelled 3-0 at the Etihad on Sunday in another dent to their hopes of retaining the title, but for a moment Liverpool looked to have drawn level.

With City leading 1-0 through Erling Haaland as half-time loomed, Van Dijk rose highest and met Mo Salah’s inswinging corner, powering a header past Gianluigi Donnarumma. The Liverpool captain wheeled away in celebration, only for the assistant referee to raise their flag.

They’d spotted Andy Robertson, in an offside position, run across goal and duck before the ball hit the back of the net, having been jostling with Donnarumma when the corner came in. City appealed for offside and referee Chris Kavanagh disallowed the goal.

Cue the outrage in the away end and on the touchline, with Arne Slot describing the decision post-match as an ‘obvious and clear’ error which VAR should’ve amended. On Tuesday, with Liverpool’s title defence in tatters after just 11 games, refereeing chief Howard Webb weighed in.

Former referee Webb appeared on the latest episode of Match Officials Mic’d Up, as the audio between Sunday’s officials was released. But many of Liverpool’s supporters, whose club have contacted the PGMOL, are deeply unsatisfied.

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The assistant referee was heard saying: “Robertson’s in line of vision, right in front of the ‘keeper. He’s ducked under the ball. He’s very, very close to him. I think he’s [in] line of vision. I think he’s (Donnarumma) been impacted, mate.”

“Okay, so offside then,” Kavanagh replied. His assistant then reaffirmed: “I think offside.”

Replays, however, show that Robertson didn’t impede Donnarumma’s view of the ball. Webb refused to go any further than saying that Robertson’s duck ‘could still cause hesitation from the goalkeeper’ – rather than a firm ‘did’.

The law, however, is firm. Only players who make an obvious action which ‘clearly’ impacts on the ability of an opponent to play the ball should be flagged.

Do you agree with the VAR decision? Let us know your verdict in the comments section.

“I know that’s not a view held by everybody but it’s not unreasonable to understand why [the officials] would form that conclusion when the player is so close to the goalkeeper, the ball is coming right towards him and he has to duck to get out of the way,” Webb explained.

“They form the conclusion that it impacts Donnarumma’s ability to dive towards the ball and make the save. Once they’ve made that on-field decision, the job of the VAR is to look at that and decide was the outcome clearly and obviously wrong. Only Donnarumma truly knows if he was impacted by this and we have to look at the factual evidence.”

Liverpool fans have vented their frustration, with one post on X reading: “The very fact the words ‘I think’ is used, then that decision has to be scrutinised. “How the hell the ref followed the linesman’s call when he is in a better position? And the VAR team – no words!”

Another responded to Webb’s comments by writing: “Did anyone actually expect Howard Webb to take any accountability in the first place? I didn’t. No accountability. No action. No improvement.”

“Yet again a shambles from the PGMOL,” a third fumed. “Absolute joke. Change needed from the top down,” a fourth added.

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