Virgil Van dijk thought he’s equalized against Manchester City, but his goal was ruled out for offside.
The referee’s flag went up after the Liverpool captain headed the ball into the net, with Andy Robertson judged to be offside and obstructing Gianluigi Donnarumma’s view. VAR backed referee Chris Kavanagh’s decision, agreeing that Robertson was interfering with play.
The Premier League explained that Robertson was not only in an offside position, but also made an “obvious action” that affected the goalkeeper – in this case, ducking as the ball passed him, which they believed impacted Donnarumma’s sightline.
Under Premier League rules, a player in an offside position must be penalised if they:
Block an opponent’s vision,
Challenge an opponent for the ball,
Attempt to play the ball and affect an opponent,
Or make a clear action that impacts an opponent’s ability to play the ball.
However, many felt the decision was incorrect. Although Robertson stood in front of Donnarumma, he did not appear to block the keeper’s view. From the angle of Van Dijk’s header and Donnarumma’s positioning, the goalkeeper seemingly had a clear sight of the ball, and there was no realistic chance of him saving it.
Even former Man City defender Micah Richards disagreed with the call on Sky Sports:
> “I don’t think Robertson made an ‘obvious action’. It’s harsh. The goalkeeper can see it all the way.”
Gary Neville echoed this sentiment:
> “Robertson was outside the goalkeeper’s eyeline. Slot is right to be furious – the keeper was never getting near it.”
Liverpool hadn’t been at their best overall, but the disallowed goal came at a crucial moment, denying them a chance to draw level before Nico Gonzalez later made it 2-0 to the hosts.
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