Former Premier League referee Mark Halsey has offered a firm verdict on the controversial decision to chalk off Liverpool’s goal on Sunday, as Manchester City moved up to second with a 3-0 win at the Etihad Stadium. City deserved their victory based on the overall performance, yet the disallowed Virgil van Dijk header may have been a decisive moment that prevented the defending champions from getting back into the match.
Jeremy Doku caused constant problems for Liverpool. He earned City an early penalty — which Erling Haaland failed to convert after Giorgi Mamardashvili saved — but the striker soon made up for it by scoring later in the half. Nico Gonzalez added a second before the break, and Doku sealed the win in the second half.
In Pep Guardiola’s 1000th match as a manager, City delivered a dominant performance against one of his toughest rivals. However, Michael Oliver’s decision to rule out Van Dijk’s equaliser remains a major talking point. The Liverpool captain rose highest from a corner and scored just before halftime, which could have shifted momentum.
Mark Halsey, who refereed 280 Premier League matches, insists the goal should have stood. VAR ruled it out because Andrew Robertson was judged to be offside and interfering with play, but Halsey disagreed.
He argued that the goalkeeper’s view wasn’t blocked and Robertson did not attempt to play the ball:
> “Simply being offside is not an offence. When Van Dijk heads the ball, Robertson isn’t interfering — the goalkeeper can clearly see it. Robertson ducks away and doesn’t attempt to play the ball. For me, it’s a perfectly good goal. If the flag doesn’t go up, the goal stands.”
Liverpool have now suffered four straight away defeats in the league, falling eight points behind leaders Arsenal after their 2-2 draw with Sunderland. City’s win moves them up to second, cutting the gap to four points.
The title race is heating up, with Arsenal facing Tottenham and Chelsea soon — but Liverpool’s involvement in that race is looking more and more unlikely.
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