The Premier League’s Key Match Incidents (KMI) panel has issued an official verdict on the controversial decision to disallow Virgil van Dijk’s goal for Liverpool against Manchester City. While the Reds ultimately lost, the goal would have brought them level if referee Chris Kavanagh and his team had allowed it.
Audio from the match revealed VAR referee Michael Oliver upheld the decision, stating: “He is in an offside position, very close to the goalkeeper and makes an obvious movement directly in front of him.” The call sparked widespread debate. According to an exclusive report in The Times, the KMI panel believes Van Dijk’s goal should have stood. However, they clarified that VAR acted correctly in not overturning the on-field decision.
The panel, made up of three former players or coaches, one Premier League representative, and one from the PGMOL, concluded that Kavanagh and assistant Stuart Burt erred on the pitch. They agreed that Andrew Robertson did not interfere with Donnarumma enough to warrant an offside call. Despite this, Oliver was right not to overrule the decision with VAR, as the technology can only overturn a “clear and obvious error,” and this type of offside judgment is considered subjective.
Liverpool manager Arne Slot expressed his frustration at the time: “It’s obvious and clear the wrong decision has been made – at least in my opinion. Robertson didn’t interfere with the goalkeeper at all.” He added that a similar offside decision by the same referee in a previous match showed communication issues.
PGMOL chief Howard Webb defended the officials, calling their decision “not unreasonable.” Nevertheless, the KMI panel has now officially supported the view that Kavanagh and his team made a mistake.
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