Awkward Moment as Wirtz Finds Out After the Game His “Goal” Was Marked an Own Goal

Florian Wirtz was denied his first Premier League goal in heartbreaking fashion on Wednesday night after Liverpool’s 81st-minute equaliser against Sunderland was officially ruled an own goal.

The German midfielder, signed from Bayer Leverkusen in a deal worth up to £116 million, looked set to finally break his drought after going 17 league matches without scoring. With nine minutes left, he collected a pass from Curtis Jones, weaved his way through the box, and beat Dan Ballard with a clever touch before seeing the ball hit the net. Even Sky’s commentators believed it was his goal.

However, the Premier League later clarified that the effort had been credited as a Mukiele own goal. After the match, a Sky reporter informed Wirtz of the decision, creating a slightly awkward moment. The 21-year-old handled it calmly, saying: “It doesn’t matter for me. We drew. We wanted to win. That’s what counts today. Unlucky.”

Jones, clearly disappointed for his teammate, said it was a shame the goal wasn’t awarded to Wirtz. “Flo wants the ball all the time. He worked so hard. It’s just unfortunate it goes down as an own goal.”

Speaking further after the game, Wirtz reflected on his early days at Liverpool. “I was welcomed very well. It’s a great team and I’m happy to be here,” he said. “The last few weeks have been tough for us, but we’re working hard to turn things around.”

“We want to be back at the top of the table. We just have to keep going and hopefully things will change.”

Liverpool are currently eighth in the Premier League with seven wins from 14 matches and next face Leeds on Saturday.