A Premier League panel has ruled that Virgil van Dijk's disallowed goal in Liverpool's 3-0 defeat to Manchester City should have been allowed to stand. The Key Match Incidents panel determined that referee Chris Kavanagh and his assistant Stuart Burt made the wrong call when they ruled out the Dutch defender's powerful header in the 38th minute.
The goal would have levelled the score at 1-1. The on-field officials disallowed it because Andy Robertson, in an offside position in the heart of the six-yard box, was deemed to be interfering with goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma's line of vision by ducking under the ball.
VAR decision upheld
Despite finding the initial decision wrong, the panel concluded that VAR official Michael Oliver was correct not to overturn the call. The panel explained that VAR can only intervene when a decision is "clearly and obviously wrong", and offside interference judgments are highly subjective.
The KMI panel comprises three former players or coaches, one representative from the Premier League, and one from the PGMOL. Their retrospective ruling confirms Liverpool's frustration but offers no remedy for the match outcome.
Liverpool's fury
Liverpool boss Arne Slot expressed clear anger following the defeat. «I think it is obvious and clear the wrong decision has been made,» he said after the game. «He [Robertson] didn't interfere at all with what the goalkeeper can do.»
Liverpool contacted PGMOL the following Monday to register their dismay, arguing that Robertson was not in Donnarumma's line of vision and did not impede the goalkeeper.
Officials defend call
VAR audio released on Tuesday revealed the officials' reasoning. The assistant referee said: «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.»
PGMOL chief Howard Webb defended the decision on the "Mic'd Up" show, acknowledging its subjective nature. «Interfering with an opponent where the offside position player doesn't play the ball and the officials have to make a judgment whether the actions of that player impact an opponent, are some of the most subjective decisions that we have to make,» Webb explained. He admitted that Donnarumma had "seen the ball all the way" but called the officials' conclusion "not unreasonable".
Note: This article was created with Artificial Intelligence (AI).
