VAR’s Confusing Explanation of Van Dijk’s Disallowed Goal Against Man City
Virgil van Dijk appeared to have drawn Liverpool level just before half-time with a powerful header against Manchester City, but the goal was controversially disallowed due to an offside call involving Andy Robertson.
The Liverpool captain met Mohamed Salah’s cross to seemingly cancel out Erling Haaland’s early goal. However, the linesman raised his flag, prompting a VAR review led by Michael Oliver, which upheld the on-field decision.
“The referee’s call of offside and no goal to Liverpool was checked and confirmed by VAR – with Robertson in an offside position and deemed to be making an obvious action directly in front of the goalkeeper.”
Robertson was positioned near City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma but did not appear to obstruct his view. In reality, it was Manchester City winger Jeremy Doku who seemed nearer to influencing the play. Despite this, Liverpool’s potential equaliser was ruled out, a decision that dampened their momentum heading into the break.
Author’s Summary
The VAR ruling against Van Dijk’s goal left fans puzzled, as Robertson’s supposed interference appeared minimal, raising renewed questions about consistency in offside interpretations.