Why Liverpool contacted PGMOL over disallowed Virgil van Dijk goal
Van Dijk saw his header from a Mohamed Salah corner ruled out after VAR official Michael Oliver determined that Andy Robertson was standing in an offside position in front of City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma
Liverpool have contacted refereeing body PGMOL to raise significant concerns about Virgil van Dijk’s disallowed goal in Sunday’s defeat to Manchester City.
Van Dijk saw his header from a Mohamed Salah corner ruled out after VAR official Michael Oliver determined that Andy Robertson was standing in an offside position in front of City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma.
The goal would have levelled the score at 1-1 shortly before half-time in the Premier League clash between the last two champions.
The Reds went on to lose 3-0, dropping to eighth in the table, eight points behind runaway leaders Arsenal.
It is understood Liverpool dispute the basis of the decision, rejecting the claim that Donnarumma’s view was obstructed by Robertson, who ducked under the header.
The club believe the left-back was not in the goalkeeper’s line of vision and therefore did not interfere with play.
Liverpool’s interpretation of Law 11, which governs offside, is that it is criteria-based, and they insist that none of the criteria were met in this instance.
The law states that a player in an offside position can only become actively involved in play by:
Playing or touching a ball passed or touched by a teammate;
Preventing an opponent from playing or being able to play the ball by clearly obstructing the opponent’s line of vision;
Challenging an opponent for the ball or clearly attempting to play a ball that is close, when this action impacts an opponent; or
Making an obvious action that clearly impacts an opponent’s ability to play the ball.
Liverpool have reviewed all available footage from multiple angles and remain adamant that the goal should have stood.
While Liverpool acknowledge that such calls can be complex, they have questioned how this particular conclusion was reached, especially given the checks and safeguards that are central to the VAR process.
It is not the first time Liverpool have been involved in a high-profile VAR controversy.
In September 2023, PGMOL admitted to a “significant human error” when a legitimate goal by Luis Diaz against Tottenham Hotspur was incorrectly disallowed for offside.
The Reds went on to lose that match 2-1.
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