Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk thought he had cancelled out Erling Haaland’s opener, but the goal was disallowed for offside against left-back Andy Robertson, despite him not touching the ball.
According to reporting by FourFourTwo, Liverpool were controversially denied a crucial equaliser against Manchester City after VAR ruled Virgil van Dijk’s header out for offside against teammate Andy Robertson, a decision that hinges on a subjective interpretation of football law.
The incident occurred in the first half after Erling Haaland had put City 1-0 up. Van Dijk headed a corner kick past goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, but the goal was quickly disallowed.
The ruling centered on left-back Andy Robertson, who was positioned in the six-yard box in an offside position.
Crucially, Robertson ducked and made no contact with the ball. However, according to the rulebook, a player is offside even if they don’t touch the ball if they are deemed to be “interfering with an opponent.”
The specific part of the law states a player cannot make “an obvious action which clearly impacts on the ability of an opponent to play the ball.”
The officials, including the VAR team, agreed that Robertson’s mere presence in the ball’s path, despite his attempt to move out of the way, created sufficient doubt in Donnarumma’s mind regarding whether to dive or hold his position.
Pundit Micah Richards disagreed with the ruling on Sky Sports, stating, “I think it’s really harsh,” adding that he believed “the goalkeeper can see it all the way.”
Despite the subjectivity, the decision was confirmed by the Premier League Match Centre, standing as a pivotal moment in the 3-0 defeat.