Controversial Offside Decision Disallows Liverpool Equalizer Against Manchester City
Liverpool faced a 3-0 defeat against Manchester City, but a critical moment in the match has sparked considerable debate.
At the time, the Premier League champions were trailing 1-0 after Erling Haaland scored just before the half-hour mark.
The Reds believed they had equalized in the 38th minute when captain Virgil van Dijk headed the ball into the net.
Van Dijk, evading Matheus Nunes, connected with Mohamed Salah's inswinging corner just outside the six-yard box, driving a powerful header past City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma.
However, the assistant referee raised his flag for offside, and a subsequent VAR review confirmed that Liverpool defender Andy Robertson had interfered with play from an offside position, leading to the goal being disallowed.
Robertson, positioned behind Jeremy Doku, ducked away from Van Dijk's header, prompting the offside call.
After the match, Van Dijk remarked that "the officials are deciding the key decisions" and added, "there is no point discussing this from my point of view." He expressed concerns that any comments he made would dominate media coverage during the international break.
But was the decision correct?
What Does the Law Say?
The offside rule is outlined in Law 11 of the IFAB Laws of the Game 2025-26. The Premier League's match center on X referenced the incident, stating: "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."
'The Wrong Decision' - Pundit Reactions
The decision to disallow Van Dijk's goal has ignited discussions among pundits.
Former Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy argued that the goal "should stand" since Robertson was "not in Donnarumma's line of vision."
Ex-Manchester United defender Gary Neville expressed uncertainty during Sky Sports' commentary, stating he was "not sure" if the goal should have been disallowed, noting that Robertson was "to the left of Donnarumma" and questioning whether the goalkeeper could have reached the ball.
Dion Dublin, a former Aston Villa forward, acknowledged that while Robertson was in an offside position, he was "not in Donnarumma's eyeline," adding that if anyone could impact the goalkeeper's view, it would be Doku.
Wayne Rooney, another ex-Manchester United striker, agreed that the goal should have counted, asserting, "I don't think Andy Robertson delayed Donnarumma diving. The City keeper can see the ball the whole way, so I think that was the wrong decision."
'Not About the Line of Vision' - Analysis
Subjective offside decisions, particularly those involving players who do not touch the ball, often lead to controversy.
These calls require interpretation regarding their impact, making them complex for officials. Referee Chris Kavanagh, who officiated Sunday’s match, is well aware of these challenges.
As Van Dijk's header approached the goal, Robertson ducked to allow the ball to go in, but he was standing in an offside position, prompting the assistant referee to flag for offside.
This decision hinged not on line of vision but rather on "an obvious action which clearly impacts on the ability of an opponent to play the ball." The offside law does not necessitate that the referee believes Donnarumma would have definitely saved the ball; rather, it is essential that his ability to do so was affected. The act of ducking was crucial.
If Donnarumma had not been near Robertson or if Robertson had not been within the six-yard area, the argument for offside would have been weaker.
However, there is a case to be made that Donnarumma was impacted, which likely led to the VAR not overturning the on-field decision.
While it is a borderline call, it remains defensible as an on-field decision.
A similar situation occurred in March 2020 when a disallowed Everton goal against Manchester United featured Dominic Calvert-Lewin's shot being deflected towards the goal, with an offside Gylfi Sigurdsson withdrawing his legs to let the ball through. The referee in that instance was also Chris Kavanagh.
In contrast, last season, a goal awarded through VAR for Manchester City at Wolves involved John Stones' late winner being initially disallowed due to Bernardo Silva being in the line of vision of goalkeeper Jose Sa. However, unlike Robertson, Silva did not duck out of the ball's path. The referee? Chris Kavanagh.
This season has seen similar instances, such as a Manchester United goal at Nottingham Forest and one for Leeds against Bournemouth, where an offside player made a minor movement away from the ball, deemed insufficient to impact the goalkeeper.