The Premier League’s Major Match Incidents Committee has ruled that Virgil van Dijk’s canceled goal in Liverpool’s 3-0 defeat to Manchester City should have been allowed. However, VAR also concluded it was correct not to challenge the on-field decision after the Dutchman’s powerful header was dismissed by Chris Kavanagh’s assistant referee Stuart Burt.
The reigning champions could have leveled the game at 1-1 had Van Dijk’s header been disallowed because Andy Robertson was in an offside position. The Scottish defender was adjudged to have obstructed Gianluigi Donnarumma’s vision as he ducked, allowing him to pass the ball.
The Times has now claimed that while the KMI committee disagrees with Kavanagh and Burt’s rulings, it also agrees that VAR officer Michael Oliver was right not to intervene.
The ruling came after PGMOL president Howard Webb defended VAR’s decision to disallow the goal, which infuriated Van Dijk and Reds manager Arne Slott.
“For sure Michael (Oliver), it’s a big decision in a big game,” Webb said on Sky Sports. “As the ball moved toward Robertson, in the middle of the six-yard box, three yards from the goal, he made a clear action by ducking under the ball. The ball passed over his head and found the goal in his half of the six-yard box.”
“Referees have to make a judgment. Did that specific action affect the goalkeeper and his ability to save the ball? That’s where subjectivity comes in. They saw that action up close to the goalkeeper and formed that opinion.”
“I know that’s not a view held by everyone, but it’s not unreasonable to see why (the officials) would come to that conclusion when the player is so close to the goalkeeper, the ball is coming towards the goalkeeper, and he has to duck to avoid getting in the way.
“They have concluded that it has affected Donnarumma’s ability to dive for the ball and make saves. Once they have made the decision on the field, VAR’s job is to look at it and decide whether the result was clearly clearly wrong. Only Donnarumma really knows whether he was affected by this and we have to look at the factual evidence.”
Liverpool have already contacted PGMOL regarding this matter, seeking an explanation as to why the goal was disallowed.
The text of Article 11 of the relevant law states that a player in an offside position can only be penalized for: “If a teammate interferes with the play of a teammate by playing or touching a ball that has been passed or touched, by clearly impeding the opponent’s view, by demanding the ball from the opponent, by clearly attempting to play a closer ball, if this act affects the opponent, or by any obvious act that clearly affects the opponent, by interfering with the play or play of the ball by a teammate, or by obstructing the opponent’s ability to play the ball.” ”
