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**The Premier League has issued a statement to clarify the controversial decision that saw Virgil van Dijk’s equaliser for Liverpool against Manchester City disallowed.**
The drama-filled first half at the Etihad, which was marred by contentious calls, saw Michael Oliver, the VAR referee, send on-field official Chris Kavanagh to the pitch-side monitor to review a penalty for City.
The initial penalty, given for the slightest of contact from Giorgi Mamardashvili on Jérémy Doku, was overturned. However, the controversy was compounded minutes later when Van Dijk headed home a Mohamed Salah corner in the 39th minute.
The goal, which would have made the score 1-1 after Erling Haaland had earlier redeemed his penalty miss with a header, was chalked off.
The Premier League Match Centre released a statement on X explaining the 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.”
This confirms that Andy Robertson, who was in an offside position near the goal, was judged to be actively interfering with play by making an “obvious action” directly in front of City keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma.
However, the decision drew a furious response from the Liverpool bench, who believed the goal should have stood.
Robertson, although in an offside position, was not blocking Donnarumma’s view and in no way was his presence interfering with the goalkeeper’s ability to save it.
In fact, the former PSG was not going to save that effort from Van Dijk regardless of Robertson’s positioning.