Image Credits: Imago Images
Liverpool FC have reportedly contacted the PGMOL for more information regarding Virgil van Dijk’s disallowed goal vs Manchester City.
The Liverpool captain appeared to have leveled the score just before half-time with a powerful header from a Mohamed Salah corner.
However, the goal was ruled out after a VAR review determined that Andy Robertson, who did not touch the ball, was in an offside position and deemed to be interfering with the goalkeeper’s ability to make a save.
The Premier League’s official statement explained that Robertson was “making an obvious action directly in front of the goalkeeper,” who was unable to save Van Dijk’s header partly due to Robertson’s presence.
Despite Robertson ducking out of the goalkeeper’s line of vision, officials maintained that his position affected the goalkeeper’s ability to play the ball, leading to the goal being ruled out.
And it seems that the club’s hierarchy were not happy with the decision.
The Athletic report that the Merseyside giants have contacted PGMOL for more information on the situation:
“Liverpool have told Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) that they do not accept that the decision was arrived at for subjective reasons.”
“They believe that the wording of the law is clear and that no elements of the criteria needed to disallow the goal were met so it should have been allowed to stand.”
The conflict is rooted in Law 11 of the FA rulebook, which deals with offsides.
Subsection 2 of the Law reads:
“A player in an offside position at the moment the ball is played or touched* by a team-mate is only penalised on becoming involved in active play by:
interfering with play by playing or touching a ball passed or touched by a team-mate or
interfering with an opponent by: preventing an opponent from playing or being able to play the ball by clearly obstructing the opponent’s line of vision or
challenging an opponent for the ball or
clearly attempting to play a ball which is close when this action impacts on an opponent or
making an obvious action which clearly impacts on the ability of an opponent to play the ball”
It then seems that bullet no.2 is where the Reds find issue, as Robertson was not obstructing the Donnarumma’s line of vision.
Whether anything meaningful will arise from Liverpool’s complaint remains to be seen, but it is yet another instance of the club being unhappy with the referee governing body after Luis Diaz’s controversial disallowed goal vs Tottenham back in 2023.
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