Michael Owen has spoken out after Virgil van Dijk had a goal disallowed during Liverpool’s meeting with Manchester City.
Liverpool were beaten 3-0 by Pep Guardiola’s side, with the turning point in the game coming at 1-0, when the Reds skipper saw his effort ruled out following a VAR check.
Speaking to Rousing The Kop, Mark Clattenburg responded to Virgil van Dijk’s goal versus Manchester City, explaining his thoughts on the situation.
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He said: “It will split opinions but Andrew Robertson is in an offside position in front of the goalkeeper when Virgil Van Dijk heads the ball into the goal.”
“I believe if Robertson had made a movement to the left or right and had not ducked under the ball which distracted the goalkeeper, he would not have been punished for being in the offside position.
Now, several more pundits and former players have weighed in on the situation.
Amazon Prime pundit Michael Owen looks on prior to the Premier League match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Burnley FC at Molineux
Photo by James Gill – Danehouse/Getty Images
Speaking on the Premier League Productions’ The Weekend Wrap, which aired on Tuesday, November 11, Michael Owen was asked: “Robertson was deemed to be in an offside position and deemed to be making an obvious action in front of the goalkeeper? Would you go along with that, Michael?”
The former Liverpool striker responded: “No, directly in front of the goalkeeper? No I don’t. He’s obviously making an action to get out of the way rather than towards the ball which would be an offside infringement.
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“He’s not in the line of sight, if you take Robertson off the pitch it goes in regardless. As Arne Slot said, he’s not in any way affecting the goalkeeper or his ability to dive for the ball.”
Owen is not the only ex-player to question why the Dutchman’s goal on Sunday never stood.
Liverpool's Virgil van Dijk plays during the UEFA Champions League match between Liverpool and Real Madrid at Anfield
Photo by Steven Halliwell/MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Wayne Rooney and Robbie Fowler share the same view of Van Dijk’s disallowed goal
Despite spending much of his career at two of Liverpool’s closest rivals, Wayne Rooney stated Van Dijk’s goal should have stood.
He said: “I thought it was a goal. “I get the rules, but Gianluigi Donnarumma can see it the whole way and he makes the decision to go for the ball and gets nowhere near it.
“I don’t think Robertson is standing in front of the keeper. I know he’s close to him, but I think he doesn’t impact Donnarumma.”
Ex-Red Robbie Fowler agrees with Rooney and Owen about the first-half header standing.
He said: “I mean, I said yesterday, I think Liverpool will be getting an apology from the PGMOL. I mean, I can’t see how they can’t because for me it’s a big mistake. I get Andy Robertson’s in an offside position, you know, I get that.
“But for me, he’s not interfering with play. The keeper can see the ball, he’s not in the line of sight. The keeper dives, and still doesn’t get it.”
What Liverpool will do about Van Dijk goal
As expected, Liverpool are not happy with the decision to chalk off the header.
They have contacted the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) to express concern about the call, according to the BBC.
Regardless of what happens moving forward, it will not change the outcome of the fixture, which has hampered the Reds’ chances of retaining the Premier League title.
An eight-point gap is by no means impossible to overturn at this stage of the season, but Sunday’s outcome certainly hasn’t helped.