Virgil van Dijk‘s disallowed header in Liverpool’s 3-0 defeat to Man City should have stood, according to the Premier League‘s established key match incidents panel.
Van Dijk saw an equalising goal ruled out in the first half of Sunday’s loss at the Etihad, which would have brought the tie back to 1-1 with 38 minutes played.
The issue was raised by linesman Stuart Burt, who judged Andy Robertson to have impeded goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma’s vision from an offside position, and referee Chris Kavanagh upheld the decision.
VAR Michael Oliver chose not to intervene, meaning Van Dijk’s goal was disallowed and Liverpool went on to lose 3-0 as Arne Slot rued momentum lost.
Premier League panel: Robertson offside was incorrect
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - Sunday, November 9, 2025: Liverpool's captain Virgil van Dijk and Andy Robertson speak with referee Chris Kavanagh during the FA Premier League match between Manchester City FC and Liverpool FC at the City of Manchester Stadium. Man City won 3-0. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
According to the Times‘ Martin Hardy, the Premier League‘s key match incidents panel (KMI) judged that the decision to rule out the goal was incorrect.
The KMI panel, which consists of three former players or coaches, one Premier League representative and one from the PGMOL, declared that Van Dijk’s equaliser should have stood.
Oliver was absolved of any blame, however, with no intervention required according to the panel.
That comes as VAR cannot be used to overturn an objective offside decision, with Robertson in an offside position and – as per an official statement – “making an obvious action directly in front of the goalkeeper.”
Referee audio for Andy Robertson offside decision
The audio transcription of the VAR procedure is as follows:
Burt (assistant referee): “Robertson, Robertson, Robertson. Robertson’s in line of vision, right in front of the keeper. He’s ducked under the ball. He’s very, very close to him.
“I think he’s line of vision. I think he’s been impacted, mate.”
Kavanagh (referee): “OK so, offside then.”
Burt: “I think offside.”
Kavanagh: “On-field decision is offside.”
Oliver: “So, you’ve got clear offside position. You’ve got movement…have you got a high-behind to show how high he is in terms of line of vision?”
Tim Wood (AVAR): “I agree with the on-field decision. I think it’s offside. It’s a clear and obvious action which clearly impacts on the goalkeeper.”
Oliver: “Chris, it’s Michael. Confirming the on-field decision of offside against Andy Robertson.
“He is in an offside position, very close to the goalkeeper and makes an obvious movement directly in front of him. Check complete, offside.”
It was Kavanagh and, primarily, Burt’s interpretation of the offside which was the issue.
This raises questions over how a linesman could determine whether Robertson had blocked Donnarumma’s vision from a side-on view far away from the action.
Liverpool contacted PGMOL chief Howard Webb shortly after the game to raise their concerns with the officiating and Webb subsequently defended the decision in an appearance on Match Officials Mic’d Up.
What Howard Webb said on Van Dijk disallowed goal
“The officials have to make a judgment: did that clear action impact on Donnarumma, the goalkeeper, and his ability to save the ball? And that’s where the subjectivity comes into play,” he said.
“Obviously that’s the conclusion they drew on that.
“They looked at that position, they looked at that action, so close to the goalkeeper, and they formed that opinion.
“I know that’s not a view held by everybody but I think it’s not unreasonable to understand why they would form that conclusion.”