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Premier League explains itself as Liverpool on wrong end of more VAR controversy

Liverpool fans were left furious on Saturday after the video assistant referee (VAR) failed to disallow Nottingham Forest's opener.

The Reds faced Sean Dyche's team in the Premier League at Anfield, 13 days after losing 3-0 at Manchester City. Virgil van Dijk saw his header disallowed against City after Andy Robertson was standing in front of the goalkeeper while in an offside position.

A similar incident happened during the first half of Saturday's game, but this time, Arne Slot's players were the defending team. Murillo smashed the ball into the back of the net, but there was a Forest man, Dan Ndoye, standing in an offside position near Alisson.

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Despite the similarities between the two incidents, referee Andy Madley and VAR James Bell allowed Murillo's strike to stand. The Premier League's Match Centre account X soon clarified why Murillo's goal was given.

A post read: "The referee’s call of goal was checked and confirmed by VAR – with it deemed that Ndoye was not in the line of vision of Allison and did not make an action that impacted an opponent."

The Premier League's explanation is unlikely to appease disgruntled Liverpool fans, who will point toward the similarities between Van Dijk's header and Murillo's strike.

Another angle of Murillo's goal

Another angle of Murillo's goal -Credit:Liverpool conceded a controversial opener against Nottingham Forest

Martin Keown noticed these similarities while covering the game on the BBC's Final Score.

Keown said: "If you follow the mantra of last time when Robertson ducked out the way of the ball, and here the ball goes through the legs of the player in front of Alisson. Why did that go against us last week, and the opposite against us this week?"

Paul Robinson, the former Tottenham goalkeeper, told BBC Radio 5 Live: "Wonderful delivery from Elliot Anderson, and it falls to Murillo, and he finally finds the back of the net. The players are surrounding the referee, and Murillo thunders it past Alisson."

The Reds did see a VAR decision go their way before half-time, when Igor Jesus' goal was disallowed for a handball.

"I'm seeing two angles of the goal, and on neither angle can I see where it touches the arm at all," former Premier League defender Ashley Williams told Final Score. "It hits Jesus between the chest and the stomach. That goal should stand."

Keown added: "It looks like the ball came up and hit Jesus on his ribcage. Surely VAR have seen something to chalk it off. I can't see the hand."

Robinson continued: "You couldn't see the freeze of where it struck Igor Jesus' arm, but it looked like it hit him on the sleeve."

Explaining the decision to disallow Jesus' goal, the Premier League's Match Centre posted on X: "The referee’s call of no goal was checked and confirmed by VAR – with it deemed that Jesus accidentally handled the ball before scoring."

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