Image Credits: Imago Images
Florian Wirtz’s equaliser for Liverpool at Fulham sparked controversy after the German appeared to be in an offside position, but a final decision has now been reached.
Wirtz’s strike looked set to help Arne Slot’s side claim all three points after Cody Gakpo had put the Reds ahead in the fourth minute of stoppage time.
However, Fulham responded dramatically when Harrison Reed fired home a sensational equaliser just three minutes later. Despite the relief of salvaging a point, Fulham head coach Marco Silva launched a furious post-match rant, with the club subsequently contacting PGMOL to seek clarification over the contentious decision.
“Now, I have more images, different tools. For me, I cannot believe how that goal was allowed, it was a clear offside,” Silva said. “We are still waiting for feedback from the Premier League. Everyone had the same opinion, it was clear. It’s much more than 5cm in my opinion.”
He added: “Against Palace at home, our goal from Emile Smith Rowe was disallowed, it was not 5cm, probably half the nail of Chukwueze. The goal was disallowed. What’s happened to this game? The tolerance was not spoken about then.
“I believe at the end of the season, everything should be balanced. Everyone remembers what happened at Stamford Bridge, and it happened again on Sunday. Everything comes from VAR decisions.”
The video assistant referee did not err in awarding Florian Wirtz’s goal for Liverpool at Fulham, according to the Premier League’s Key Match Incidents Panel.
Wirtz scored in the 57th minute after meeting a touch from Conor Bradley, but the assistant referee initially flagged for offside. VAR Andy Madley overturned the call after a semi-automated offside check.
The decision was aided by the Premier League’s five-centimetre tolerance, known as “thicker lines,” with the KMI Panel unanimously backing the goal. They said: “The VAR intervention to award the goal was supported as correct, given the tight margin of the offside call and thicker offside lines used for these incredibly tight calls.”
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