Liverpool
Man City 3-0 Liverpool: PGMOL Release Full VAR Audio For Virgil van Dijk’s Disallowed Goal
Manchester City were well worth their 3-0 win over Liverpool on Sunday but Virgil van Dijk controversially had a first-half equaliser ruled out for offside after Andy Robertson was claimed to have blocked Gianluigi Donnarumma’s line of vision.
If the goal had been awarded, then the two sides may have been heading in at half-time at 1-1 despite the hosts’ dominant performance and the visitors rarely having a look in. But Van Dijk found the back of the net with a glorious header in the 38th minute and thought he’d levelled matters until referee Chris Kavanagh ruled the goal out.
Arne Slot looked perplexed at the decision, and it was yet another of a long list of questionable calls made by VAR and the PGMOL this season. VAR referee Michael Oliver and his assistants were on duty at the time and their discussions between themselves and with Kavanagh have been released.
VAR’s Intervention: What Was Said in Stockley Park?
The latest edition of Sky Sports’ Match Officials Mic’d Up with Howard Webb saw the PGMOL chief and Michael Owen reflect on Van Dijk’s disallowed goal and whether the right decision was reached. During their analysis, the VAR intervention audio was played, providing insight into the thought process.
The assistant video assistant referee (AVAR) could be heard stating:
“Robertson, 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 in line of vision. I think he’s been impacted mate.”
On-field Referee Kavanagh responded:
“Ok, so offside then… I think offside.”
Oliver, fronting VAR on the day used the technology to rewind and go over the potential offside against Robertson:
“Checking the on field decision of offside against Andy Robertson. Delay, delay… So you’ve got a clear offside position. You’ve got a movement… Have you got a high-behind to show how high he is in terms of line of vision?”
The AVAR replied:
“I agree with the on-field decision, I think it’s offside…It’s a clear, obvious action that clearly impacts the goalkeeper.”
Oliver then spoke to Kavanagh to give a final decision:
“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.”
Reports claim that Liverpool have contacted the PGMOL with “serious concerns” regarding Van Dijk’s goal being disallowed over Robertson perceived to have been in an offside position and impacting the goalkeeper. They are said to have spoken to the organisation’s technical director, Webb, but he doesn’t seem to share their opinion on the matter.
PGMOL Chief Howard Webb’s Verdict
Webb pointed out that offside decisions involving players who don’t make contact with the ball but interfere with play are highly subjective. He suggested that Robertson was still impacting Donnarumma because he ducks after Van Dijk’s header whilst in an offside position:
“Interfering with an opponent where the offside position player doesn’t play the ball and the officials have to make a judgment whether the actions of that player impact an opponent, are some of the most subjective decisions that we have to make,” said Webb. Therefore, it’s no surprise that some people believe this goal should have stood, so I think it’s important that we look at the facts of what actually happened in this situation.”
Webb added:
“We know the corner comes in and the ball reaches Van Dijk. As the ball’s coming across the penalty area, the Manchester City players move out, they leave Robertson in that offside position in the heart of the six-yard box. When Van Dijk heads the ball forward, that’s the moment when we have to make an offside judgment about Robertson and about what he’s doing there. We know he doesn’t touch the ball but what does he do? Well, as the ball moves towards him, three yards out from goal, right in the middle of the six-yard box, he makes that clear action to duck below the ball.”
He continued:
“The ball goes just over his head, and the ball finds the goal in the half of the six-yard box where he is. Then, 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.”
The PGMOL chief suggested that it was reasonable to go with the on-field decision:
“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.”
Webb further explained that the distance between the Liverpool full-back and the City goalkeeper was important:
“The player is so close to the goalkeeper, the ball’s coming right towards him and he has to duck to get out of the way of the ball – and they form the conclusion that that impacts Donnarumma’s ability just to dive towards the ball and make that save.”
He concluded:
“And then, of course, once they’ve made that on-field decision, the job of the VAR is to look at that and decide, was the outcome of offside clearly and obviously wrong? Only Donnarumma truly knows if he was impacted by this and, of course, we have to look at the factual evidence, and when we see that factual evidence of that position of the player ducking below the ball, so close to the goalkeeper, the VAR determines that the outcome of offside is not clearly and obviously wrong, and they stay out of it.”

City prevailed at the Etihad courtesy of goals from Erling Haaland (29′), Nico Gonzalez (45+3′) and Jeremy Doku (63′). But had Van Dijk’s goal stood, it would have been a vital equaliser in the 39th minute with the Reds second best and given a lifeline to build on a goal at that stage.
Slot made it clear that he felt it was the “wrong decision” not to award the goal and that it could have influenced the game in a “positive way” for his side. Their defeat means they sit eighth after 11 games with 18 points in a sorry start to their Premier League title defence.
Liverpool
REPORTS: Real Madrid manager Xabi Alonso is reportedly keen to reunite with Florian Wirtz despite his struggles at Liverpool. With Liverpool still interested in Rodrygo, a swap deal between the two players is reportedly being considered!
Real Madrid Willing To Sacrifice Star Player In Swap Deal With Liverpool
Xabi Alonso would be ‘delighted’ to have him at Madrid.
Real Madrid are open to the idea of a swap deal involving Rodrygo, according to reports in Spain, with Xabi Alonso willing to ‘facilitate’ a move for one of Liverpool’s summer signings.
Since joining the club in a £39 million move from Santos, Rodrygo has made over 250 appearances for Los Blancos across a trophy-laden six-year spell.
He impressed under Carlo Ancelotti, winning three La Liga titles and the Champions League twice, but the Brazil international has played a bit-part role of late, especially under new manager Xabi Alonso.
As a result, Rodrygo was heavily linked with a summer move. Arsenal and Chelsea were both rumoured to be interested alongside recently-crowned Premier League champions Liverpool.
Spanish publication AS claimed Liverpool expressed an interest and were keeping tabs on his delicate situation at Madrid, but they eventually focused on other targets, including Florian Wirtz.
Rodrygo has struggled for starts under Xabi Alonso. Image credit: Getty
Wirtz, who eventually joined Liverpool for £116 million, had been tracked by Madrid for several months.
However, the Spanish club were unwilling to meet the demands made by Bayer Leverkusen and proceeded to withdraw from the bidding process, according to Spanish publication Defensa Central.
The report also claims Wirtz ‘wouldn’t have hesitated’ to join Los Blancos if they had made a suitable offer.
In fact, as the German struggles to adapt to life in the Premier League, Madrid would be willing to include Rodrygo in an audacious swap deal for Wirtz.
“Xabi Alonso would be delighted to have him,” the report says. “For now, Real Madrid are following him very closely, aware that he could become a very interesting option to strengthen their midfield in the future.”
It adds: “But in the short term, it seems like a virtually impossible move, because Liverpool won’t want to sell him so soon, however interested they may be in Rodrygo.”
What has Rodrygo said about Liverpool?
Before his move to Madrid, the Brazilian forward came close to signing for Liverpool for just £2.5 million.
“We didn’t close the deal (with Liverpool) because I didn’t want to,” Rodrygo said in 2024. “I wanted to stay at Santos even though the offer was very good… finally, I was able to fulfil my dream of playing for Santos.”
“But it’s true, I almost went to Liverpool in 2017.”
Rodrygo came up against Liverpool this month. Image credit: Getty
Despite turning Liverpool down, he has expressed his admiration for the club and its fans.
Speaking ahead of a Champions League clash at Anfield in 2023, he said: “The game there is going to be very difficult, we already know this. Playing against Liverpool is always difficult whether with or without fans, but at Anfield even more.”
Liverpool ‘prepare’ £88m bid for centre back labelled ‘one of the best in the world’
Liverpool are reportedly ready to break the bank to bring in a highly-rated centre back to fix their defensive problems, either in January or next su
Liverpool’s spending this season could be set to rise above £500m
Liverpool are reportedly lining up a major swoop for Inter Milan centre back Alessandro Bastoni as they aim to strengthen their defensive options. The Reds have been left vulnerable at the back after Giovanni Leoni’s lengthy injury layoff and their unsuccessful chase of Crystal Palace’s Marc Guehi, leading them to renew their focus on Bastoni as a potential solution.
Cristiano Ronaldo speaks about death of Diogo Jota
As reported by Mundo Deportivo, Liverpool are preparing an £88million offer for the 26-year-old, who has been praised by Italian legend Giorgio Chiellini as “one of the best defenders” in the game.
“I know Alessandro well, he is one of the strongest central defenders around and for me, he is among the best in the world,” Chiellini said in 2023. “He is a player that Italy will be able to count on for many years, he just needs to continue working and maintaining the desire to improve.”
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A move for Bastoni could be attempted as soon as January, though Liverpool are reportedly willing to wait until the summer if required – a decision that might prove important considering Ibrahima Konate’s uncertain future, with his current contract set to expire at the end of the season.
Should the deal exceed £80m, Alessandro Bastoni would become the most expensive defender of all time. Harry Maguire currently holds that distinction after his £80m transfer from Leicester to Manchester United in 2019.
Josko Gvardiol follows in second with his £77m move from RB Leipzig to Manchester City in 2023, while Virgil van Dijk’s £75m transfer from Southampton to Liverpool in 2018 remains third on the list.
ARSENAL'
ANFIELD ON FIRE: Liverpool Drop A Transfer Tsunami, Shock The World With Monumental €130M Bid For PSG’s Midfield Engine.
Report: Liverpool told to pay close to Premier League record fee for 25-year-old target
Arne Slot could be reunited with a familiar face at Liverpool.
Liverpool are interested in signing the PSG midfielder Vitinha in the coming months.
According to a report from Fichajes, Real Madrid are also keen on securing the services of the 25-year-old Portuguese international.
The French outfit have now set his asking price at €130 million. It will be interesting to see if Liverpool or Real Madrid are prepared to pay up.
They have been monitoring the Portuguese midfielder closely and they are impressed by his performances. The Portuguese international has been a key player for PSG, and he helped them win the league title and the UEFA Champions League last season. He is at the peak of his career, and he could make a huge impact at Liverpool or Real Madrid.
Liverpool could use Vitinha
Both clubs need more quality in the middle of the park. They need someone who can control the tempo of the game, add composure and technical ability in the middle of the park as well. The Portuguese International certainly fits the profile, and it remains to be seen how the situation develops.
The asking price is quite expensive, and PSG might need to be more reasonable with their demands in order for the move to go through. The French outfit is under no pressure to sell the player, and it is no surprise that they have set an absurd asking price. They will hope that the likes of Real Madrid and Liverpool will walk away from the deal.
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