Controversial Offside Decision Overshadows Liverpool’s Aspirations in City Clash

With Manchester City leading 1-0, Virgil van Dijk’s powerful header seemed to have leveled the score for Liverpool. However, referee Chris Kavanagh disallowed the goal for offside following the assistant’s flag. The decision was subsequently validated by VAR official Michael Oliver. The pivotal question was whether Andy Robertson, positioned near the six-yard box, had obstructed Gianluigi Donnarumma’s ability to respond. Although Robertson did not touch the ball, officials deemed his action of ducking under Van Dijk’s header as an “obvious action” interfering with play.

According to Law 11, an offside player is penalized only if their actions prevent an opponent from playing the ball, either by obstructing their view or directly impacting their ability to act. Liverpool contends that neither condition applied in this scenario.

During the Match Officials Mic’d Up show, Webb recognized the controversy but maintained that the decision was not unreasonable based on the available evidence. He stated, “Interfering with an opponent when the offside player doesn’t play the ball requires officials to judge whether that player’s actions impact an opponent, which can be quite subjective.”

Webb elaborated, “As the corner came in and reached Van Dijk, Manchester City players moved away, leaving Robertson in an offside position in the six-yard box. When Van Dijk headed the ball, we had to assess Robertson’s position and actions. Although he did not touch the ball, he ducked below it as it approached, leading to questions about whether this impacted Donnarumma’s ability to save the shot.”

He continued, “The officials concluded that Robertson’s action, given its proximity to the goalkeeper and the trajectory of the ball, could potentially have affected Donnarumma’s reaction. Once the on-field decision was made, the VAR had to determine whether the offside call was clearly and obviously wrong.”

According to Webb, VAR officials must evaluate various factors beyond just the line of vision. He noted, “The assistant mentioned line of vision, but also other elements, like Robertson ducking and his proximity to the goalkeeper, are significant. Even if the goalkeeper can see the ball, being close to the action and ducking can still cause hesitation, thus justifying an offside decision.”

Liverpool manager Arne Slot pointed to a similar situation from last season, where Bernardo Silva was in an offside position leading to a Manchester City goal that was allowed. However, Webb differentiated the two incidents, explaining, “In this case, the ball went directly over the goalkeeper, Jose Sa’s head, unlike the situation with Silva. Silva moved away from the ball’s path, which meant he did not impact Sa in the same way.”

Despite Liverpool’s frustrations, Manchester City capitalized on their luck, with Jeremy Doku scoring a third goal to secure a decisive victory, maintaining their unbeaten record at the Etihad. This victory propelled them to second place, narrowing the gap behind Arsenal at the top of the table to just four points.