Arne Slot Questions VAR Decision in Liverpool’s Loss to Manchester City

Liverpool’s head coach, Arne Slot, expressed his belief that it was “obvious and clear” that Virgil van Dijk’s goal should not have been disallowed during his team’s 3-0 defeat to Manchester City.

The Liverpool defender appeared to have equalized with a header late in the first half. However, the linesman ruled out the goal, claiming that Andy Robertson interfered with the vision of goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, a decision subsequently upheld by VAR, which stated that Robertson made an “obvious action” obstructing the goalkeeper’s line of sight.

Following the match, Slot asserted that he believed the decision was incorrect, although he acknowledged it was not the primary cause of Liverpool’s loss. “It is challenging to provide my perspective,” Slot stated. “It is clear to me that a mistake was made, at least from my viewpoint. [Robertson] did not interfere with the goalkeeper’s ability to play the ball.”

He noted a similar incident from the previous season, where a goal scored by Manchester City against Wolves was allowed to stand by the same referee. Slot highlighted that the linesman took only 13 seconds to raise the flag for offside, indicating a clear communication process in that instance, which he felt could have positively influenced the game’s outcome for Liverpool.

Currently, Liverpool finds themselves in eighth place in the league, having lost five of their eleven matches this season, and are eight points behind league leaders Arsenal. “It feels like there have been too many defeats,” Slot remarked during the post-match press conference. “The last thing I should be discussing now is the title race. We must first concentrate on securing results before considering such matters. The reality is that we are currently in eighth position. One team is significantly ahead, while Manchester City is only four points behind Arsenal. The rest is quite competitive.”

He further elaborated, stating, “As I mentioned last season, the best way to evaluate the league standings is after 38 matches. However, the next best time to assess is after 19 games, as all teams will have faced the same opponents by then. Our primary focus should be on achieving results and not on the title race at this moment.”