VAR Controversy: Liverpool’s Disallowed Goal Reviewed by Expert Panel

Liverpool faced a disappointing 3-0 defeat following a controversial decision involving Andrew Robertson, who was penalized for ducking under Virgil van Dijk’s header.

An expert panel from the Premier League’s Key Match Incidents (KMI) has concluded that the decision to disallow Liverpool’s goal against Manchester City was not overturned correctly by the Video Assistant Referee (VAR).

The five-member panel reached a split decision, voting three to two that the initial ruling to disallow the goal was incorrect, while simultaneously agreeing that VAR was right not to intervene in the situation.

In the 38th minute at the Etihad Stadium earlier this month, Liverpool captain Virgil Van Dijk believed he had equalized, but referee Chris Kavanagh and assistant Stuart Burt ruled the goal offside, citing Robertson’s action of ducking as the reason for potentially interfering with goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma. This decision was subsequently upheld by the VAR team led by Michael Oliver and Tim Wood.

Liverpool expressed their concerns to the Professional Game Match Officials (PGMO), arguing that the criteria for an offside decision were not fulfilled in this instance. The incident involving Robertson highlights the challenges that VAR may be unable to resolve.

In their analysis, the KMI Panel, composed of three former players and representatives from the Premier League and PGMO, found themselves divided on the matter. They voted three to two in favor of the assistant referee’s decision being incorrect, while also agreeing with the VAR’s choice not to intervene. This outcome illustrates the subjective nature of such decisions, which Howard Webb, the referees’ chief, described as “not unreasonable.”

The majority of the KMI Panel believed that, as Robertson was not in the goalkeeper’s line of vision when the header occurred, and his actions did not clearly affect Donnarumma’s ability to save the ball, the goal should have been awarded. However, one panel member contended that Robertson’s movement did impact the goalkeeper’s response, thus justifying the original offside call.

The KMI Panel conducts their review by making two distinct judgments: one regarding the on-field decision and another assessing if a clear and obvious VAR error occurred. In this case, they concluded that while the on-field call might have been better, it was defensible enough to not warrant VAR intervention.

In a separate incident, the KMI Panel unanimously identified a VAR error in the Brentford vs. Newcastle match, where Dango Ouattara was incorrectly booked for simulation after a challenge by Dan Burn, which they deemed a penalty-worthy foul.

They were divided on the VAR’s ruling, with a majority asserting it was a clear and obvious error, while a minority upheld the referee’s decision as justifiable.

All other match decisions from the weekend were supported, notably a unanimous vote affirming that referee Craig Pawson correctly denied a penalty to Arsenal after an incident involving Sunderland’s defender Dan Ballard.