Liverpool raise serious concerns with referees’ chief over disallowed Manchester City goal | OneFootball

Virgil Van Dijk’s disallowed goal in Liverpool’s 3-0 defeat to Manchester City is now at the centre of a complaint launched to the PGMOL, it has been revealed.

The fallout continues from City’s victory over Liverpool at the Etihad Stadium, with the Premier League clash now sparking controversy beyond the pitch and the action itself on Sunday afternoon.

Pep Guardiola’s side celebrated his 1,000th match in management in style, producing a commanding performance that exposed Liverpool’s defensive vulnerabilities and reaffirmed City’s title ambitions. Yet, a first-half refereeing call has become a major talking point.

Liverpool believed they had equalised through captain Virgil van Dijk midway through the first half, moments after Erling Haaland’s opener. The Dutch centre-back rose highest to meet Mohamed Salah’s corner, powering his header into the net. However, celebrations were cut short as the assistant referee raised his flag with Andy Robertson – who appeared to duck under the ball without making contact – ruled offside for interfering with play.

The call became even more contentious when replays suggested Robertson’s positioning had little impact on City’s Gianluigi Donnarumma’s ability to react. Liverpool’s frustration was only compounded when City doubled their lead through a deflected Nico effort, effectively ending the visitors’ hopes of a comeback before Doku sealed a 3-0 victory in the second half.

Now, as per The Athletic’s James Pearce, it has been revealed that Liverpool have contacted referees’ chief Howard Webb to raise serious concerns about Van Dijk’s disallowed goal in Sunday afternoon’s 3-0 defeat.

Liverpool have told Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) they do not accept that the decision was arrived at for subjective reasons, and believe the wording of the law is clear and no elements of the criteria needed were met so it should have been allowed to stand.

In the aftermath of the match, Arne Slot expressed his disbelief at the decision, referencing a similar goal scored by Manchester City last season – one that was allowed to stand.

“Immediately after the game someone showed me a goal that the same referee [Chris Kavanagh] allowed in Wolves against City last season,” said Slot. “It took the linesman 13 seconds to raise his flag to say it’s offside – there was clearly communication.”

The PGMOL may review the decision internally, with Liverpool expected to push for clarification over why the goal was disallowed under the current offside interpretation.

For Manchester City, the controversy does little to overshadow what was another statement performance in their pursuit of the Premier League crown. But for Liverpool, the incident will likely linger, with their view being that such a decision unfairly altered the game’s momentum.