Sky pundit claims one player might’ve hindered Donnarumma’s vision for disallowed Van Dijk goal | OneFootball

One pundit has claimed that Gianluigi Donnarumma’s view of Virgil van Dijk’s disallowed equaliser at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday might’ve been impeded.

Manchester City were leading Liverpool 1-0 when, in the 38th minute, the Dutchman guided a header into the home team’s net, only for the goal to be chalked off as Andy Robertson was in an offside position and deemed to have made an ‘obvious action’ in front of the goalkeeper.

That was despite the Reds left-back getting out of the ball’s flightpath and not obstructing the Italian’s vision of the play in any way, shape or form, unlike Bernardo Silva standing directly in front of Jose Sa when John Stones headed in a stoppage-time winner against Wolves in October 2024.

(Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)

Donnarumma’s view may have been blocked – but not by Robertson

Speaking on Sky Sports‘ Ref Watch on Monday morning, Jay Bothroyd argued that if any player was impeding Donnarumma yeserday, it was his own teammate Jeremy Doku.

The pundit said: “Bernardo Silva last season had the same thing and the goal was given. I think it was with the same referee as well. It’s an interpretation but it’s the same referee.

“[Robertson] is close to him, so he might see him in his peripheral vision. He might understand he is there, but first and foremost Donnarumma is focused on the ball, because he needs to know exactly where the ball is going.

“There’s no hesitation from Donnarumma, so the fact that he hasn’t hesitated at all and he’s dived that way…he’s probably a hand away from the ball. He hasn’t gone higher or lower; he’s actually in line with where the ball entered the net. That tells me it wasn’t offside.

“Robertson has ducked out of the way. The person who’s more in his eyeline who would’ve hindered him more in terms of vision would’ve been Doku. Doku was standing right ahead of him.

“That’s why I think it should’ve been a goal and I think it’s a poor decision, but it’s an interpretation and they need to clamp down on the rules and how to make it more clear.”

Image via Sky Sports

Doku was way closer to Donnarumma than Robertson was

Bothroyd is spot on – when Van Dijk gets his head to the ball, the player closest to Donnarumma is Doku and not Robertson, yet the Liverpool left-back was the one deemed to be obstructing the Man City goalkeeper.

Even Gary Neville – a man who rarely conceals his dislike for the Reds – was adamant that the wrong decision was made and that Arne Slot had every right to be disgusted on the touchline.

The inconsistency over that call yesterday and the Silva/Stones one at Molineux last season (with Chris Kavanagh being the referee on both occasions) is what infuriates football fans in this country. We can accept that decisions will go against our team, but not when they’re blatantly erroneous, especially not in the era of VAR.

Liverpool were distinctly second best at the Etihad and deserved to lose, but they still have every right to be annoyed over Van Dijk’s perfectly good goal being disallowed.

Once again, PGMOL chief Howard Webb has plenty to chew over while the Premier League pauses for the international break.

You can watch Slot’s full post-Man City press conference via Empire of the Kop on YouTube: