Fulham request PGMOL explanation after offside controversy in Liverpool draw

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Evening Standard

·6 January 2026

Fulham request PGMOL explanation after offside controversy in Liverpool draw

Marco Silva believes Florian Wirtz equaliser should not have stood

Fulham have contacted Professional Game Match Official Limited (PGMOL) regarding the controversial decision to allow Florian Wirtz’s goal to stand in Sunday’s draw with Liverpool.

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The German looked to have received the ball in an offside position before firing home to draw Liverpool level at 1-1, and his goal was allowed to stand after a lengthy VAR check.

Stills from the VAR monitor appear to confirm that the player was in an offside position, though footage from the semi-automated offside technology confirmed the goal would stand.

Standard Sport understands Fulham have now reached out to PGMOL for an explanation as to why the goal stood.

Offside rules were adjusted ahead of this campaign to give goalscorers the benefit of the doubt, with a 5cm tolerance level applied to tight decisions. Wirtz, subsequently, was deemed to have been less than 5cm offside.

While Fulham went on to take a deserved point from the match after Harrison Reed’s stunning injury-time leveller, Marco Silva was less than impressed with the decision to allow Wirtz’s goal to stand.

Speaking at full-time, he said: “We felt the same, many people in the stadium felt the same, but the semi-automatic we have to believe in it. They have to be 100 per cent sure of it.

“It took a long time for something that should be automatic. They have all the tools to decide it right so let’s hope they did.”

In a near three-minute rant on Tuesday, he added: "Now, I have more images, different tools. For me, I cannot believe how that goal was allowed, it was a clear offside. We are still waiting for feedback from the Premier League. Everyone had the same opinion, it was clear. It's much more than 5cm in my opinion."

Florian Wirtz’s goal stood after a VAR check

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It is not the first time this season that Fulham have foul of dubious VAR decisions.

Young midfielder Josh King saw what would have been his first senior goal controversially ruled out at Stamford Bridge early in the campaign after a soft foul in the build-up.

The Blues were eventually awarded an equally contentious penalty, which Enzo Fernandez dispatched to secure a 2-1 win.

Speaking at the time, Silva said: “The second decision was completely unbelievable, for that penalty.

“And it was an unbelievable decision [for King’s goal]. You have many decisions to talk about. I have spoken about referees so many times. I am not in the best mood to do it.”