Overview
- The assistant raised his flag before a VAR check confirmed Robertson, stationed in front of Gianluigi Donnarumma, interfered despite not touching the ball.
- Officials cited Law 11’s standard for an “obvious action” impacting an opponent, with Robertson’s ducking motion identified as the key factor.
- Liverpool’s would-be leveller at 1-0 was chalked off, and Manchester City pulled away to a 3-0 victory at the Etihad.
- Virgil van Dijk declined to debate the incident, while manager Arne Slot called the decision wrong and pointed to a 13‑second delay before the flag and a prior City example he viewed as inconsistent.
- Pundits and fans questioned whether Donnarumma could have reached the header, though the BBC’s rules analysis said the offside decision was supportable.