Overview
- Virgil van Dijk’s first‑half header at Manchester City was disallowed after Andy Robertson, in an offside position, ducked in front of Gianluigi Donnarumma and the on‑field decision by Chris Kavanagh and assistant Stuart Burt was upheld by VAR Michael Oliver.
- PGMOL chief Howard Webb said the ruling was not unreasonable and that VAR could not deem the on‑field outcome clearly and obviously wrong under Law 11’s ‘obvious action’ standard.
- The Premier League released the officials’ audio, with the assistant citing Robertson being in the goalkeeper’s line of vision and making a ducking motion, before VAR confirmed offside.
- Liverpool have formally contacted PGMOL to challenge the interpretation, arguing the criteria for offside interference were not met and that Donnarumma’s view and ability to play the ball were not impeded.
- League Managers Association chief Richard Bevan said managers want regular VAR–referee pairings and stronger training to improve consistency, a push reinforced by contrasting weekend decisions including Jeremy Doku’s penalty and Dango Ouattara’s simulation booking standing.