Liverpool’s disallowed goal against Manchester City was judged correctly in terms of VAR protocol, according to the Premier League’s Key Match Incidents (KMI) panel, but the panel itself could not reach full agreement.
The five-member group, which reviews major decisions each week, voted 3-2 that the original offside call on the field was wrong. Yet the same 3-2 split concluded that VAR was right not to overturn it because the incident did not meet the “clear and obvious error” threshold.
How the incident unfolded
Virgil van Dijk thought he had levelled the score in the 38th minute at the Etihad earlier this month, but referee Chris Kavanagh and assistant Stuart Burt ruled Andrew Robertson offside. They felt the Liverpool defender ducked under the ball as it travelled towards goal, potentially influencing goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma.
VAR officials Michael Oliver and Tim Wood supported the on-field judgment, leaving Liverpool trailing in a match they eventually lost 3-0. The club later contacted the Professional Game Match Officials (PGMO) to express concern, arguing that Robertson’s actions did not meet offside interference criteria.
Why the panel was divided
The KMI panel, which includes three former players and one representative each from the Premier League and PGMO, showed how subjective the situation was.
The majority believed Robertson was not blocking Donnarumma’s line of sight and that his movement did not clearly affect the goalkeeper’s ability to make a save. In their view, the goal should have stood.
However, only two members saw the error as “clear and obvious”. Another panelist felt that the movement near the goalkeeper made the situation borderline, so VAR was right to stay out of it.
The remaining two members fully backed the offside decision, saying Robertson’s action in front of Donnarumma was impactful.
A rare VAR mistake elsewhere
While the Liverpool call was judged complex but acceptable, the panel did record one VAR error from the weekend: Brentford’s denied penalty against Newcastle.
Dango Ouattara was booked for simulation after going down under a challenge from Dan Burn. The panel unanimously agreed Burn committed a careless trip and a penalty should have been given.
Most members (3-2) felt VAR should have intervened, calling it a clear and obvious mistake, though two disagreed due to what they saw as only glancing contact.
Other decisions backed
All remaining decisions were supported, including referee Craig Pawson’s choice not to give Arsenal a penalty when Sunderland’s Dan Ballard caught Mikel Merino with an elbow. The panel ruled that any contact came from a normal football action rather than a foul.
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