Liverpool file complaint to PGMOL over disallowed Van Dijk goal

Liverpool have lodged a formal complaint to the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) over the decision to disallow Virgil van Dijk’s goal in their 3-0 defeat to Manchester City on Sunday.

With Man City leading 1-0, Van Dijk appeared to have equalised with a powerful header, but the goal was ruled out for offside, a decision upheld after a VAR review.

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VAR official Michael Oliver determined that Andrew Robertson, positioned in front of goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, was in an offside position and had made an “obvious action” by ducking directly in front of the Italian, thereby impacting his line of sight.

However, Liverpool argue that, based on the laws of the game, the criteria for an offside offence were not met. The club maintains that Donnarumma’s vision was not obstructed and that the goal should have stood.

After reviewing all available footage from multiple angles, the Reds expressed confusion over why the VAR process did not result in the goal being awarded.

While Liverpool accept the match result, they have contacted PGMOL chief Howard Webb to raise their concerns, insisting the incident warrants further scrutiny to ensure consistency in officiating decisions.

According to Law 11 of the game, a player in an offside position is only penalised if they interfere with play or an opponent by obstructing vision, challenging for the ball, or making an action that clearly impacts an opponent’s ability to play it.