Premier League referees’ chief Howard Webb has defended the decision to disallow Virgil van Dijk’s goal for Liverpool against Manchester City on Sunday, stating the call was “not unreasonable.”
The goal was ruled out because Liverpool’s Andrew Robertson was judged to be offside and interfering with play by ducking under the ball close to City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma in the six-yard box.
The game ended 3-0 to Manchester City.
Speaking on Match Officials Mic’d Up, Webb acknowledged the subjectivity but backed the officials’ conclusion that Robertson’s action and proximity to Donnarumma likely impacted the goalkeeper’s ability to make a save.
“The player is so close to the goalkeeper… and he has to duck to get out of the way of the ball,” Webb said. “They form the conclusion that that impacts Donnarumma’s ability… to make that save.”
The Video Assistant Referee (VAR), Michael Oliver, supported the on-field decision, determining the outcome was “not clearly and obviously wrong.”
Liverpool has since contacted the Professional Game Match Officials (PGMO) to raise concerns over the criteria used for the offside ruling.
