Former Referee Says Liverpool’s Disallowed Goal Was Controversial

Ex-Premier League official Chris Foy has weighed in on the controversy surrounding Virgil van Dijk’s ruled-out goal during Liverpool’s 3-0 defeat at Manchester City, concluding that the incident was debatable rather than an obvious refereeing mistake.

The match saw Erling Haaland open the scoring shortly before the half-hour mark, and Liverpool appeared to have equalised when Van Dijk headed in from a corner. The celebrations were cut short when assistant referee Stuart Burt flagged, judging Andy Robertson to be in an offside position and obstructing goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma’s line of sight. VAR reviewed the play and upheld the on-field decision, nullifying the goal and prompting visible frustration from Liverpool players and manager Arne Slot.

Following the game, Liverpool lodged a formal complaint with Professional Game Match Officials Ltd (PGMOL), meeting with chief Howard Webb to challenge what the club described as a subjective ruling. They have expressed that they do not accept the justification for cancelling the goal.

Foy, speaking after the dispute, said he personally would have preferred the goal to stand but stopped short of calling the officials’ actions a “clear and obvious” error, the threshold required for VAR to overturn referees’ decisions. His assessment underscores the fine margins and interpretive nature of offside and interference calls, which can produce sharply differing views even among experienced observers.