VAR Michael Oliver checked and confirmed the decision that ruled Andy Robertson was interfering in an offside position despite ducking under the ball, which was a substantial distance from City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma.
Liverpool contact the PGMOL
The Premier League’s official statement explained that Robertson was “making an obvious action directly in front of the goalkeeper” in a move that has sparked debate online as many fans complain that the decision was unjust.
The law states that a player in an offside position can only become actively involved in play by: playing or touching a ball passed or touched by a team-mate; preventing an opponent from playing or being able to play the ball by clearly obstructing the opponent’s line of vision; challenging an opponent for the ball or clearly attempting to play a ball which is close when this action impacts on an opponent; or by making an obvious action which clearly impacts on the ability of an opponent to play the ball.
Now, as reported by The Athletic, The Reds have contacted refereeing body PGMOL to raise significant concerns over the decision that could seriously damage Liverpool’s title chances.
“Liverpool have told Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) that they do not accept that the decision was arrived at for subjective reasons.”
“They believe that the wording of the law is clear and that no elements of the criteria needed to disallow the goal were met so it should have been allowed to stand.”
Liverpool have to move on
Van Dijk expressed frustration whilst highlighting inconsistency in officiating standards which have been criticized in recent years with the introduction of VAR which many believe has destroyed the game.
"Someone showed me a clip that Manchester City scored last year against Wolves and the referee was the same," the Liverpool captain revealed.
"We have to take it on the chin and move on,"
During the game, City were also awarded a controversial penalty after Jeremy Doku was deemed to have been taken down by Giorgi Mamardashvili in what wasn’t the best day for officials who were thrown under the spotlight.