Liverpool Football Club has taken the formal step of lodging a complaint with the Premier League's refereeing body, PGMOL, following the controversial disallowance of a Virgil van Dijk goal in their recent 3-0 defeat to Manchester City.
The Pivotal Moment of Controversy
The incident, which occurred on Monday 10 November 2025, proved to be a major turning point in the match. With the score at 1-0, Netherlands captain Virgil van Dijk powered a header into the net, only for the effort to be ruled out on the field. The decision was then reviewed by the Video Assistant Referee (VAR).
The official reasoning centred on Liverpool defender Andy Robertson, who was standing in an offside position. Officials claimed that by ducking under the ball as it flew towards goal, Robertson interfered with play. A PGMOL statement asserted that Robertson was "deemed to be making an obvious action directly in front of the goalkeeper."
Liverpool's Firm Rejection of the Ruling
However, Liverpool have strongly contested this interpretation. The club, having scrutinised all available footage, rejects the core premise of the decision. They do not accept that any elements of the criteria in Law 11, which relates to offside, were met.
Central to their argument is the view that goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma's line of vision was not impeded by Robertson, as the defender was not directly in the Italian's sightline. Furthermore, the club is concerned that the standard VAR process did not function correctly.
Despite the on-field call being offside, video assistant referee Michael Oliver did not instruct match referee Chris Kavanagh to review the incident on the pitchside monitor. Liverpool believe that had Kavanagh been given the opportunity to reassess the situation himself, a different outcome may have been reached.
Formal Action and Fallout
In response, the Merseyside club has written to referees' chief Howard Webb to express their profound concerns regarding the application of the rules. This action underscores their belief that a significant error was made.
Head coach Arne Slot encapsulated the club's sentiment after the match, stating it was "obvious and clear a wrong decision had been made." The PGMOL, which promotes ongoing dialogue with clubs, has thus far not publicly commented on Liverpool's specific complaint.
