Van Dijk disallowed goal explained as Premier League release VAR audio…

Van Dijk’s disallowed goal clarified as Premier League releases VAR audio.

Liverpool: The disallowed equaliser by Virgil van Dijk is explained as Howard Webb describes the decision as ‘not unreasonable’.

The Reds have already expressed ‘serious concerns’ regarding this decision.

Howard Webb has supported VAR’s contentious ruling to disallow Virgil van Dijk’s goal against Manchester City, labeling the decision as ‘not unreasonable’.

Van Dijk scored what he believed to be an equaliser in the 38th minute while Liverpool faced their title rivals, Manchester City, but his goal was disallowed because Andy Robertson, who was in an offside position, was considered to have obstructed goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma.

Manchester City ultimately won 3-0, and Liverpool lodged a complaint with PGMOL about the ruling, contending that Robertson did not affect Donnarumma’s line of sight.

The discussions among the VAR officials have now been disclosed on Sky Sports’ Match Officials Mic’d Up program.

In the footage, an assistant VAR promptly flags Robertson’s position and its potential effect on Donnarumma. Michael Oliver’s on-field offside call was reviewed and confirmed.

Webb, the head of PGMOL, recognized that the decision was intricate and subjective, but maintained that the officials made the right call.

He stated: “Interfering with an opponent when the offside-positioned player does not play the ball requires officials to judge whether that player’s actions affect an opponent, which are among the most subjective decisions we face.

“Thus, it is not surprising that some believe this goal should have counted, so it is crucial to examine the facts of what transpired in this case.

“We understand that the corner is taken and the ball reaches Van Dijk. As the ball travels across the penalty area, the Manchester City players retreat, leaving Robertson in that offside position at the center of the six-yard box.

When Van Dijk heads the ball forward, that is the moment we need to assess an offside situation regarding Robertson and his actions in that scenario.

Although we know he does not make contact with the ball, what is his role? As the ball approaches him, just three yards from the goal and centrally located in the six-yard box, he distinctly ducks beneath the ball.

The ball sails just over his head and enters the goal area in the section of the six-yard box where he is positioned.

Consequently, the officials must determine whether this deliberate action affected Donnarumma, the goalkeeper, and his capacity to make a save. This is where subjectivity becomes a factor.

Clearly, that is the conclusion they reached regarding the situation.

He went on to explain that the decision was not evidently or indisputably wrong: “Naturally, once they have made that decision on the field, the VAR’s responsibility is to review it and ascertain whether the offside outcome was clearly and obviously incorrect.

“Only Donnarumma can truly say if he was affected by this, and we must consider the factual evidence.

When we examine the factual evidence of the player ducking under the ball, in such proximity to the goalkeeper, the VAR concludes that the offside outcome is not clearly and obviously wrong, and thus they refrain from intervening.