Webb Backs Officials Over Disallowed Liverpool Goal

Premier League referees' main Howard Webb says it was "not unreasonable" for Virgil van Dijk's extremity to beryllium disallowed for offside against Manchester City connected Sunday.

Van Dijk thought he had equalised for Liverpool successful nan 38th minute, but referee Chris Kavanagh and his adjunct Stuart Burt decided Andrew Robertson had committed an offside offence by ducking nether nan formation of nan ball, which had impacted goalkeeper Gianluiga Donnarumma.

The Video Assistant Referee, Michael Oliver, checked nan incident and supported nan on-field call, pinch Manchester City going connected to triumph nan crippled 3-0.

On Monday, Liverpool contacted Professional Game Match Officials (PGMO) - nan assemblage that oversees refereeing successful English master shot - to raise their concerns, arsenic they judge nan applicable criteria for nan offence were not met and nan extremity should person been allowed.

Webb, speaking connected nan Match Officials Mic'd Up show, said that while he accepted location would beryllium a quality of opinion, location were valid reasons for nan extremity to beryllium ruled out.

"Interfering pinch an force wherever nan offside position subordinate doesn't play nan shot and nan officials person to make a judgement whether nan actions of that subordinate effect an opponent, are immoderate of nan astir subjective decisions that we person to make," said Webb.

"Therefore, it's nary astonishment that immoderate group judge this extremity should person stood, truthful I deliberation it's important that we look astatine nan facts of what really happened successful this situation.

"We cognize nan area comes successful and nan shot reaches Van Dijk. As nan ball's coming crossed nan punishment area, nan Manchester City players move out, they time off Robertson successful that offside position successful nan bosom of nan six-yard box.

"When Van Dijk heads nan shot forward, that's nan infinitesimal erstwhile we person to make an offside judgement astir Robertson and astir what he's doing there.

"We cognize he doesn't touch nan shot but what does he do? Well, arsenic nan shot moves towards him, 3 yards retired from goal, correct successful nan mediate of nan six-yard box, he makes that clear action to duck beneath nan ball.

"The shot goes conscionable complete his head, and nan shot finds nan extremity successful nan half of nan six-yard container wherever he is. Then, nan officials person to make a judgement - did that clear action effect connected Donnarumma, nan goalkeeper, and his expertise to prevention nan ball? And that's wherever nan subjectivity comes into play.

"Obviously that's nan conclusion they drew connected that. They looked astatine that position, they looked astatine that action, truthful adjacent to nan goalkeeper, and they formed that opinion.

"I cognize that's not a position held by everybody but I deliberation it's not unreasonable to understand why they would shape that conclusion.

"The subordinate is truthful adjacent to nan goalkeeper, nan ball's coming correct towards him and he has to duck to get retired of nan measurement of nan shot - and they shape nan conclusion that that impacts Donnarumma's expertise conscionable to dive towards nan shot and make that save.

"And then, of course, erstwhile they've made that on-field decision, nan occupation of nan VAR is to look astatine that and decide, was nan result of offside intelligibly and evidently wrong?

"Only Donnarumma genuinely knows if he was impacted by this and, of course, we person to look astatine nan actual evidence, and erstwhile we spot that actual grounds of that position of nan subordinate ducking beneath nan ball, truthful adjacent to nan goalkeeper, nan VAR determines that nan result of offside is not intelligibly and evidently wrong, and they enactment retired of it."

Webb explained that location were a number of issues that had to beryllium weighed up by nan officials.

"You do perceive nan adjunct [on nan VAR audio], successful this case, talk astir statement of vision. I work together pinch you, nan statement of imagination usually would subordinate to nan position being blocked of nan ball," he said.

"On that one, he does spot nan shot each nan way, but nan adjunct besides talks astir different things, ducking beneath nan ball, being adjacent to nan goalkeeper.

"Those successful themselves tin beryllium capable to penalise a subordinate for offside, [by] interfering pinch an opponent. Even if nan keeper tin spot nan shot coming each nan measurement along, he's still successful beforehand of nan goalkeeper, he still makes that ducking action that could still origin hesitation from nan goalkeeper.

"Goalkeepers activity connected reactions that make it imaginable to propulsion retired immoderate unthinkable saves and that's nan judgement formed connected nan field. So, [apart from] nan statement of vision, there's different aspects that tin besides opportunity that this is an offside offence, and that's why nan VAR near it alone."

Liverpool leader Arne Slot had made comparisons to a extremity scored by Manchester City astatine Wolves past season, which was initially ruled retired for a akin offside against Bernardo Silva but fixed done a VAR review.

"I deliberation there's a clear quality present successful that nan shot goes straight complete nan goalkeeper Jose Sa's head," Webb explained. "It doesn't spell complete Bernardo Silva.

"Bernardo Silva is an offside position erstwhile John Stones heads nan shot forward. Importantly, he moved to nan left, distant from nan formation of nan ball, and nan shot goes consecutive complete Sa, it doesn't spell complete nan caput of Bernardo Silva successful nan measurement that it went complete nan caput of Robertson, who ducked beneath it.

"So, I deliberation it's difficult present to spot this and deliberation successful immoderate measurement that Jose Sa is impacted by an action of Bernardo Silva. If nan shot had gone complete Bernardo Silva's head, possibly causing Jose Sa to hesitate successful lawsuit it hits Bernardo Silva, past we'd travel retired pinch nan aforesaid result of cheque complete connected nan on-field determination of disallowed goal."