Webb Defends Officials Over Disallowed Liverpool Goal Against Manchester City
Refereeing chief Howard Webb says officials made a reasonable call in ruling out Van Dijk’s goal for offside interference against Manchester City
- Howard Webb defends referees’ decision to disallow Virgil van Dijk’s goal against Manchester City for offside interference.
- Liverpool argue that the offside criteria were not met and have raised concerns with the Professional Game Match Officials (PGMO).
- Webb acknowledges the decision was subjective but maintains the officials’ judgment was “not unreasonable.”
Premier League refereeing chief Howard Webb has defended the match officials’ decision to disallow Virgil van Dijk’s first-half goal in Liverpool’s 3–0 defeat to Manchester City, describing it as a “reasonable” call under the circumstances.
Van Dijk appeared to have levelled the score in the 38th minute, but referee Chris Kavanagh and assistant Stuart Burt ruled the goal out, citing Andrew Robertson for offside interference after he ducked under the ball’s flight, potentially affecting goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma. The VAR, Michael Oliver, reviewed the incident and upheld the on-field decision.
Liverpool have since contacted the Professional Game Match Officials (PGMO) to express dissatisfaction, arguing that the criteria for offside interference were not met.
Speaking on Match Officials Mic’d Up, Webb acknowledged the controversy but stood by the officials’ interpretation.
“Interfering with an opponent when the offside player doesn’t touch the ball is one of the most subjective decisions in football,” he said. “Robertson’s action to duck so close to the goalkeeper was judged to have affected Donnarumma’s ability to make a save.”
Webb added that while opinions would naturally differ, the officials’ judgment was based on the proximity of the players and the nature of Robertson’s movement — making the offside decision, in his view, “not clearly and obviously wrong.”
