Copyright GIVEMESPORT
Liverpool manager Arne Slot bemoaned the decision, made by referee Chris Kavanagh after a closer look at VAR, to disallow Virgil van Dijk's first-half header in his side's 3-0 defeat to Manchester City. Former Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg has also offered an interesting take on the controversy regarding Andy Robertson's positioning. It was the inevitable Erling Haaland who opened the scoring for Pep Guardiola's men just before the half-hour mark. Midfielder Nico Gonzalez then doubled his side's lead after his shot deflected off a backpedalling Van Dijk, who was still peeved off about his goal being chalked off just minutes earlier. GIVEMESPORT Key Statistic: Liverpool have already lost more matches (five) than they did across the entirety of the 2024/25 Premier League season (four). Jeremy Doku – whose performance against the Reds proved why he is widely regarded as one of the best wingers on the planet – put the icing on the cake in the 63rd minute with a terrific goal. The Belgian produced a strike that Liverpool fans have grown used to seeing from Mohamed Salah: he danced beyond a couple of defenders before wrapping into the top corner. Clattenburg Offers Interesting Take on Virgil van Dijk's Disallowed Goal in Liverpool's 3-0 Defeat to Man City Van Dijk, a revolutionary figure on the red half of Merseyside, thought he had levelled the game shortly before half-time. He latched onto the end of Salah's delivery from the corner and nodded his effort past Gianluigi Donnarumma – but the assistant referee raised his flag after adjudging Robertson to be in an offisde position and in the Italian shot stopper's eyeline. Replays of the incident showed the Scottish defender, in an attempt to do everything he could to see Van Dijk's header hit the back of the net, ducking out of the way. The Premier League wrote on X (formerly Twitter) to suggest that Robertson was "deemed to be making an obvious action directly in front of the goalkeeper". Watch Jamie Carragher's post-match assessment of the refereeing decision below: Gary Neville, for one, believed that Liverpool were hard done by, and the same sentiment was echoed by Micah Richards during Sky Sports' half-time analysis of the Premier League blockbuster clash. As alluded to, Slot said: "I think it's obvious and clear the wrong decision has been made – at least in my opinion." Clattenburg, speaking to Rousing The Kop after Slot's Reds were dealt their fifth loss of the 2025/26 Premier League campaign, suggested that Robertson could have prevented the goal being chalked off if the 31-year-old had moved either side of the ball rather than ducking under Van Dijk's headed effort. "It will split opinions, but Andrew Robertson is in an offside position in front of the goalkeeper when Virgil van Dijk heads the ball into the goal," Clattenburg – a former referee who took charge of just shy of 300 Premier League matches – said. "I believe if Robertson had made a movement to the left or right and had not ducked under the ball which distracted the goalkeeper, he would not have been punished for being in the offside position. Robertson does not affect the line of vision as a defender was blocking this and does not impact his ability to save the ball but clearly distracts. "He was offside, but the question is, 'Does he distract, in line of vision or affects his ability to play the ball?' This is why it's subjective and everyone will have an option," Clattenburg concluded. Slot and his men now have time to rue the decision, though, given all players are away for the November international break.
