Even for those of us used to Premier League officiating inconsistency, this one takes some beating.
ITV presenter Mark Pougatch has become the latest to question why Virgil van Dijk’s first-half header was disallowed in Liverpool’s 3-0 defeat at Manchester City and his words echo what many of us were shouting.
“Donnarumma sees that header all the way,” Pougatch posted on X. “The replays clearly show the keeper could see Van Dijk’s header all the way, notwithstanding Robertson.
“So what on earth is the reason to disallow that? I think VAR is having an absolute shocker today.”
It was a moment that could have changed the entire flow of the match, as our captain thought he’d drawn us level before Chris Kavanagh and VAR Michael Oliver combined to rule it out for an apparent offside by Andy Robertson.
Liverpool undone by another baffling decision
The decision centred on Robertson supposedly impeding Donnarumma’s line of sight, even though camera angles showed the Italy international had a completely unobstructed view of the ball.
That explanation didn’t wash with Pougatch, nor with the likes of Gary Neville and Micah Richards, who both questioned the logic behind the call live on Sky Sports.
Arne Slot publicly exposed the laughable inconsistency of Kavanagh’s refereeing, referencing a nearly identical offside situation involving Bernardo Silva last season.
It feels like a moment where even the Premier League’s own rulebook struggled to justify the decision.
Stats show just how costly decisions like this have become
Liverpool have now seen five goals ruled out by VAR this season, the joint-most in the Premier League, and all five have come in games away from home.
Those numbers add up. Decisions like this change games, shape narratives, and chip away at momentum.
The Reds failed to record a shot on target until the 76th minute, but had Van Dijk’s header stood, it might have forced a very different contest.
You can view the reaction to Van Dijk’s disallowed goal via @markpougatch on X:
Donnarumma sees that header all the way. The replays clearly show the keeper could see Van Djik’s header all the way, notwithstanding Robertson. So what on earth is the reason to disallow that? I think VAR is having an absolute shocker today #MCILIV
— Mark Pougatch (@markpougatch) November 9, 2025
You can view Slot’s post-Man City press conference via Empire of the Kop on YouTube:
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For an old man like me, I have watched football with no technology. There was drama and goal celebrations and referees get most calls right. Today, even when a goal has been scored, there is a chance it will be disallowed with the var technology. It has killed off the excitement of celebrations from fans and players themselves. Technology is good if it is consistent and reflects the correct outcome. Today, var technology has been nothing except for controversy. Not that I am defending Liverpool’s loss because of this decision, it has made football referees look like clowns. Footballers train and play professionally and they earn good money for their effort and skills. Referees should also train and officiate professionally. Football has become a lucrative business throughout the world and this kind of unprofessionalism and inconsistency can cause certain people huge distress if they are betting on results. Unless football totally removed official betting, I like to tell this to the referees and pgmol that they have failed horribly in their profession. I can still remember pierluigi Collina who was a referee and he earned his pay professionally and earns the respect from fans of football. Unfortunately, this is all history today.
Sadly, football its rules and the application of them is in the hands of the politicians who will then decide where this goes next.
It could be suspected as looking as though refs are managing a game to a specific result or score line.
Is this how we beat criminal money launderers ?
Don’t we just want a fair game back with simple, easy to understand to a child rules ? It has to be done on a FIFA-wide scale.
Something in my gut says this will be sorted in time for the N.American World Cup.