Ex-Premier League official Chris Foy has weighed in on the controversy surrounding Virgil van Dijk’s ruled-out goal during Liverpool’s 3-0 defeat at Manchester City, concluding that the incident was debatable rather than an obvious refereeing mistake.
The match saw Erling Haaland open the scoring shortly before the half-hour mark, and Liverpool appeared to have equalised when Van Dijk headed in from a corner. The celebrations were cut short when assistant referee Stuart Burt flagged, judging Andy Robertson to be in an offside position and obstructing goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma’s line of sight. VAR reviewed the play and upheld the on-field decision, nullifying the goal and prompting visible frustration from Liverpool players and manager Arne Slot.
Following the game, Liverpool lodged a formal complaint with Professional Game Match Officials Ltd (PGMOL), meeting with chief Howard Webb to challenge what the club described as a subjective ruling. They have expressed that they do not accept the justification for cancelling the goal.
Foy, speaking after the dispute, said he personally would have preferred the goal to stand but stopped short of calling the officials’ actions a “clear and obvious” error, the threshold required for VAR to overturn referees’ decisions. His assessment underscores the fine margins and interpretive nature of offside and interference calls, which can produce sharply differing views even among experienced observers.
I cant believe the ref got it wrong again! Liverpool deserved that goal, no doubt. Whats up with these refs?
Wow, cant believe the ref is still causing drama! What do you think, was it a fair call or total BS? 🔥🤔
I think the referee made the right call! Its all part of the game, right? Lets not dwell on it.
I cant believe the ref still gets to decide the fate of games! Its time for video technology to step in.
I cant believe the ref is still the talk of the town! Makes you wonder if they need better training.
Do we really need to dwell on one controversial call? Lets focus on the game as a whole. Move on, people!
I disagree with the former referee! The goal was clearly offside. Lets not cling to bias, people! #fairplay #controversy
Was the ref blind or biased? Liverpool got robbed! VAR needs an upgrade ASAP. Thoughts?
Cant believe the refs decision! It was clearly a goal! Unfair call, Liverpool deserved that point. #JusticeForLiverpool