While it was a highly subjective call, VAR is not there to re-referee decisions like the offside against Andy Robertson
There was one big incident that grabbed the headlines and prompted conversation this weekend in the Premier League: the decision by the referee Chris Kavanagh to deny Liverpool an equalising goal in their high-stakes match against Manchester City. The decision is massively subjective, in my opinion, but not a clear and obvious error.
Starting from the top: the ball is in the back of the net after Virgil van Dijk’s header from a corner, and the assistant referee, Stuart Burt, flags for offside. The offside player is Andy Robertson, who is in the goal area. When the ball is headed by Van Dijk, Robertson is standing almost in front of the goalkeeper. He then shifts to his left, shifts forward and, with the ball about to strike him, he ducks out of the way and the ball ends up in the net.
Written by Chris Foy
This news first appeared on https://www.theguardian.com/football/2025/nov/10/liverpool-virgil-van-dijk-andy-robertson-manchester-city-referee-football-laws under the title “I’d rather Van Dijk’s goal stood, but it wasn’t a clear and obvious error to deny him | Chris Foy”. Bolchha Nepal is not responsible or affiliated towards the opinion expressed in this news article.
