Panel split over disallowed Liverpool goal at Man City

An expert panel determined that Liverpool’s controversial goal against Manchester City was correct in being overturned by a video assistant review (VAR).

However, the panel that evaluates weekly major refereeing decisions had disagreements about the decision.

The five-person panel decided by a vote of three to two that VAR was correct to not intervene despite the on-field decision to disallow the goal.

Virgil Van Dijk, the captain of Liverpool, believed earlier this month that he had equalized for them in the 38th minute at Etihad Stadium. City then won 3-1.

Andy Robertson had ducked under the ball on its way to goal, according to referee Chris Kavanagh and his assistant Stuart Burt, who later disallowed the goal.

The VAR team, which included Tim Wood and Michael Oliver, supported the decision that Robertson’s obvious action might have had an impact on goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma.

Three former players and one representative from each Premier League and PGMO were chosen by the KMI Panel, who both agreed that the assistant should not have caused the offside, and that the VAR was correct to stay away from the game.

It demonstrates the decision’s highly subjective nature, which referees’ chairman Howard Webb described as “not unreasonable.”

The majority of the panel “felt that the goal should have been given because Robertson wasn’t in the line of vision of the goalkeeper at the time of the header, and his subsequent actions didn’t clearly impact Donnarumma’s attempt to save the ball,” according to the KMI Panel’s decision.

However, one panel member concluded that “the movement in front of the goalkeeper meant that this was not a clear and obvious error, and VAR was correct to not intervene,” while two of the five panel members “felt this was therefore a clear and obvious error.”

Following VAR (3: 2)), this resulted in a split, correct, outcome. The two other panel members supported Donnarumma’s attempt to save after Robertson’s obvious action in front of the goalkeeper was deemed offensive by the two other panel members.

The KMI Panel makes two separate decisions, taking into account the Premier League’s regulations and expectations for game refereeing.

In the Brentford vs. Newcastle game, the KMI Panel made a VAR error by booking Dango Ouattara for simulation after Dan Burn challenged him in the 61st minute.

According to the report, “the panel was unanimous in their opinion that Burn knowingly tripped off Outtara and should have received a penalty kick.”

The panel was however divided on whether the VAR resulted from a clear and obvious error (2: 3) because the video clearly demonstrated an error in not imposing a penalty. The two other members argued that the contact’s call should remain insince it was not a clear and obvious error because the contact was staring.

All other weekend decisions were supported, including a 5-0 vote that Sunderland defender Dan Ballard’s elbow-toting decision to not give Arsenal a penalty.