In the 11th round of the Premier League, Liverpool lost 0-3 to Manchester City. The Athletic wrote an article about Liverpool's performance. The article stated that there was controversy over Van Dijk's goal being blown. Should Van Dijk’s he...
In the 11th round of the Premier League, Liverpool lost 0-3 to Manchester City. The Athletic wrote an article about Liverpool's performance. The article stated that there was controversy over Van Dijk's goal being blown.
Should Van Dijk’s header count as a goal?
Liverpool thought they had equalized the score when Van Dijk scored with a header. Liverpool had repeatedly conceded goals in set-piece defense this season and was about to reverse the situation. Their celebrations came to an abrupt end until the linesman raised the flag to indicate offside.
When Van Dijk headed the ball towards the goal, Robertson was in an offside position. Although he was not within Donnarumma's sight, the referee still ruled that he interfered with the game.
The Premier League official explanation of the penalty stated: The referee's invalid penalty for Liverpool's offside goal was verified by VAR. Robertson was in an offside position and was found to have made an obvious move directly in front of the goalkeeper. This statement will undoubtedly frustrate Liverpool fans, as Robertson is clearly not directly in front of Donnarumma.
Robertson did not fight for the ball or try to control the ball, he just leaned down and let the ball fly into the goal. He also did not block the opponent's view because he was on the other side of the goalkeeper, opposite to the position where he headed the ball. That last point was the bone of contention, as Donnarumma still pounced on the ball, which he failed to touch due to the angle of his header.
A similar incident occurred in Manchester City's game against Wolves last season. Seat B was in an offside position and Stones' header scored the goal. The initial penalty was for offside, but after VAR intervened, the goal was eventually ruled valid because the B seat was deemed not to have caused any impact on the goalkeeper. It's hard to see how this differs from Robertson's situation, yet one goal was ruled valid and the other was not.
What does this defeat mean to Liverpool?
After two consecutive morale-boosting victories, Liverpool's performance in this game was completely different from the Champions League match against Real Madrid in midweek. Slott retained Tuesday's squad, but they lacked the intensity and aggression shown in previous wins over Villa and Real Madrid.
At the beginning of the game, Manchester City allowed central defender Konate to control the ball, but his passing and the lack of ball control ability of the receiving players prevented the team from creating a threat. Both Salah and Wirtz struggled to have an impact on the game, while Ekitic was almost invisible due to lack of support, and the midfield trio also lost the speed in transition between offense and defense that they showed in the first two games.
Liverpool's performance in this game fell well below the standards set by Slott since he took over. The defending champions do not look like title contenders. Although the season is still long, it is difficult to imagine that they can eventually surpass Arsenal or Manchester City.
Can Mamardashvili usher in redemption?
In the 10th minute of the game, Konate's poor clearance hit Doku, allowing the latter to get a single chance. Doku tried to pass Mamardashvili to increase the angle of the shot. Although Mamardashvili's outstretched foot did not appear to touch Doku, his knee did so on the follow-up move. After VAR review, the referee awarded a penalty kick.
Facing Harland who was in good condition, Mamardashvili judged the right direction and saved the ball. Saving penalty kicks is Mamardashvili's advantage. Since the start of the 2023-24 season, he has saved 6 penalty kicks, the most in the five major leagues.
Mamardashvili was regarded as Alisson's long-term replacement, but after the latter was injured in September, Mamardashvili was pushed into the starting position. He made some wonderful saves in his previous seven appearances, but he also faced some tests.
