In a twist of events at Anfield, the Premier League has provided clarification on the ruling that disallowed Igor Jesus’ goal for Nottingham Forest against Liverpool. Following Murillo’s opening goal for the Reds, Jesus thought he had doubled their lead, only for his effort to be ruled out for offside after a VAR review. The Premier League Match Centre confirmed that Jesus had made accidental contact with the ball using his hand prior to scoring, leading to the decision to disallow the goal.
As the Liverpool camp sought to contest Murillo’s initial goal, claiming that Dan Ndoye had been in an offside position and had obstructed Alisson’s view during the play, VAR ultimately upheld the decision by ruling that Ndoye did not impede the goalkeeper’s line of sight or impact any opponents in a significant manner.
These instances of contentious decisions come hot on the heels of a similar incident involving Virgil van Dijk, whose goal was disallowed for offside during Liverpool’s recent encounter with Manchester City. The club’s dissatisfaction with the ruling prompted them to express their concerns to the PGMOL regarding the inconsistency in decisions.
In the aftermath of these events, former Arsenal defender Martin Keown raised questions about the disparity in calls, drawing parallels between the current happenings and a previous incident where Andy Robertson had avoided contact with the ball to benefit Manchester City. The inconsistency in VAR decisions has been a topic of discussion, with fans, pundits, and players alike eager to see greater clarity and consistency in the application of the technology.
