The Premier League’s Key Match Incidents panel has ruled that Virgil van Dijk’s disallowed goal in Liverpool‘s 3-0 defeat to Manchester City should have been allowed. However, it was also concluded that VAR was correct not to challenge the on-field decision after the Dutchman’s powerful header was dismissed by assistant referee Stuart Burt, under the supervision of Chris Kavanagh.

Had Van Dijk’s header not been disallowed due to Andy Robertson being in an offside position, the reigning champions could have equalised the match at 1-1. The Scottish defender was deemed to be obstructing Gianluigi Donnarumma’s view as he ducked, allowing the ball to pass him.

The Times has now claimed that the KMI panel disagreed with the judgement of Kavanagh and Burt, but they also agreed that the VAR official, Michael Oliver, was right not to intervene.

The verdict comes after PGMOL chief Howard Webb defended VAR’s decision to disallow the goal that left Van Dijk and Reds boss Arne Slot enraged.

“For sure Michael [Oliver], a huge decision in a big game,” said Webb on Sky Sports. “As the ball moves towards Robertson – three yards out from goal in the middle of the six-yard box – he makes that clear action to duck below the ball. It goes just over his head and finds the goal in the half of the six-yard box where he is.

“The officials have to make a judgement, did that clear action impact on the goalkeeper and his ability to save the ball? That’s where the subjectivity comes into play. They looked at that action so close to the goalkeeper and formed that opinion.

“I know that’s not a view held by everybody but it’s not unreasonable to understand why [the officials] would form that conclusion when the player is so close to the goalkeeper, the ball is coming right towards him and he has to duck to get out of the way.

“They form the conclusion that it impacts Donnarumma’s ability to dive towards the ball and make the save. Once they’ve made that on-field decision, the job of the VAR is to look at that and decide was the outcome clearly and obviously wrong. Only Donnarumma truly knows if he was impacted by this and we have to look at the factual evidence.”

Liverpool had already contacted the PGMOL over the incident, seeking clarification as to why their goal was not awarded.

The wording of the relevant Law 11 stipulates a player in an offside position is only penalised on becoming active by: “interfering with play by playing or touching a ball passed or touched by a team-mate or interfering with an opponent by preventing an opponent from playing or being able to play the ball by clearly obstructing the opponent’s line of vision or challenging an opponent for the ball or clearly attempting to play a ball which is close when this action impacts on an opponent or making an obvious action which clearly impacts on the ability of an opponent to play the ball.”