Liverpool’s Slot: ‘Obvious and clear’ VAR wrong on Van Dijk

LIVERPOOL, England – Liverpool manager Arne Slot said it was “obvious and clear” that Virgil van Dijk’s disallowed goal should have stood during his side’s 3–0 Premier League defeat to Manchester City on Sunday.

Van Dijk thought he had levelled late in the first half at the Etihad Stadium with a powerful header, but the assistant referee flagged for offside, ruling that Andy Robertson had obstructed goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma’s view. After a VAR review, the decision was upheld, with officials deeming Robertson had made an “obvious action” in front of the City goalkeeper.

Slot, speaking after the match, disagreed with the ruling but acknowledged it was not the decisive factor in Liverpool’s loss.

“It is obvious and clear that the wrong decision has been made, at least in my opinion,” Slot said. “Robertson didn’t interfere at all with what the goalkeeper could do. Immediately after the game, someone showed me a goal City scored against Wolves last season that was allowed — by the same referee.”

The Dutch coach also noted that it took the assistant referee 13 seconds to raise the flag, suggesting there had been additional communication before the decision.

Liverpool’s defeat — their fifth in 11 league games — leaves them eighth in the Premier League, eight points behind leaders Arsenal heading into the international break.

“It feels like too many defeats,” Slot added. “The last thing I should speak about now is the title race. We should first focus on getting results before thinking about that. The reality is we are eighth now. One team is quite far ahead, but the rest are still close.”

Slot reiterated that his side’s immediate focus must be on consistency rather than title ambitions, emphasizing that the table becomes a fair reflection only after half the season.

“The best way to judge the league table is after 38 games,” he said. “The next best time is after 19, when everyone has faced the same opponents. Our first focus should be on getting results, not the title race.”

Liverpool will return to action after the international break looking to arrest their early-season inconsistency and close the gap on the top four.