Van Dijk’s goal should have stood in Liverpool vs. Man City – Rooney

Former Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney believes Virgil van Dijk’s first-half header in Liverpool’s 3-0 loss to Manchester City on Sunday was wrongly disallowed by the Video Assistant Referee (VAR).

The incident occurred in the 38th minute when Van Dijk appeared to have scored from a Mohamed Salah corner, only for VAR to rule that left-back Andrew Robertson, standing in an offside position, obstructed the view of City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma.

Rooney, speaking on BBC’s Match of the Day, questioned the decision, arguing that the goalkeeper’s line of sight was not affected.

“Robertson is in an offside position but Van Dijk’s movement and header are excellent,” Rooney said. “Donnarumma can see the ball the whole way. He dives fully, and there’s no impact from Robertson in my opinion. The goal should’ve stood.”

VAR officials judged that Robertson made an “obvious action” interfering with Donnarumma, prompting the referee to disallow the goal. However, Rooney insisted the City keeper had clear visibility and reacted naturally to Van Dijk’s header.

“Donnarumma puts his weight on his right foot, which makes it hard to get back across, but he’s already diving when Van Dijk heads the ball,” Rooney added. “For me, it’s a clean goal.”

Despite the controversy, the decision ultimately had little effect on the result as Pep Guardiola’s side dominated the second half, securing a commanding win that widened the gap between the two clubs in the Premier League title race.

Former Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy agreed that the incident would not have changed the outcome, suggesting Liverpool’s form has dropped below championship standards.

“Unfortunately, Liverpool’s overall performance meant it wouldn’t have made a difference,” Murphy said. “Away from home, they’re too easy to play against and making too many mistakes. They don’t look capable of closing the gap.”

The defeat leaves Liverpool struggling to maintain pressure on City at the top of the table, with questions mounting over their defensive stability and consistency in key matches.