VAR Review: Why Van Dijk’s Liverpool goal was disallowed, Doku penalty

The video assistant referee causes controversy every week in the Premier League, but how are decisions made and are they correct?

This season, we take a look at the major incidents to examine and explain the process both in terms of the VAR protocol and the laws of the game.

All screenshots photo credit: NBC

Andy Davies (@andydaviesref) is a former Select Group referee, with over 12 seasons on the elite list, working across the Premier League and Championship. With extensive experience at the elite level, he has operated within the VAR space in the Premier League and offers a unique insight into the processes, rationale and protocols that are delivered on a Premier League matchday.

Referee: Chris Kavanagh
VAR: Michael Oliver
Incident: Virgil van Dijk‘s headed goal disallowed for offside
Time: 38 minutes

What happened: In the 38th minute, Liverpool captain Van Dijk scored with a header from a Mohamed Salah corner, however teammate Andrew Robertson was deemed to be in offside position and impacting the view of City keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma. The goal was therefore disallowed by assistant referee Stuart Burt.

Virgil Van Dijk’s potential equalizer is DISALLOWED. Andrew Robertson was deemed to have interfered with the goalkeeper from an offside position. pic.twitter.com/yUkYaiCWY6

— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) November 9, 2025

VAR decision: VAR Oliver confirmed the referee’s call of offside and no goal to Liverpool, with Robertson in an offside position and deemed to be making an obvious action directly in front of the goalkeeper.

VAR review: An offside offense for impacting an opponent’s view was the on-field decision by Kavanagh and therefore formed the starting point for this review. Robertson was clearly in an offside position, however this on its own is not an offense. Oliver needed to confirm that, as described and adjudged by assistant referee Burt, Robertson was impacting Donnarumma’s ability to save the ball by his position and/or action. Impact on an opponent is a subjective decision, and therefore it would need to be a clear error in judgment by the on-field team for an on-field review (OFR) to be recommended.

Verdict: This is a subjective situation and will certainly cause discussion and debate. You can create a case for either outcome in this situation. Your considerations and process would include: how close the attacker was to the flight of the ball, any distracting body action by the attacker and what impact his presence in the goal area had on Donnarumma.

My initial feeling in real time was that this was offside. I was concerned with Robertson’s position and action; allowing the goal to stand would have felt uncomfortable — I’m sure this feeling mirrored that of the officials on pitch in real time.

Considering all circumstances in this event, ruling out Van Dijk’s goal, in law, was a credible and understandable call by the on-field refereeing team. That being said, football doesn’t like what it doesn’t understand, and the noise suggests disallowing the goal has fallen the wrong side of the game’s expectations. The decision, however, was subjective and was unlikely to be overturned by the VAR.

Incident: Possible penalty; Giorgi Mamardashvili challenge on Jérémy Doku

Time:9 minutes

What happened: In the ninth minute, Doku appeared to be fouled by Mamardashvili as Liverpool’s goalkeeper came flying out of his goal to challenge the City forward. Mamardashvili mistimed his challenge, sliding along the wet grass and into the left boot of Doku, who subsequently lost his balance and went to ground. Kavanagh did not award a penalty initially and allowed play to continue.

VAR decision: After review of the incident, Oliver recommended an OFR for a possible penalty award to Manchester City. Following several replays of the incident, Kavanagh agreed with Oliver’s interpretation and awarded a penalty kick for a foul challenge by the Liverpool goalkeeper on Doku.

VAR review: This was a quick and straightforward process for Oliver to determine a foul had been committed by Mamardashvili. Though contact was at the lower end of the scale in terms of force, it had a definite impact on Doku’s ability to retain his balance and possibly have a shot on goal. Oliver was correct to recommend an on-field review, well supported by the TV evidence.

Verdict: This was a positive VAR intervention by Oliver and a correct overturn by Kavanagh. It had been difficult for Kavanagh to pick up the foul contact in real time given it was the knee of the Liverpool goalkeeper that made the slightest of touches with Doku’s foot, but there was contact nonetheless.

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