‘The evidence is there’ - Former Premier League referee weighs in on Man City disallowed goal vs Liverpool

Former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher has weighed in on the decision that cost Manchester City a goal at Anfield on Sunday.

Pep Guardiola’s men were beaten 1-0 by a Liverpool side desparate to make up ground in the title race, with Mohamed Salah scoring the all-important winner. It was an open encounter, and one that could have gone either way. In fact, City had the ball in the net first when Phil Foden thought he had opened the scoring, but the goal was chalked off.

VAR spotted that Erling Haaland committed a foul in the build-up, and the goal was chalked off, a decision that made a huge impact on the game, and one Guardiola certainly wasn’t happy with.

But the decision was the correct one, according to former referee Gallagher, who said on Sky Sports’ Ref Watch: “They’ll be happy with this decision won’t they?  I think what they have seen is a foul in the build-up, a foul on Fabinho in the build-up, but I also think there’s a foul on the goalkeeper.  Play was allowed to continue, but if you look here, the goalkeeper has got the ball in his hand.

“There’s the foul by Haaland and that’s what they went back and checked.  As it went on, the goalkeeper Alisson was fouled as well.  It’s very hard looking at that not to be convinced it’s a foul.”

During the show, former City defender Danny Mills added: “I think it is a foul, Dermot.  Pep Guardiola felt all of those fouls were allowed to go during the game.  Do referees change their opinion of the type of foul or severity because it’s a goal?  Because I think we are all a little bit confused. 

“At the end of the game, the Salah one is a lot worse and isn’t given. Is it only because it’s a goal that the referees look at it with more scrutiny because it’s that inconsistency that we are all confused about?”

Gallagher replied: “It’s not more scrutiny, it’s the fact a goal is scored.  With the Salah one that leads to the red card, I think it’s a foul, I think the assistant should flag that, but it’s not given because it doesn’t lead to a goal, it doesn’t lead to a penalty, it’s not checked so it goes away.

“That one did lead to a goal so it’s checked.  I think if they’d have checked further on they would have given a foul against the goalkeeper as well.  I wasn’t surprised it was disallowed.

“The fact remains because the goal was scored, they had to check whether the goal was legal.  Was there an offside in the buildup?  Was there a foul in the attacking build-up?  And there was.  The evidence is there, it’s very difficult to see that and not see it as a foul.  Because it was a goal they go back and give the foul.”