{"id":367930,"date":"2025-11-09T23:38:30","date_gmt":"2025-11-09T23:38:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/367930\/"},"modified":"2025-11-09T23:38:30","modified_gmt":"2025-11-09T23:38:30","slug":"man-city-3-liverpool-0-was-disallowing-van-dijk-header-wrong-as-slot-says-what-made-doku-so-dangerous","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/367930\/","title":{"rendered":"Man City 3 Liverpool 0: Was disallowing Van Dijk header \u2018wrong\u2019 as Slot says? What made Doku so dangerous?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Jeremy Doku was the star as Manchester City beat Liverpool 3-0<\/a> at the Etihad, but the win did not come without controversy.<\/p>\n

Erling Haaland opened the scoring at the end of a great team move, shortly after having a penalty saved, Nico Gonzalez added a deflected second and Doku capped a brilliant individual display with the third. However, Virgil van Dijk had a headed \u2018goal\u2019 that would have made it 1-1 late in the first half ruled out when Andy Robertson was controversially adjudged to have been in an offside position and a VAR review did not overturn the initial on-pitch decision.<\/p>\n

The result leaves City in second place at the November international break, four points off leaders Arsenal, with Liverpool eighth, a further four behind.<\/p>\n

Jordan Campbell, Andy Jones and Michael Cox break down the action from the Etihad.<\/p>\n

\"\"\/<\/p>\n

Is entertainment back?<\/p>\n

There have been plenty of moans \u2014 many of them justified \u2014 about the quality of the football being played in this season\u2019s Premier League.<\/p>\n

A lot of long throws and set pieces, and an absence of dribbling and penetrative passing moves have meant an attritional season across the first 11 of the 38 matchdays.<\/p>\n

But this game was more like it: technical football, the ball on the ground, played at a good tempo but not just frantic running for the sake of it. Pressing was not the main focus today in east Manchester.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\n (Michael Regan\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

City focused on getting players between the lines before threading passes through from defence. Their wide players, Doku and Rayan Cherki, had freedom to move inside or stay wide. Liverpool, meanwhile, have beefed-up their centre with three \u2018proper\u2019 midfielders in the engine room, and this has meant \u00a3100million summer signing Florian Wirtz has become more influential, drifting inside from the left and finding pockets of space. He got two opponents booked in the first half, as City looked scared of his dribbling.<\/p>\n

OK, Haaland\u2019s headed opener was an old-school cross and header, but it came at the end of a long, flowing passing move, the type we\u2019ve seen little of this season. It featured every City outfielder. It featured patience, precision and a spot of individual brilliance. No complaints here.<\/p>\n

Michael Cox<\/p>\n

Should Van Dijk\u2019s header have stood?<\/b><\/p>\n

Liverpool thought that they had equalised when Van Dijk arrowed a header into the bottom corner from Mohamed Salah\u2019s drilled cross. Having been on the wrong end of so many set-piece goals this season, it looked like the tables had turned \u2014 until a flag spoiled the champions\u2019 celebrations.<\/p>\n

As Van Dijk\u2019s header sailed into the net, team-mate Robertson was standing in an offside position. Despite not being in the eyeline of goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, he was adjudged to be interfering with play.<\/p>\n

On X, the Premier League Match Centre account explained the decision like this: \u201cThe referee\u2019s call of offside and no goal to Liverpool was checked and confirmed by VAR \u2013 with Robertson in an offside position and deemed to be making an obvious action directly in front of the goalkeeper.\u201d<\/p>\n

The use of the phrase \u201cdirectly in front\u201d will cause plenty of frustration for Liverpool, because Robertson was clearly not directly in front of Donnarumma. The Premier League rules state that a player will be penalised if he is:<\/p>\n