Sky Sports pundit demands rule change after Liverpool controversy - 'Too complicated'

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Gary Lineker and Micah Richards have shared their verdict on whether Liverpool should have had a goal ruled out during their 3-0 defeat to Manchester City . Just before half-time at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday night, Virgil van Dijk thought he had levelled the scores after powering home a header .

However, Andy Robertson was deemed to be in an offside position when the Reds skipper connected with Mohamed Salah's corner-kick , nodding the ball into the top corner. The assistant referee raised his flag for offside.

Michael Oliver and assistant, Timothy Wood, examined the incident at Stockley Park and concluded the Liverpool full-back was interfering with play. An official statement from the Premier League Match Centre on X claimed that Robertson made an 'obvious action directly in front of the goalkeeper'.

Lineker and Richards felt the call was 'harsh', but they argued the disallowed equaliser wouldn't have altered the final result of the match. On the Rest Is Football podcast , the former Match of the Day presenter said: "I wonder if it would have made a difference at all.

"I suspect not, but we'll never know because it's hypothetical if the Virgil van Dijk goal had been given because that would have made it 1-1, wouldn't it? I think, I mean, it was a bit of a harsh one.

"I mean, yes, he was in an offside position and yes, he ducked out the way, but I don't think he affected the goalkeeper at all. There was one angle in particular you thought actually he's not in his line of sight.

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"I mean, he might be in his line of sight – it was one of those. I was surprised that they turned that over. I thought it was a harsh one on Liverpool, and Liverpool fans will obviously turn to that."

The former Manchester City defender chimed in: "Yeah, totally agree. I think at the time, what was it? One-nil, that would have made it one-all. I don't like it, and I agree with you, Gary.

"I think it's really, really harsh, and the referees have got a decision to make there. He does make a difference because he ducks out of the way, so the goalkeeper is always adapting to what's in front of him.

"But I don't think he would have got there anyway. So I think it's particularly harsh. And that could have been the difference in the game. But, you know, Man City were the better team anyway.

"So if Liverpool has scored, I then would have backed Man City to score, to score more goals in the game anyway."

On the topic of offside rules, Richards called for a change. The Sky Sports pundit added: "It's too complicated. Just simplify, if you're in an offside position, it's offside, it gets rid of all the debate, doesn't it?

"But yeah, I do feel for Liverpool on that particular decision because it was, yeah, he wasn't going to get the ball, Donnarumma, so I understand."

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