The PGMOL have released the audio and full transcript of the conversation between officials in the build-up to the controversial decision to disallow Manchester City’s goal against Liverpool.
In the Premier League fixture at the start of February, Arne Slot’s side had taken the lead through Dominik Szoboszlai’s fantastic free-kick, but City hit back through late goals from Bernardo Silva and Erling Haaland.
However, a contentious decision was made in the dying embers of the game. Haaland had broken through on goal with nobody to beat, thanks to Alisson heading up the pitch to help Liverpool find a late leveller. But the Norwegian jostled with Szoboszlai to reach Rayan Cherki’s through ball, leading to both players falling to the turf.
Gary Neville was baffled, saying: “There’s no football person who would disallow that goal.”
The ball eventually travelled over the goal line, leading to wild celebrations in the away end. But referee Craig Pawson then elected to disallow the goal and show Szoboszlai a red card, as his foul on Haaland had led to the denial of a goalscoring opportunity (DOGSO).
PGMOL Release Audio of Disallowed Goal From Liverpool 1-2 Man City
The aftermath gave way to criticism, as Pep Guardiola criticised the PGMOL for choosing to rule out the goal. But audio of the incident has since been released to give a detailed breakdown of why the strike was chalked off.
Check Out the Full Transcript Below:
VAR: “Possible offside.”
Assistant VAR: “DOGSO.”
VAR: “The first one.”
Pawson: “For me, the on-field decision is goal.”
VAR: “Goal anyway, but we have a defensive free kick. We have a clear defensive free kick.”
Assistant VAR: “Just wait because there’s a second foul afterwards.”
VAR: “I know. Wait for the on-field decision… Paws (Craig Pawson), just confirm the on-field decision.”
Assistant Referee 1: “Paws, confirm the on-field decision for John (John Brooks – VAR).”
Pawson: “The on-field decision is goal. There’s an initial foul on Erling Haaland.”
VAR: “Ok, checking the on-field decision of goal. Roll it through please.”
Pawson: “I play advantage. If not, I’m sending off.”
VAR: “Frame two… Clearly in his own half. Roll it through. And then we have a clear foul on Erling Haaland and then a clear foul on the defender. So we can’t allow this goal because there’s a foul… “
Assistant VAR: “You can’t ignore them both.”
VAR: “No, listen. So we have a clear foul on the defender, so we can’t ignore it. However, there’s a clear free kick just before and a DOGSO. Because that’s why Erling Haaland doesn’t get on the end of the ball.”
Assistant VAR: “Yes, I agree.”
VAR: “So it’s on-field review. Cancel the goal and recommend a review for a DOGSO by Szoboszlai.”
Assistant VAR: “Absolutely agree.”
VAR: “Paws, we are going to be recommending an on-field review for disallowing the Manchester City goal and awarding them a free kick and a denial of a goal-scoring opportunity. I’ll explain it when you get to the screen… Roll it through and I want to show him the foul on Szoboszlai first.”
Pawson: “So, there’s a free kick, the initial one, and then you’re saying there’s another one after?”
VAR: “So there’s a clear foul here on Erling Haaland, which means he cannot get to the ball, ok?”
Pawson: “Yeah. That’s the pull back. That’s the one I played advantage on, yeah.”
VAR: “But then we cannot play advantage and ignore this because there is a clear holding offence on the defender, there.”
Pawson: “Ah, I didn’t see that.”
VAR: “So, we have to disallow the goal for the holding on the defender, award Manchester City a free kick and give a red card for a DOGSO by Szoboszlai… Are you ok with that with announcement?”
Pawson: “The restart is going to be a direct free kick [to Man City] and a red card for Dominik Szoboszlai.”
VAR: “Because that offence occurs first, correct. It’s Liverpool number eight. Liverpool number eight.”
Howard Webb Explains Thought Process Behind the Decision
With the audio airing on the Premier League’s Match Officials Mic’d Up show, Michael Owen then asked Howard Webb why Pawson could not simply allow the goal to stand and ignore both fouls. But the PGMOL chief said that the referee could not ignore Haaland’s foul on Szoboszlai in the build up.
He said: “To referee at Premier League level, you need a feel for the game and an understanding, and we try to apply common sense where possible, but there’s a limit to that.
“The ball only goes in the goal because Erling Haaland pulls Szoboszlai, preventing him from being able to clear the ball, so we can’t allow that goal to stand for that reason.
“The referee tried to play an advantage when Szoboszlai initially pulls Haaland and he waits to see what happens and if the ball goes straight to the goal — that’s a good advantage, and we give the goal. But the ball only goes into the goal because Haaland clearly commits an offence on Szoboszlai.
“We can’t ignore that; we can’t, therefore, just allow the advantage because it’s only accrued because of that action by Haaland, so we have to go right back to the initial offence, which is the one by Szoboszlai pulling Haaland. It’s outside the penalty area, it denies an obvious goalscoring opportunity, so a free-kick is given and Szoboszlai is sent off.
“He was appealing for this foul by Haaland. He was right to appeal because it was a foul, but unfortunately for him, he’s committed an initial offence that has to be penalised, and we end up in what is clearly the right place through the use of VAR.”
Arsenal are in the market for a new forward in the summer transfer window, and one of their targets has now rejected a new contract worth three times his current salary.
It’s been a slow start to the summer transfer window for the Gunners, who are yet to confirm an official signing so far.
It’s no surprise that Arsenal aren’t panicking in the market, as they have already built a squad capable of winning the Premier League and reaching the Champions League final.
There’s plenty of time remaining in the window for the Gunners to bring in new additions, and there’s no doubt they’ll still look to strengthen Mikel Arteta’s squad.
Arsenal will be looking to ensure this doesn’t happen again when trying to sign young talents, so they’ll be hoping to get deals over the line quicker.
Arsenal have had a long-standing interest in Tyjon, labelled ‘eye-catching’, from Blackburn, and his rejection of a new contract could open the door for Arsenal to make a move.
Christian Horner made his first appearance in the F1 paddock since being sacked by Red Bull last year when he attended Sunday’s British Grand Prix.
It didn’t take Sky Sports’ Craig Slater long to track down the 52-year-old, with the journalist being keen to get answers about Horner’s potential future in the sport.
The veteran team principal was quick to try and play the relaxed spectator, mentioning he’s been to Silverstone every year since 1993. Interestingly, though, Horner was accompanied by F1 PR Guru Alice Hedworth, which suggests that there was likely a business element to his presence at the race.
Christian Horner Addresses Rumours of F1 Return at British Grand Prix
When he was asked about rumours that he could be tempted to invest in a struggling team or front an entirely new grid entry, Horner did not shut the noise down. Instead, he issued a bold statement of intent, detailing the exact baseline a team would need to get him back involved in the sport.
“For me, I would only look at doing the right thing, something that really had an opportunity to win at the end of the day”, Horner insisted.
That one line says a lot about Horner’s mindset about returning to the sport. He is seeking a partnership that can take the fight directly to his former employers, with whom he spent 20 years before being shown the door last July.
Christian Horner’s Options For F1 Return Explored
The most tangible rumour relating to Horner involves a consortium looking to invest in Alpine. The French Renault-backed team is currently floundering in mid-table. With its infrastructure, though, and high investment backing from firm Otro Capital, they will be looking to benefit from Horner’s track record of leading an elite team.
Then there is Aston Martin, for whom Horner stated that it feels painful for him to watch struggling. With a state-of-the-art wind tunnel and upcoming factory in the Honda engine deal, the pieces of a winning puzzle are there if the right mastermind pulls them together.
The most ambitious route back to the sport for Horner would be for him to get involved with a brand-new team. Reports suggest that a 12th team could soon be added to the grid, backed by Chinese automotive giant BYD. Fronting a total newcomer would give Horner a completely new clean slate to build a powerhouse from the ground up, entirely on his own terms.
“There is so much speculation, I think I have been linked with every team on the grid so far today. I am just here to enjoy the race.” Horner reasoned as he tried to deflect from Slater’s questioning.
Horner claims he is in no rush, but walking the Silverstone paddock is the ultimate power move. He has officially signalled to all potential suitors that he is interested in making a deal, but only if they can meet his own ambitions.
Rangers have been handed an avenue to complete a deal for Lewis Ferguson after it emerged that Bologna want to sign an Ibrox star, according to the Daily Record.
The Light Blues have had a busy summer window already after finishing third in the Scottish Premiership, with Derek McInnes replacing Danny Rohl as manager and all of Lawrence Shankland, Ben Godfrey, Ivor Pandur, Ross McCrorie, and Dan Neil arriving as part of the squad for next season.
But the club are still keen to make even more additions before the start of the new campaign, with Scotland star Ferguson understood to be a top target. Now, they’ve been made aware of a potential path to get a deal done.
Rangers Star Connor Barron Eyed by Bologna
According to the Daily Record, Serie A giants are aware of interest in Ferguson and have once again added Rangers star Connor Barron to their wishlist of summer transfers.
Barron, who has been described as ‘brilliant’, joined Rangers on a free transfer in 2024, and had been targeted by the Italian outfit then, but opted to move to Ibrox instead. Bologna also tried to sign him last summer, but their enquiry was rejected by club chiefs in Glasgow.
Now they are looking at trying to bring him in once again, and Rangers could be open to a sale if it means they can sign the Bologna captain Ferguson as a result.
