By Martin Graham
The video review system is often caught between excitement and regulation, and this latest episode at Anfield was a perfect example. What appeared to be a spectacular finish Manchester City he overturned, causing frustration throughout the stadium and beyond.
City believed they had added a decisive third in the dying seconds against them Liverpoolsealing one of the most chaotic finishes of the campaign. Celebration followed instantly, but it didn’t last long.
A review was initiated due to an infringement that occurred moments before the ball crossed the line. Although unpopular, intervention was inevitable under the laws.
The officials faced a situation where a foul directly influenced whether a goal could be stopped. In those circumstances, ignoring the incident was never a realistic option.
How the incident unfolded
With Liverpool pressing for an equaliser, Alisson he had advanced on a late save, leaving his goal unprotected. From within his own half, Ryan Cherki rolled the ball into the empty net.
Erling Haaland she ran after him, quickly moving away Dominik Szoboszlai. The City striker had gained a clear advantage and looked ready to finish the move.
However, Szoboszlai pulled him back, an offense spotted by referee Craig Pawson, who decided to allow play to continue. As the ball neared the line, the Liverpool midfielder recovered and prepared to make a final clearance.
Before that could happen, Haaland grabbed his opponent, preventing any attempt to stop the shot. That second action became decisive.
The previous fault does not nullify what followed. Barring that, there was a strong chance the defender would have denied the score. Because of this, allowing the goal was never possible.
Reaction and fall
Had Szoboszlai managed to clear the danger, play would have been stopped and he would have been dismissed for stopping an obvious chance. The final result coincided with this logic: no goal and a sending off.
From a technical point of view, officials reached the only conclusion open to them. Still, acceptance proved difficult.
Gary Neville described the call as deeply unsatisfactory, arguing that it removed one of the highlights of the season and sapped the enjoyment of the show.
Roy Keane took the opposite view, suggesting that the controversy increased tension rather than lessening it.
Haaland himself admitted sympathy for his former Salzburg team-mate, saying the referee had little choice. Pep Guardiola summed up the wider sentiment with a plea for simplicity, wishing the goal had been scored and the evening over.
