Liverpool
Howard Webb Defends Disallowed Van Dijk Header as Slot Protests Inconsistency
Howard Webb defended the disallowed Van Dijk header; Arne Slot called the decision wrong. Justified.
PGMOL chief Howard Webb has publicly defended the decision to rule out Virgil van Dijk’s header against Manchester City, responding directly to Arne Slot’s complaints about inconsistency.
After an unusually long delay, the assistant referee raised his flag, judging that Andy Robertson was offside and “deemed to be making an obvious action directly in front of the goalkeeper.” Neither Van Dijk nor Slot were impressed. VAR stood by the on-field call.
Webb set out the officials’ reasoning in detail. “As the ball moves towards Robertson—three yards out from goal in the middle of the six-yard box—he makes that clear action to duck below the ball,” the referees chief explained on Match Officials Mic’d Up . “It goes just over his head and finds the goal in the half of the six-yard box where he is.
“The officials have to make a judgement, did that clear action impact on the goalkeeper and his ability to save the ball? That’s where the subjectivity comes into play. They looked at that action so close to the goalkeeper and formed that opinion.
“I know that’s not a view held by everybody but it’s not unreasonable to understand why [the officials] would form that conclusion when the player is so close to the goalkeeper, the ball is coming right towards him and he has to duck to get out of the way.
“They form the conclusion that it impacts [Gianluigi] Donnarumma’s ability to dive towards the ball and make the save.
“Once they’ve made that on-field decision, the job of the VAR is to look at that and decide, ‘Was the outcome clearly and obviously wrong?’ Only Donnarumma truly knows if he was impacted by this and we have to look at the factual evidence.”
Slot was shown a previous case by a member of Liverpool’s staff. “Immediately after the game, someone showed me the goal that the same referee allowed—City against Wolves last season,” he crowed. That Molineux incident in October 2024 saw John Stones’s 95th-minute winner stand despite Bernardo Silva moving out of the ball’s path while stood in an offside position. On that occasion the on-field decision was overturned. As the Premier League explained at the time: “VAR deemed Bernardo Silva wasn’t in the line of vision and had no impact on the goalkeeper.”
Webb rejected the comparison. “There’s a clear difference here in that the ball goes directly over Sá’s head and doesn’t go over the head of Silva,” he sniffed. “He is in an offside position, importantly he moves away from the flight of the ball. ]”
Liverpool
Mac Allister hints at Liverpool contract talks as investment changes the mood
Mac Allister says Liverpool’s new investment could influence talks over his contract extension.
Alexis Mac Allister has suggested that Liverpool’s recent outside investment could shape any future discussion over a new deal, with the midfielder acknowledging that several moving parts are now in play around the club.
Interest in what the investment might mean has already extended beyond the balance sheet. There is a clear sense that it could influence spending on infrastructure, major signings or even the salaries of players already in the squad.
Mac Allister is among those whose situation may be affected. Although Liverpool previously informed him that they would not be renewing his current contract, which runs until 2028, his strong early-season return to form under the Andoni Iraola era has reopened the possibility that the club could reconsider.
The 27-year-old pointed to the manager change, the arrival of a new sporting director and the new investors as factors that could play into talks over his future.
“Now, the manager has changed, the sporting director has changed, and new investors are coming into the club,” Mac Allister told journalist Gaston Edul . “Today I’m in a position when anything can happen. I enjoy being here a lot.”
That assessment comes after an uneven 2025-26 campaign, with Mac Allister now showing enough improvement to make a contract extension harder to dismiss completely.
“I know I still have time left at the club, which is what I want the most,” he added. “I don’t judge the decision they made, I just take my emotions and we move forward. Everything can change before I become a free agent.”
Julian Ward’s arrival as sporting director is also relevant, given his role in bringing Mac Allister to Liverpool from Brighton & Hove Albion. The Athletic have reported that “the door isn’t closed regarding a new contract,” while adding that “Liverpool won’t be in a hurry regarding Mac Allister’s future.”
Arsenal
Barcola highlights Liverpool’s control problem after Arsenal defeat
Barcola says Liverpool need more control after Arsenal and the numbers partly support him.
Bradley Barcola’s reaction to Liverpool’s loss to Arsenal has put a clear focus on the next stage of Andoni Iraola’s rebuild. The forward said the team need greater control and more composure in matches of this kind, especially when they are drawn into direct play rather than keeping the ball on the ground.
That message comes against a generally positive backdrop. Liverpool have already moved past Atlético Madrid, LASK and Villarreal with different levels of comfort, and they remain on course for a top-eight finish for the third straight season. That would spare them two extra fixtures in the new year.
Results have not been the major issue in Iraola’s opening months. Arne Slot’s successor has suffered only two defeats in all competitions, and Liverpool’s European form has been matched by a Carabao Cup quarterfinal place and fifth position in the Premier League. Even so, the rare home defeat to Arsenal showed that the side are still evolving.
Liverpool had their strongest moments after falling behind, with their work without the ball making life difficult for the champions. They controlled territory for long stretches and recorded 30 touches in Arsenal’s box in the first half, yet they did not manage a shot on target before the interval. Alexis Mac Allister also had a chance to level the game before half-time.
After the break, Mikel Arteta’s adjustments helped Arsenal settle, and Liverpool’s momentum faded. Barcola struggled to make repeated one-on-one progress and at times did not even look to take Jurrïen Timber on.
The numbers back up part of his complaint. Liverpool completed just 11 long passes, with a success rate of 25%, and only 11% of their crosses found a team-mate. Their average possession share ranks seventh in the Premier League, per Opta, while they have also produced 17 through balls, the joint-10th-highest total.
Barcola’s own game is built around running in behind, and he is still waiting for his first Premier League goal. Signed for huge money as Liverpool’s third-most expensive arrival ever, he was not universally viewed as a direct Mohamed Salah replacement because he prefers to play on the left. Salah left Anfield at the end of last season and later joined Trabzonspor on a free transfer, but Barcola said he feels no pressure from that departure: “Regarding Mo Salah, he’s a legend here. A huge one. He’s done big things here, and for that I have an enormous respect for him. But it’s not pressure for me at all.
Arsenal
Hincapié’s swipe adds edge to Arsenal’s Anfield victory
Arsenal won at Anfield, then Piero Hincapié added a pointed social media jab at Virgil van Dijk.
Arsenal left Anfield with three valuable points, but Piero Hincapié also found room for a pointed dig at Virgil van Dijk on social media after the final whistle.
The defender’s three-word jab appeared to reference a post Van Dijk made in January, following a goalless meeting with Arsenal. That earlier message had drawn attention to the competition emblem, with the Liverpool captain posting while his side were still champions. The post has since been flooded with comments, many apparently from Arsenal supporters, who have continued to remind Van Dijk of it.
Van Dijk’s January caption was aimed at acknowledging the serious injury suffered by Conor Bradley in that match. He wrote: “We are a team, we are friends but most importantly we are a family,” echoing the final line of a hand-written fan letter.
Hincapié’s swipe sat awkwardly alongside a result Arsenal had every reason to celebrate on its own merits. Declan Rice played a decisive role in the winner, setting up Kai Havertz during an explosive opening spell for the visitors. Arsenal then had to absorb sustained pressure, with the hosts dominating much of the remaining 75 minutes.
Rice said the performance reflected the standards building inside the club. “For sure,” Rice agreed when this point was put to him in the postmatch mixed zone. “It’s just drilled into us. What the manager [Mikel Arteta] has built at this club and the togetherness of the lads—you don’t get that performance without the lads being all together.
“The way the manager has everything under control, the way everyone works towards everything he wants is not like anything I’ve ever seen before. So credit to us for what we have been doing for the last few years. Now it’s a massive thing to deliver again this year.”
Rice added: “We had to dig in and give it everything because they throw so many attacks at you,” Rice added. “We had to be resilient and strong. It was a great win.”
