ANDY ROBERTSON BREAKS SILENCE — INSIDE LIVERPOOL’S FURIOUS RESPONSE TO CITY VAR

Andy Robertson says Liverpool are "hugely frustrated" after Virgil van Dijk's equaliser against Man City was controversially disallowed for his offside interference on the goalkeeper, a decision the club has officially challenged.

Andy Robertson breaks silence — inside Liverpool’s furious response to City VAR
Andy Robertson - Photo Credit: Getty Images

After Virgil van Dijk's equaliser against Manchester City was controversially disallowed, a dejected Andy Robertson claims that the Liverpool team was left "hugely upset." After City took the lead through Erling Haaland in the first half, Liverpool captain Van Dijk appeared to make it 1-1 with a header into Mo Salah's corner.

But after Robertson was found to have obstructed City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, the goal was disallowed. "It was assessed that Robertson was making a clear action straight in front of the goalie," the Premier League's official Match Centre account on X wrote in a post. Since then, Liverpool has been in touch with the PGMOL to formally challenge the ruling with Howard Webb, the referee's chief.

Nico Gonzalez helped Pep Guardiola's team increase their lead before halftime, and Jeremy Doku made it 3-0 in the second half. "I believe at first they were looking at whether I was in the goalkeeper's eyesight," Robertson said after the game, expressing Liverpool's unhappiness with the decision.

"Everyone can probably rule that out. If they say that, I believe there will be more serious issues. Although it is obvious that I am out of the goalkeeper's line of sight, I believe they then somewhat alter that by stating that, although it is obvious that I ducked, I believe that this makes me smaller, which makes it easier for the goalie to see the ball and, in my opinion, does not mean [Donnarumma] gets it anyhow.

No one will argue with that, but the referee awards it, the linesman clearly calls it offside, it goes to VAR, and you assume it is going to be a perfectly good goal. Then, it is shown on the big screen, which irritates us all to no end. However, it is one of those; the referee finds challenging.

"You look to the VAR to sort of assist him out, and I felt bad for the referee. It is clearly a grey area, since I believe many are now pointing to a fairly similar scenario with City's away loss to Wolves last season, which was given. It was a pivotal point in the game since it was extremely annoying and would have immediately put us back in when we most likely did not deserve it."

Robertson continued: "[It was] difficult. In the first half, I believe they defeated us. They made it incredibly hard for us, in my opinion. I did not think we were exactly at the levels we have displayed in the last two games, but they performed pretty well, which sometimes you have to say that.

We scored a perfectly respectable goal at 1-0, in my opinion, and if you go into 1-1 when you may not have earned it, that probably alters everything. And while I disagree with their justification, it is really annoying when you move on and then we let up a deflected goal.

"I thought they played a really, really fantastic game, and we pushed hard in the second half, maybe even scoring with the balls flashing across the face, but we were not quite at the levels today. It is difficult to respond since we are really sad that City defeated us 3-0, but I believe that City outperformed everyone in the league with their performance today.

"They defeat everyone in the league, in my opinion, if they continue to play the way they did. We faced a very strong City team today, but if we were a Liverpool squad, the outcome would likely be different, and that is where it falls short. Our displeasure stems from the fact that we did not perform as well as we know we can.

"3-0 is obviously not a good score. Extremely annoying, and we will undoubtedly regret it, but this week must have been positive except for today. We were improving; we gave two excellent performances, and I believe we played passably today in several areas.

We need consistency; therefore, it is crucial that we take this international break, return, and then hopefully continue. Everyone stated that, I believe. We must now continue to do well on a regular basis. Let us see where that leads us, of course.

Liverpool's match against Nottingham Forest at Anfield marks their return to action after the international break.

MOHAMED SALAH SET TO LEAVE LIVERPOOL: FENERBAHCE PREPARE STUNNING THREE-YEAR CONTRACT OFFER

After a decade at Anfield, Mohamed Salah's next move is the talk of football. Will he join Messi or stay in European leagues?

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Salah Rejects Saudi Millions - Photo Credit: Getty Images

Mohamed Salah looks set to leave Liverpool this summer, and it sounds like he wants to stay in Europe. One of the hottest rumours right now is about Fenerbahçe; they’re ready to offer him a three-year deal worth around £52 million. That’s a huge pay packet, but probably not as big as what he’d get in Saudi Arabia.

Salah’s been on Merseyside for almost a decade, and it’s hard to overstate just how much he’s done for Liverpool. Since joining in 2017 with Jurgen Klopp in charge, he’s picked up two Premier League titles, a Champions League medal, an FA Cup, and two League Cups. Pretty impressive, honestly. But this season hasn’t gone his way, and new boss Arne Slot dropped him for a few games after his form dipped. When Salah announced in March that he’d be leaving, people started up with transfer rumours right away.

In recent years, clubs from the Saudi Pro League have shown considerable interest. Last year, Al Ittihad went as far as slapping a £150 million offer on the table, but Liverpool turned it down.

Now the story goes that Salah wants to stay in Europe even though he’d pocket way more in Saudi Arabia. Reports out of Egypt claim Fenerbahce, managed by Jose Mourinho’s old club, have already sat down with Salah’s agent. They apparently laid out their big plans, offering £17.3 million a year with a three-year contract, and they want to build the team around him to end their league title drought stretching back to 2014.

There’s also talk of Real Madrid getting involved. Still, their transfer policy usually steers clear of handing massive contracts to players pushing the end of their careers, even superstars like Salah. Clubs in Italy, like Roma, Juventus, and Inter Milan, are keeping tabs on him too. And just to make things more interesting, someone floated the idea of Salah joining up with Lionel Messi at Inter Miami in the MLS, though the league's salary cap throws a wrench into that.

At this point, everybody’s watching Salah’s next move; the only certainty is that he won’t be short of offers when he finally says goodbye to Liverpool.

WHY IS LIVERPOOL HESITATING TO HIRE XABI ALONSO DESPITE OVERWHELMING FAN SUPPORT?

Liverpool has contacted Real Madrid to investigate Xabi Alonso’s tenure, as pressure grows on current manager Arne Slot at Anfield.

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Liverpool Seek "Inside Scoop" From Madrid On Alonso’s Sacking Background - Photo Credit: Getty Images

Liverpool have reached out to Real Madrid to ask about Xabi Alonso, but honestly, there’s some debate going on behind the scenes. People have been talking about Alonso stepping in at Anfield, especially since Arne Slot’s season hasn’t gone over well. Fans let out some boos after that 1-1 draw with Chelsea, and the mood is pretty tense. Even though Slot led Liverpool to a league title last year, quite a few supporters seem fed up with him and would rather see Alonso take charge.

But Spanish outlet AS says Liverpool have contacted Real Madrid to get the inside scoop on what happened during Alonso’s time at the club. It sounds like the decision-makers at Liverpool are starting to feel unsure about him, and they might actually stick with Slot for another season.

Alonso landed the Real Madrid job last summer after doing wonders at Bayer Leverkusen. Still, just six months in, Madrid let him go, reportedly because the locker room was falling apart. Liverpool’s relationship with Real Madrid is strong, and they apparently want some honest feedback – kind of like asking for a reference from a past employer, which isn’t unusual.

Liverpool’s spot in next year’s Champions League is almost locked in, but with two games left, it’s not guaranteed yet. When asked about the boos, Slot admitted he has some work to do to win fans over.

He said, “Not this season. Fans won’t change their minds now. But if we get the summer we’re planning, I’m convinced we’ll be a different team next season. Results, style, everything. It’s not always easy, though. Sometimes you know what needs fixing, but getting what you want isn’t so simple. This season, it’s been pretty clear what we’re missing. We’re trying to solve it, but one issue is simply having enough fit players. Still, our guys show every week in the second half that they’re giving everything they’ve got.”

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