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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.

DEADLINE IMMINENT: CAN CONOR BRADLEY AND GAKPO PASS FITNESS TESTS BEFORE WOLVES KICK-OFF

Arne Slot faces an injury headache as Alexander Isak is ruled out for months. Get the latest on Bradley, Gakpo, and Wirtz here.

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Arne Slot Plans To Beat Wolves

Here's the injury news for Liverpool, looking at Conor Bradley, Cody Gakpo, Florian Wirtz, Ibrahima Konate, and others.

Arne Slot's squad will be a bit thin when Liverpool plays Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday.

The Reds are trying to keep their unbeaten streak going (it's at seven games right now) against the team at the bottom of the Premier League. Even though Liverpool is expected to win, they aren't taking Wolves lightly, especially with Slot's injury concerns. This makes things a bit harder.

Here's a quick rundown of the injury situation before the game and who might be ready to play:

Florian Wirtz - Cramp

This midfielder had to come off late in the Spurs game. But Slot says Wirtz is doing okay and has been training this week, so he should be good to go against Wolves.

Expected Return: Wolves (Home), Saturday, December 27

Conor Bradley - Unknown

This right-back was subbed out at halftime against Tottenham. Bradley got some treatment in the first half after running into Djed Spence. He played until halftime, but now it's a coin flip whether he'll play against Wolves. Liverpool will check on Bradley's condition on Friday.

Possible Return: Wolves (Home), Saturday, December 27

Ibrahima Konate - Unknown

This defender has been in the starting lineup for every Premier League game this season. Things have been looking up recently. But Konate wasn't seen at training on Tuesday. He was also missing from a photo Liverpool put up on Christmas Eve. It's possible Liverpool is keeping a close eye on him, or he's not training for another reason.

Possible Return: Wolves (Home), Saturday, December 27

Cody Gakpo - Muscle Problem

This winger hasn't played in the last three games. But the injury isn't as bad as Liverpool thought. He's got a small chance to play against Wolves.

Possible Return: Wolves (Home), Saturday, December 27

Joe Gomez - Muscle Problem

This defender had to be taken out during Liverpool's 2-0 win over Brighton earlier this month. Gomez is still out, but it's not thought to be too bad.

Possible Return: Leeds (Home), Thursday, January 1

Wataru Endo - Ankle

This midfielder hurt his ankle in the 3-3 draw at Leeds at the start of the month. There's no date yet for when the Japan international will be back.

Possible Return: January

Alexander Isak - Leg

This striker is going to be out for a while after fracturing his fibula against Spurs. Isak is on the injured list for at least a couple of months, and Liverpool won't want to bring him back too soon.

Possible Return: March

Giovanni Leoni - ACL

This centre-back is still recovering from an ACL injury. Leoni won’t play again this season.

Possible Return: August

Mo Salah - African Cup of Nations

This winger is playing for Egypt in the tournament. They're one of the favourites to win, and the final is on January 18. This means Salah could be gone for a bit.

Possible Return: Not Applicable

Dominik Szoboszlai - Suspension

This midfielder got his fifth Premier League yellow card of the season against Spurs, so he's suspended for one game.

Expected Return: Leeds (Home), Thursday, January 1

WHY FLORIAN WIRTZ’S RECORD TRANSFER IS AFFECTING ALEXIS MAC ALLISTER’S MIDFIELD ROLE

Despite his title-winning heroics, Alexis Mac Allister’s dip in form has sparked concerns at Anfield this Christmas Eve.

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Arne Slot demands top form from Mac Allister

The Anfield crowd was ready to explode as the game started. It felt right that Alexis Mac Allister kicked off the celebration.

Back in April, Liverpool needed a win against Tottenham to clinch their 20th title. They fell behind early after a goal from their old player, Dominic Solanke, but Luis Diaz quickly tied it up.

The crowd was still buzzing from Diaz's goal when Ryan Gravenberch got the ball near Tottenham's box and passed it back to Mac Allister, who took a shot from about 20 yards.

The goalie didn't even see it! Mac Allister's shot flew into the top corner, setting off a party that lasted way past the 5-1 victory.

Everyone knew Mac Allister was a steal after his first season, costing only £35 million from Brighton in the summer of 2023.

But by helping Arne Slot's team win the title, Mac Allister, who also won the World Cup in 2022, proved he's one of the best midfielders around.

That crazy afternoon at Anfield now feels like a turning point for the player, who just turned 27 on Christmas Eve.

Mac Allister didn't start in the last four games of last season because of an injury. He had to miss Argentina's summer games, and everyone thought some rest would fix him up for the new season.

But it didn't work out that way. His training was messed up, and he was one of several Liverpool players who were trying to catch up in the first few months.

It's been rough, but surprisingly, he only missed one of Liverpool's 26 games this season due to injury—the 3-2 win against Newcastle in August. He also sat out the League Cup game against Southampton to rest.

He's had some good moments, like the winning header against Real Madrid in the Champions League in November. But he only has two assists. Mac Allister isn't contributing as much as he should and often looks a bit slow.

To be fair, he's been playing better lately. He played the full 90 minutes in six of the last eight games without any problems.

He's also getting used to a new spot. Last season, Mac Allister and Gravenberch were key in defensive midfield, but they only started together six times before November. Liverpool is trying to fit Florian Wirtz, who cost them £116m, into the lineup while also finding a place for Dominik Szoboszlai, who's been amazing this season.

His better play in the last few weeks has happened while he's been playing as a number 10, ahead of Gravenberch and Curtis Jones, but his individual performance hasn't always been consistent.

Still, he's an important player for Liverpool's coach, Slot, mainly because he can play different positions. Mac Allister became a dad for the first time in September and is halfway through his five-year deal. Liverpool will want to start talking about a new contract soon, especially since Real Madrid is supposedly interested in him.

For now, the main goal is to bring out the best in Mac Allister again. With lots to do in the Premier League and Champions League this season, Slot needs his star midfielder back in top form ASAP.

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