{"id":135261,"date":"2026-03-01T11:57:43","date_gmt":"2026-03-01T11:57:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=135261"},"modified":"2026-03-01T11:57:43","modified_gmt":"2026-03-01T11:57:43","slug":"var-controversy-erupts-after-virgil-van-dijk-goal-as-mark-goldbridge-questions-premier-league-consistency-%e2%9a%bd%f0%9f%94%a5","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=135261","title":{"rendered":"VAR Controversy Erupts After Virgil van Dijk Goal as Mark Goldbridge Questions Premier League Consistency \u26bd\ud83d\udd25"},"content":{"rendered":"<section>\n<article id=\"post-3455\">\n<div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sportentz.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/screenshot_20260228-1758171536705833216506358.jpg?resize=640%2C329&amp;ssl=1\" \/>Liverpool supporters were celebrating another impressive victory at Anfield, but the conversation after the match quickly shifted to a familiar topic \u2014 <strong>VAR controversy<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>During the game, Liverpool F.C. secured a convincing <strong>5\u20132 win over West Ham United F.C.<\/strong>, with captain Virgil van Dijk scoring from close range after a corner kick. The goal briefly went through a <strong>VAR review<\/strong>, but officials allowed it to stand despite Joe Gomez appearing to be in an offside position during the build-up.<\/p>\n<p>Officials ultimately decided that Gomez <strong>did not interfere with play<\/strong>, meaning the goal was perfectly legal.<\/p>\n<p>However, the decision quickly sparked debate across social media \u2014 especially from popular football pundit and YouTuber Mark Goldbridge.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2>Goldbridge Points Out \u201cContradiction\u201d in VAR Decisions<\/h2>\n<p>Shortly after the goal was confirmed, Goldbridge took to social media to highlight what he believes is <strong>a major inconsistency in VAR rulings<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>He argued that a <strong>very similar situation earlier in the season<\/strong> produced a completely different outcome. In that earlier incident, a goal from Van Dijk against Manchester City F.C. was disallowed because officials believed Andy Robertson had interfered with goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma despite not touching the ball.<\/p>\n<p>According to Goldbridge, the two scenarios looked almost identical, which raised questions about how VAR applies the rules.<\/p>\n<p>He suggested that allowing the goal against West Ham effectively proved that the earlier decision against Manchester City <strong>may have been incorrect<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2>Why the Decision Frustrates Fans<\/h2>\n<p>The debate highlights one of the biggest complaints surrounding VAR in the Premier League \u2014 <strong>inconsistent interpretation of interference and offside involvement<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>While many Liverpool fans were delighted with the result, some supporters across the league believe the situation once again shows how confusing VAR decisions can be.<\/p>\n<p>For Liverpool, though, the controversy did little to overshadow the team\u2019s strong performance. The Reds continued their winning momentum under manager Arne Slot, and Van Dijk\u2019s goal added to an impressive scoring run for the Dutch defender.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2>A Bigger Conversation for English Football<\/h2>\n<p>Moments like this continue to fuel the debate about <strong>VAR transparency and consistency<\/strong> in English football.<\/p>\n<p>With every controversial decision, pressure grows on refereeing bodies to clarify how rules are applied \u2014 and fans are demanding fewer contradictions.<\/p>\n<p>For now, Liverpool supporters will happily take the goal and the victory. But the discussion sparked by Goldbridge suggests that <strong>VAR debates in the Premier League are far from over.<\/strong><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p>If you want, I can also turn this into a <strong>high-click SEO blog format for your WordPress site (with headline formulas and meta description)<\/strong> so it ranks better on Google.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Liverpool supporters were celebrating another impressive victory at Anfield, but the conversation after the match quickly shifted to a familiar topic \u2014 VAR controversy. During the game, Liverpool F.C. secured a convincing 5\u20132 win over West Ham United F.C., with captain Virgil van Dijk scoring from close range after a corner kick. The goal briefly\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":135263,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-135261","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-football"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>VAR Controversy Erupts After Virgil van Dijk Goal as Mark Goldbridge Questions Premier League Consistency \u26bd\ud83d\udd25 - News 365<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=135261\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"VAR Controversy Erupts After Virgil van Dijk Goal as Mark Goldbridge Questions Premier League Consistency \u26bd\ud83d\udd25 - News 365\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Liverpool supporters were celebrating another impressive victory at Anfield, but the conversation after the match quickly shifted to a familiar topic \u2014 VAR controversy. During the game, Liverpool F.C. secured a convincing 5\u20132 win over West Ham United F.C., with captain Virgil van Dijk scoring from close range after a corner kick. The goal briefly\u2026\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=135261\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"News 365\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-03-01T11:57:43+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/645956431_122223644522274871_1851205549453039217_n.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1080\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1341\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"XuanTan\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"XuanTan\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=135261\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=135261\",\"name\":\"VAR Controversy Erupts After Virgil van Dijk Goal as Mark Goldbridge Questions Premier League Consistency \u26bd\ud83d\udd25 - News 365\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=135261#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=135261#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/645956431_122223644522274871_1851205549453039217_n.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-03-01T11:57:43+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-03-01T11:57:43+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/768f2fb5495a13a3103b4a8727c0f5fd\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=135261#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=135261\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=135261#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/645956431_122223644522274871_1851205549453039217_n.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/645956431_122223644522274871_1851205549453039217_n.jpg\",\"width\":1080,\"height\":1341},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=135261#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"VAR Controversy Erupts After Virgil van Dijk Goal as Mark Goldbridge Questions Premier League Consistency \u26bd\ud83d\udd25\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/\",\"name\":\"News 365\",\"description\":\"Your Daily Dose of Sports News and Updates\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/768f2fb5495a13a3103b4a8727c0f5fd\",\"name\":\"XuanTan\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/827d37323b8931fddf938d62f9285d39ced4f4d64291f6f1aee43e8d606182eb?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/827d37323b8931fddf938d62f9285d39ced4f4d64291f6f1aee43e8d606182eb?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"XuanTan\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?author=7\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"VAR Controversy Erupts After Virgil van Dijk Goal as Mark Goldbridge Questions Premier League Consistency \u26bd\ud83d\udd25 - News 365","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=135261","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"VAR Controversy Erupts After Virgil van Dijk Goal as Mark Goldbridge Questions Premier League Consistency \u26bd\ud83d\udd25 - News 365","og_description":"Liverpool supporters were celebrating another impressive victory at Anfield, but the conversation after the match quickly shifted to a familiar topic \u2014 VAR controversy. During the game, Liverpool F.C. secured a convincing 5\u20132 win over West Ham United F.C., with captain Virgil van Dijk scoring from close range after a corner kick. The goal briefly\u2026","og_url":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=135261","og_site_name":"News 365","article_published_time":"2026-03-01T11:57:43+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1080,"height":1341,"url":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/645956431_122223644522274871_1851205549453039217_n.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"XuanTan","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"XuanTan","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=135261","url":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=135261","name":"VAR Controversy Erupts After Virgil van Dijk Goal as Mark Goldbridge Questions Premier League Consistency \u26bd\ud83d\udd25 - News 365","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=135261#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=135261#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/645956431_122223644522274871_1851205549453039217_n.jpg","datePublished":"2026-03-01T11:57:43+00:00","dateModified":"2026-03-01T11:57:43+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/768f2fb5495a13a3103b4a8727c0f5fd"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=135261#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=135261"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=135261#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/645956431_122223644522274871_1851205549453039217_n.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/645956431_122223644522274871_1851205549453039217_n.jpg","width":1080,"height":1341},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=135261#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"VAR Controversy Erupts After Virgil van Dijk Goal as Mark Goldbridge Questions Premier League Consistency \u26bd\ud83d\udd25"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/","name":"News 365","description":"Your Daily Dose of Sports News and Updates","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/768f2fb5495a13a3103b4a8727c0f5fd","name":"XuanTan","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/827d37323b8931fddf938d62f9285d39ced4f4d64291f6f1aee43e8d606182eb?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/827d37323b8931fddf938d62f9285d39ced4f4d64291f6f1aee43e8d606182eb?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"XuanTan"},"url":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?author=7"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/135261","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=135261"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/135261\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":135264,"href":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/135261\/revisions\/135264"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/135263"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=135261"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=135261"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=135261"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}