\n<\/p>\n
With Alisson marooned upfield for a set-piece as Liverpool<\/a> searched for a late equaliser, Rayan Cherki kicked the ball towards an empty net from just inside his own half.<\/p>\n Haaland gave chase and was clearly going to outpace Dominik Szoboszlai.<\/p>\n The City striker had overtaken Szoboszlai 25 yards from goal and looked certain to win the race – but he was pulled back.<\/p>\n It was a clear foul which referee Craig Pawson identified, but he played an advantage.<\/p>\n As the ball rolled towards the goal with the same two players still jostling to reach it, Liverpool<\/a>‘s Hungary international was about to slide in and clear it off the line.<\/p>\n Before Szoboszlai could do so, however, Haaland pulled him back, and that stopped the home player from keeping the ball out of the net.<\/p>\n The first pull on the Norway striker muddies the waters. After all, it seemed Haaland was definitely going to score.<\/p>\n But they are two distinct situations. You have to separate the first foul by Szoboszlai and the subsequent offence from Haaland.<\/p>\n Would Szoboszlai have prevented the goal had he not been fouled? There is a high chance.<\/p>\n On that basis it is impossible for the goal to stand.<\/p>\n Remember that Pawson played advantage. Had Szoboszlai been allowed to successfully keep the ball out, the play would have been brought back and he would have been sent off.<\/p>\n The end result would be the same as the outcome of the VAR intervention: no goal and Szoboszlai sent off for denying an obvious goalscoring opportunity.<\/p>\n If you take out the first pull on Haaland, it is hard to see how anyone could have a problem with the goal being disallowed.<\/p>\n This is not the first time, or the last, that the VAR has correctly disallowed a goal and people really struggle to stomach it.<\/p>\n Yes, the goal could be important for Manchester City<\/a> at the end of the season. But the goal conceded could also turn out to be vital for Liverpool<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n