‘I was sure it was offside’ – why did Wirtz equaliser stand?
‘I was sure it was offside’ – why did Wirtz equaliser stand?: When Arne Slot and Liverpool reflect on this campaign, a chaotic 2-2 draw away at Fulham on a wild January afternoon is likely to stand out as a snapshot of their season’s frustrations.
Liverpool arrived at Craven Cottage without their leading scorer Hugo Ekitike, sidelined by a muscle problem, and their difficulties were evident early on. Former Red Harry Wilson put Fulham ahead in a first half where Slot’s side failed to register a single effort that troubled goalkeeper Bernd Leno.
The visitors did respond after the break, levelling through a controversial goal from Florian Wirtz. Late drama followed when Cody Gakpo appeared to have secured all three points with a stoppage-time strike in front of the travelling supporters.
But Liverpool’s joy was short-lived. Deep into added time, substitute Harrison Reed unleashed a stunning 25-yard strike in the 97th minute, denying Slot’s team yet again and earning a strong early claim for goal of the season.
“Losing that game would have been completely unfair to us,” said Fulham boss Marco Silva after the final whistle.
While Liverpool stretched their unbeaten run to nine matches, familiar problems resurfaced once more.
“If you’re not part of Liverpool, you think you’d win it,” Slot admitted. “But unfortunately I’ve been experiencing this for months now that the first chance the other team gets leads to a goal. The second thing is that the other team scores a goal you don’t expect in extra time. So, is it then a surprise?”
Inside the stadium, however, many were stunned that Wirtz’s equaliser was allowed to stand following a VAR check, with replays suggesting he was marginally offside.
“I was sure it was offside so I didn’t even celebrate,” Wirtz told Sky Sports.
Fulham manager Silva echoed that feeling, saying: “I felt the same. Many people inside the stadium felt the same. It looked offside, but we have to believe the semi-automated technology worked well and did right.”
Why was Wirtz’s goal allowed?
At first glance, Wirtz did appear to be offside and technically, he was. So why did VAR confirm the goal?
In the early years of VAR, offside calls caused widespread confusion, with attackers and defenders often separated by barely visible margins. Critics argued this went against the spirit of the offside law.
As a result, from the 2021-22 season, competitions introduced a tolerance margin of around 5cm. If the offside lines touched, attackers were given the benefit of the doubt, regardless of the on-field decision. This adjustment accounted for small inaccuracies, such as the exact moment the ball was played.
Effectively, players could be fractionally offside according to the technology but still be judged onside once the tolerance was applied. At the time, referees’ body PGMOL estimated this could add around 20 extra goals per season.
While semi-automated offside technology (SAOT) later prompted leagues like Germany, Spain and Italy to return to millimetre-precise decisions, the Premier League chose to retain the tolerance level. Officials remain cautious about treating the technology as flawless, which explains why players like Wirtz can still benefit from tight calls.
‘My philosophy hasn’t changed’ – Slot
Wirtz’s goal came during a more aggressive spell from Liverpool, who played with greater urgency after a flat opening half. Conor Bradley’s direct running caused Fulham problems and helped create the equaliser.
“I would love to create more, but if we play with the amount of midfielders we play with and one attacker against a 5-4-1 of Fulham in an away game, I don’t know if you can expect chance after chance,” Slot explained.
“Overall, we have done enough to win the game and we did very well by limiting them to maybe one half chance but the end result still stands.”
Despite recent struggles, Slot insisted his core footballing beliefs remain unchanged.
“I didn’t change as a manager. I would love to play with eight attackers if that’s possible defensively as well, but if those eight attackers don’t defend enough it’s hard to win a game of football,” he said.
“My philosophy of football hasn’t changed this year compared to all the seasons I was a manager before. But we have to do it with the players that are available.”
Slot also confirmed he chose not to risk Ekitike, who travelled with the squad but was suffering from delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS), especially with Alexander Isak already sidelined.
With a return trip to London looming against league leaders Arsenal, Liverpool will be hoping Ekitike is fit to return on Thursday. Facing the Premier League’s strongest defence is a daunting task — and it would be even tougher without a recognised focal point up front.
