Liverpool have lodged a formal complaint with the Professional Game Match Officials Limited following Virgil van Dijk's controversial disallowed equaliser in their 3-0 defeat at Manchester City on Sunday.
The Merseyside club contacted referees' chief Howard Webb on Monday morning to challenge the decision that denied their captain's header after Andy Robertson was judged to have interfered from an offside position.
Senior Liverpool officials have rejected the premise that the Scotland international impacted goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma's ability to make a save when he ducked beneath Van Dijk's effort.
The club maintains that the ruling contravened Law 11's specific criteria and that proper VAR protocols were not followed during the review process.
Virgil van Dijk was not the only one in the Liverpool camp who was furious with the offside decision
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Liverpool's position centres on the specific wording within Law 11 of the Football Association handbook, which the club believes was not satisfied by Robertson's actions.
The regulations stipulate that offside interference occurs only when a player prevents an opponent from playing the ball through obstruction of vision, challenging for possession, or making movements that affect the goalkeeper's ability to respond.
Having examined footage from various angles, Liverpool officials assert that Robertson was not positioned in Donnarumma's sightline and his ducking motion did not constitute the "obvious action" cited by match officials.
The club has requested clarification from PGMOL regarding which specific criteria were met to justify the disallowance.
Liverpool contends that video assistant referee Michael Oliver neglected established procedures by failing to recommend an on-pitch review to Chris Kavanagh.
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Virgil van Dijk had a header ruled out against City due to Andy Robertson being deemed to be in an offside position
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The club's stance is that standard VAR checks and balances were bypassed, potentially altering the outcome had Kavanagh examined the incident on the pitchside monitor.
This procedural concern forms a crucial element of Liverpool's complaint, with senior figures believing proper protocol would have resulted in the goal standing.
The linesman's flag was raised thirteen seconds after Van Dijk's header found the net, indicating extended communication between officials before reaching their verdict.
Liverpool maintains that adherence to standard VAR processes might have yielded a different conclusion.
Despite the controversy, Liverpool manager Arne Slot acknowledged the decision wasn't solely responsible for their comprehensive defeat.
"For me it was a wrong decision that this goal was not allowed, but I will not say because of that we lost the game," the Dutchman stated post-match.
Van Dijk expressed frustration whilst highlighting inconsistency in officiating standards.
"Someone showed me a clip that Manchester City scored last year against Wolves and the referee was the same," the Liverpool captain revealed.
Liverpool boss Arne Slot has come under pressure after five league defeats already this season
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That incident involved John Stones scoring with Bernardo Silva in an offside position, yet the goal stood.
"We have to take it on the chin and move on," Van Dijk concluded, despite his evident disagreement with Sunday's ruling.