Florian Wirtz's second-ever Liverpool goal subject to PGMOL complaint following offside controversy in Fulham draw

Fulham have formally contacted the Professional Game Match Official Limited (PGMOL) to request a detailed explanation regarding the decision to award the opening goal in Sunday’s 2-2 draw. The incident has reignited the debate surrounding the implementation of technology in the Premier League, with the west London club feeling aggrieved by what appeared to the naked eye to be a flagrant offside offence.

The moment of controversy arrived when the Liverpool midfielder latched onto a through ball before firing past the goalkeeper to break the deadlock. While the assistant referee kept their flag down, replays shown inside the stadium and on television broadcasts seemed to show the player standing in an advanced position relative to the last defender. However, after a check involving the semi-automated offside technology, the goal was confirmed, leaving the home support and the dugout in a state of disbelief.

Standard Sportreports that the request for clarification focuses on the specific calibration of the technology and why the visual evidence seemed to contradict the digital output. The club is keen to understand the process that led to the goal standing, particularly given the margin looked significant on the freeze-frames available to the coaching staff.

The decision to allow the goal relies heavily on a rule tweak introduced ahead of the current campaign. In an effort to give attacking players the benefit of the doubt and prevent goals being ruled out for marginal infringements the league introduced a 5cm tolerance level.

Under this directive, if the lines drawn by the semi-automated system show the attacker and the defender are within 5cm of each other, the on-field decision stands. In this instance, the technology deemed that the former Bayer Leverkusen playmaker was within that tolerance zone, meaning he was considered onside for the purpose of the laws.

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Marco Silva made his feelings known immediately after the final whistle and doubled down on his frustration in a subsequent press conference. The Fulham boss was unconvinced by the explanation that the call fell within the tolerance threshold, insisting that his own analysis showed a clear error.

“We felt the same, many people in the stadium felt the same, but the semi-automatic we have to believe in it,” Silva said, initially trying to be diplomatic before his frustration boiled over. “They have to be 100 per cent sure of it. It took a long time for something that should be automatic. They have all the tools to decide it right so let's hope they did.”

By Tuesday, the manager had reviewed more angles and was far less forgiving in his assessment.

“Now, I have more images, different tools,” he stated in a lengthy address to the media. “For me, I cannot believe how that goal was allowed, it was a clear offside. We are still waiting for feedback from the Premier League. Everyone had the same opinion, it was clear. It's much more than 5cm in my opinion.”

This latest dispute adds to a growing list of grievances the Cottagers hold against the officiating body this season. The club feels they have been on the wrong end of several high-profile errors, contributing to a sense of persecution at Craven Cottage.

Earlier in the campaign, young midfielder Josh King saw what would have been his first senior goal ruled out during a defeat to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. That decision, penalising a soft foul in the build-up, was compounded later in the same match when the Blues were awarded a contentious penalty which Enzo Fernandez converted.

At the time, Silva described the penalty decision as "completely unbelievable" and admitted he was "not in the best mood" to discuss referees. The recurrence of these controversial moments has clearly tested the patience of the hierarchy, prompting this latest formal approach to the PGMOL.

While Harrison Reed eventually secured a deserved point for the hosts with a stunning injury-time leveller, the sense of injustice regarding the opener remains. The club now awaits a response from Howard Webb’s organisation, hoping for transparency on a decision that nearly cost them a result against the title chasers.