The Premier League may well have breathed a sigh of relief when Liverpool produced an incredible comeback to beat Aston Villa on Saturday.Because if Jurgen Klopp’s side hadn’t come away with all three points, there would have been one hell of a fallout to Roberto Firmino’s disallowed goal in the first half.It looked as though Firmino had scored a first-half equaliser but the assistant referee had flagged for offside.Of course, VAR would check it.However, replays appeared to show the Brazilian was level with Tyrone Mings - Aston Villa’s last man.

It looked for all the world that the goal would stand. However, VAR referee Martin Atkinson decided that the original decision should stand.

How?

The European Champions may have gone on to win the match with two very late goals from Andy Robertson and Sadio Mane but that hasn’t stopped everyone from analysing Firmino’s offside goal.

And, rather surprisingly, nobody has gone in as strongly as former Sky Sports commentator Andy Gray.

Appearing on beIN SPORTS, the former Everton hero accused Atkinson of manipulating the lines to make sure Firmino was offside.

Gray talked us through VAR’s decision.

“Even to my naked eye, that knee [Mings’ knee] is playing all of him [Firmino] onside,” Gray began.



When they first calibrate it, ‘oh wait a minute’ he’s onside. Let’s do it again. And they do it again and lo and behold, it’s comes up that he’s offside.

Gary went on to sarcastically say that the line showing Firmino being offside as being at a “lovely angle.”

“That should have been a goal. End of,” Gray concludes.

Don’t forget, Atkinson - who was in charge of VAR - was the referee who didn’t give Liverpool a free-kick for the foul on Divock Origi in the build-up to Marcus Rashford’s goal…

Interestingly, the Premier League were very quick to explain exactly why Firmino’s goal had been disallowed. During the match, they tweeted: “Liverpool's Roberto Firmino was flagged offside before putting the ball in the net against Aston Villa and the decision was confirmed by VAR.

"The red line signifies Firmino and was aligned to his armpit, which was marginally ahead of the last Villa defender.”

Klopp’s response?

“You what? His armpit?" he asked.

“We won 2-1, so it's now not that serious. But we are talking about serious moments, it's not right that we are sitting here talking about it and everybody wants to laugh."