Howard Webb has been the head of the Premier League referees long enough now, almost three years, to know that backing his officials over Virgil van Dijk's disallowed goal against Manchester City would not end the discussion.
Van Dijk thought he had equalised for Liverpool at the Etihad on Sunday, only for Chris Kavanagh and his assistant Stuart Burt to rule that Andrew Robertson had committed an offside offence, supported by the VAR team, by ducking under the ball on its way to goal.
This is one of the most complex and highly subjective parts of the law. When a goal is disallowed the affected party - team, players and fans - rarely take it well. There is also usually a groundswell of opinion against the decision among ex-professionals and pundits - and that's regardless of the merits in law.
It is telling that Webb described the Robertson decision as "not unreasonable". He didn't directly say it was correct, because to do so would suggest the alternative view of onside would be incorrect - and that just isn't the case.
It falls within a subjective corridor where both outcomes can be deemed correct. There is no "right" decision, only alternative viewpoints based upon an interpretation of events.
