Frimpong offside call wipes out Wirtz equaliser as Forest lead Liverpool at half-time

Florian Wirtz was denied an equaliser at Anfield after VAR ruled Jeremie Frimpong offside in the build-up, leaving Nottingham Forest ahead through Dan Ndoye’s opener at half-time.

Wirtz looked to have levelled when he collected Frimpong’s pass and produced a composed spin and finish into the bottom corner. However, a review confirmed the Dutch wing-back had strayed marginally beyond the last defender before playing the ball, and the goal was chalked off.

The Premier League Match Centre confirmed the decision: “VAR checked the referee’s call of goal and determined that Frimpong was in an offside position and recommended that the goal was disallowed.”

Commentator Ally McCoist acknowledged how tight the call was. “When the ball came into Jeremie Frimpong, it looked close — he’s just slightly offside,” he said. “I knew there wasn’t a lot in it, but the bottom line was he was in an offside position.”

Pro Ref, the independent body that reviews officiating decisions in the Premier League, subsequently backed the call, confirming the disallowance was correct.

Forest’s lead had been established through a well-worked move that exposed some slack Liverpool defending. Goalkeeper Mat Sels launched the ball upfield, Igor Jesus held it up strongly and laid it off to Morgan Gibbs-White, who in turn found Ndoye to finish confidently into the bottom corner.

The goal left Liverpool with work to do in the second half, having been undone by a combination of defensive frailty and the fine margins of the offside law.