Explained: Why Danny Welbeck’s goal vs Liverpool was not ruled out despite offside concerns

Danny Welbeck’s winning goal for Brighton against Liverpool appeared, at first glance, to be offside – but VAR ultimately confirmed the goal after a detailed review.

The incident occurred during Brighton’s 2-1 victory, where Welbeck struck twice to condemn Liverpool to another disappointing result. While his second goal was initially given without hesitation, replay footage led to confusion among viewers, with many believing he had strayed into an offside position when played through by Jack Hinshelwood.

However, the VAR check upheld the on-field decision. The explanation lies in the precision margins used by VAR technology, particularly the built-in tolerance applied when determining offside positions.

According to BBC VAR analyst Dale Johnson, the decision came down to the 5cm margin of error introduced in recent seasons.
“On Danny Welbeck’s second goal for Brighton against Liverpool. This time it was Liverpool’s turn to concede a goal when the attacker was onside due to the in-built 5cm tolerance level,” he said.