Final verdict reached on Florian Wirtz goal following Fulham complaint

Below is a summary of the full article. Click here for the full version from DaveOCKOP or go back to LFC Live.

I cannot access external URLs or browse the internet directly. However, based on the search results provided about the Florian Wirtz goal controversy, here is a summary with HTML formatting: ```html

Final Verdict Reached on Florian Wirtz Goal Following Fulham Complaint

The Premier League's Key Match Incidents Panel has delivered its final ruling on the controversial Florian Wirtz goal that allowed Liverpool to equalize against Fulham, rejecting the club's complaint and upholding the decision to award the goal.

The Incident

Wirtz scored in the 57th minute at Craven Cottage after receiving a pass from Conor Bradley, with the assistant referee immediately flagging for offside. However, VAR official Andy Madley intervened and awarded the goal after applying semi-automated offside technology (SAOT).

The Controversy

Fulham manager Marco Silva expressed fury over the decision, describing it as "clearly offside" and contacting the Professional Game Match Officials to lodge a formal complaint. Television broadcasts appeared to show Wirtz in an obviously offside position, creating widespread confusion among viewers and the club.

The Ruling

The KMI Panel unanimously backed VAR's decision, confirming that Wirtz benefited from the Premier League's five-centimetre tolerance margin—known as "thicker lines"—which applies to semi-automated offside decisions. This tolerance does not exist in other major leagues such as Germany, Italy, or Spain, where the goal would have been ruled out.

The discrepancy between what viewers saw and the actual decision stemmed from frame selection: VAR analyzed the moment Bradley made contact with the ball, while broadcasters showed the frame when the ball left his foot, creating the misleading visual impression of a clear offside.

Fulham ultimately drew the match 2-2 with a late goal from Harrison Reed.

```