In the wake of ongoing discussions about referees, particularly in the aftermath of Saturday’s match against Tottenham, the officials for Liverpool’s upcoming Premier League fixture have been announced.
Darren England and Dan Cook, the VAR officials linked to the controversial decision regarding Luis Diaz’s disallowed goal over the weekend, have been excluded for the next round of Premier League matches. Simon Hooper, who officiated the mentioned clash, will continue as VAR for Everton’s encounter with Bournemouth on Saturday.
Liverpool is scheduled to face Brighton on Sunday at 2 pm, and the match will be officiated by Anthony Taylor, who has a history of clashes with Jurgen Klopp. Taylor previously sent off Klopp in October 2022 during a 1-0 victory over Man City for confrontations with linesman Gary Beswick, who coincidentally will also be involved at the Amex on Sunday.
Assisting Taylor on the opposite touchline is Adam Nunn, while the full list of officials for the weekend includes Craig Pawson as the fourth official. Klopp previously criticized Pawson for decisions that contributed to Liverpool’s 3-2 defeat to West Ham in November 2021, preventing them from breaking the club’s all-time unbeaten record.
Attention will be closely focused on the VAR room, where Chris Kavanagh will be supported by Matthew Wilkes at Stockley Park. Kavanagh’s controversial decision to overlook a clear handball in Man City’s win over Everton in March 2022 played a significant role in Liverpool narrowly missing out on the Premier League title during an unprecedented quadruple chase.
