1
Premier League referee Michael Oliver has drawn criticism for his disciplinary treatment of Manchester United players during the club’s goalless draw with Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday.
While Man United showed a resolute defensive performance to become the first team in the league this season to prevent Liverpool from scoring, the match came to a frustrating conclusion for the away team as Diogo Dalot was sent off.
In stoppage time, the ball went out after Dalot jockeyed for possession with Mohamed Salah.
Even though the ball went out off Salah, it was Liverpool who were awarded the throw-in, sparking protest from the United full-back.
As he let rip, Dalot was shown two yellow cards in rapid succession, resulting in his sending-off.
Naturally, United manager Erik ten Hag was frustrated by this decision, as were supporters of the club.
The Swedish Rumble quickly took to X to call out referee Michael Oliver for his controversial decision in a post that has since been deleted.
Source: X.com
As stated in the post, 75% of the yellow cards that Oliver has brandished for dissent this season have been solely against United.
Still, it’s not just Oliver’s sternness against Dalot that infuriated United fans in the Liverpool game.
As pointed out by The Daily Mail, Liverpool striker Darwin Nunez was also at the heart of several controversies.
The Uruguayan kicked the ball away after elbowing Jonny Evans, receiving a yellow card as a result.
He then proceeded to sarcastically applaud the referee, however, Oliver did not take any further disciplinary action against his dissent.
Nunez: Foul + kicks the ball away + sarcastic clapping dissent = yellow card 🟨
Dalot: wins a throw in + dissent = red card (two yellows) 🟥
Michael Oliver with some farcical refereeing. Consistency and hypocrisy is laughable.#MUFC || #LIVMUN pic.twitter.com/0G6JxBEXS8
— Owen 🔰 (@OwenUnitedView) December 17, 2023
Oliver’s controversial calls against United did not start at Anfield, however, with the referee booking captain Bruno Fernandes for complaining during United’s 2-0 loss to Tottenham Hotspur earlier in the season, despite the FA’s push to only have team captains engage with the referee.
Still, as Oliver continues to develop a trend of suspected hostility toward United, his fellow referees have been quick to spring to his defence, with former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher claiming that Oliver had “no choice” other than to hand Dalot his marching orders.
This website aggregates and curates news articles, blog posts, and other content from a variety of external sources. While we aim to link back to the original source, this site does not own or claim ownership of any articles, posts, or other content indexed on this site. The views, opinions, and factual statements expressed in each piece of aggregated content belong solely to its respective author and publisher. We make no representations or warranties regarding the accuracy or completeness of aggregated content. Visitors are advised to verify facts and claims through the original source before reuse or redistribution.
