Manchester United might not be best pleased after a referee who once showed one of their players two yellow cards in 10 seconds was appointed for their trip to Liverpool.
Man United return to Premier League action at Anfield this weekend and will look to build on their crucial 2-0 victory against Sunderland last time out.
That win helped ease the pressure somewhat on Ruben Amorim, and Sir Jim Ratcliffe then publicly declared he was determined to give the head coach three years in the job.
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But he will need results, and fast, if he is to avoid the sack, and a positive performance against the reigning champions could set the foundations for a run at the European spots.
That’s if they can avoid another bizarre red card on Merseyside, however.
Manchester United full-back Diogo Dalot reacts after being sent off against Liverpool at Anfield
Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images
Michael Oliver sent Diogo Dalot off for dissent
Back in December 2023, United right-back Diogo Dalot was sent off by Michael Oliver after being booked twice in the space of just a few seconds.
Both cautions were for dissent, with the first coming when Dalot was visibly angered by a decision to award Liverpool a throw-in in an attacking area in the final seconds of the game.
The 24-year-old flung his arms into the air after Oliver’s call, and he was then dismissed when he continued to complain after being shown the first yellow card.
Luckily for United, the game ended in a goalless draw, but the controversy did not stop there.
Indeed, journalist Samuel Luckhurst reported in January 2025 that figures at the club had expressed concerns about how Oliver handles their captain Bruno Fernandes.
The official also found himself at the heart of VAR drama during United’s defeat against West Ham United in October 2024, which proved to be Erik ten Hag’s final game in charge.
Video assistant referee Oliver had recommended on-field referee David Coote to review a challenge from Matthijs de Ligt on Danny Ings, and a penalty was then awarded.
Jarrod Bowen scored the spot-kick, and Ten Hag was sacked less than 24 hours later.
Jose Mourinho’s bizarre Michael Oliver compliment
While Oliver has been involved in several officiating controversies surrounding United over the years, Jose Mourinho decided to pay him a cheeky backhanded compliment in 2017.
After his United side were knocked out of the FA Cup quarter-finals by Chelsea, Mourinho, in hindsight, thanked Oliver for his decision to send off Ander Herrera, claiming they would not have been able to cope with the brutal fixture demands at the business end of the season.
“The situation you should have to play a postponed game in the last week of the season – the last week – is crazy,” said Mourinho.
“And I repeat the same, thank you Michael Oliver because we were out of the FA Cup, because if we go to the FA Cup semi-finals it would be a total disaster. I don’t know when we would be playing that game.
“I’ve never, ever have had a situation like this and on top of that the accumulation of big injuries.”