When will Liverpool secure the Premier League title?placeholder image
When will Liverpool secure the Premier League title? | Liverpool FC via Getty Images
The referee and VAR have been confirmed for Liverpool’s clash with Man City this weekend
Liverpool will hope their back-to-back wins over Aston Villa and Real Madrid will be enough to see them bag a positive result this weekend when they face Manchester City.
However, Liverpool must also keep an eye on Sunderland and Bournemouth, who are level on points with the reigning champions and could also climb the table if they’re successful this weekend.
Sunderland are up against leaders Arsenal, while Bournemouth are up against Aston Villa, who will be licking their wounds after their loss to Liverpool ended a strong winning streak.
Who is the referee for Man City vs Liverpool?
The Premier League has confirmed that Chris Kavanagh will take charge of Liverpool’s visit to the Etihad this weekend. He will be joined on the pitch by assistants Dan Cook and Stuart Burt, as well as fourth official Sam Barrott. Michael Oliver and Tim Wood will be on VAR duty.
Liverpool fans can expect to see a flurry of cards shown during this weekend’s blockbuster clash. Kavanagh has dished out a nice and round 40 cards in his last ten games, equating to an even four-card average per match. Two of those cards were reds.
The last time Kavanagh officiated a Liverpool match, Crystal Palace beat them 2-1 in the Premier League. He has refereed a match involving the Reds on 26 occasions throughout his career, only overseeing Newcastle United more (33 times).
Liverpool fans will won’t be happy with referee decision
Kavanagh has not had the best run with Liverpool fans over the years. Back in 2021, he was met with criticism after awarding a penalty to Everton during the Merseyside Derby in February, which the Reds lost 2-0.
He was sent to the monitor to assess his decision but walked away again mere seconds after approaching it. Some supporters online accused Kavanagh of walking away before even witnessing the replay of the incident, which involved Trent Alexander-Arnold and Dominic Calvert-Lewin.
It was a controversial moment that divided fans and pundits alike. Alexander-Arnold had slid in front to stop the on-rushing Everton forward inside the box. While he did not make contact with the initial tackle, Calvert-Lewin went tumbling over the top of the ex-Liverpool defender, who was on the ground at this point.
“The referee's given a penalty but, when you see Trent, I'm not sure what he's supposed to do,” Carragher said at the time. “He's there and he runs over him. I think that's very harsh for a penalty, I really do.”
Former manager Jurgen Klopp also reflected on the decision at the time, telling talkSPORT: “It’s not too cool because if I mention the penalty you know what kind of stories you and your colleagues will make of it.
“It is a situation when you look back the ref decided it. If the VAR calls you to the screen he has an obvious doubt. He didn’t take long to stick to his decision and I can’t comment on that.
“I’m not exactly sure what he saw, you’ll have to ask him. If he didn’t give the penalty we lose 1-0. It’s not on me to point the finger at someone else.”
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