Former Premier League referee Keith Hackett has criticised PGMOL for appointing Darren England to referee Arsenal against Chelsea after what he called a ‘poor performance’ in Manchester United’s 1-0 win over Everton.
Hackett had already raised concerns about England’s display at the Hill Dickinson Stadium on Monday, where Everton used aggressive corner tactics in an attempt to put pressure on United inside the penalty area.
While he called on PGMOL to take action to ‘stop this nonsense inside the area’, Hackett has now expressed surprise that England was not sanctioned and was instead appointed to referee arguably the biggest game of the weekend.
Ex-Referee Slams Darren England Appointment
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Speaking in a recent interview, Hackett criticised PGMOL for appointing England to referee Arsenal against Chelsea, as well as the decision to put Chris Kavanagh in charge of Manchester United against Crystal Palace:
“After his poor performance in the Everton game last night, referee Darren England, who failed to manage effectively the actions of players and the nonsense that was taking place inside the penalty area, corner kicks, his sanctioned response in the 83rd minute was too little, too late, what sanction for a poor performance does he receive?
“An appointment to referee Chelsea versus Arsenal at the weekend.
“And then we look at Chris Kavanagh. Remember, he was the referee that had such a poor performance that we were informed that was stood down. The reality was, he was refereeing in Europe.
“And now, what’s his next appointment? Manchester United next week. You cannot make it up.”
England was not hesitant to issue yellow cards on Monday, with Jordan Pickford, James Tarkowski, Harry Maguire, Noussair Mazraoui and Bruno Fernandes all booked.
However, the first booking did not arrive until the 77th minute, when Pickford was shown a yellow card for dissent.
Declan Rice Criticised by Paul Scholes
Arsenal's Declan Rice before the match
Arsenal enjoyed a 4-1 victory over Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday, which saw Mikel Arteta’s side return to winning ways in the Premier League.
The Gunners looked back to their best against their North London rivals, despite Spurs drawing level in the first half following a clumsy mistake from Declan Rice.
The England international was criticised by Paul Scholes after his error led to Randal Kolo Muani’s equaliser, with the former Manchester United midfielder saying Rice looked ‘too emotional’ before the costly mistake:
“When I look at Declan Rice, he almost looks too emotional. He’s lively, he’s, 'Come on! Come on! Come on!', and then he makes his mistake.”
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