The match officials for Manchester United’s crucial clash with Liverpool have been confirmed, with Michael Oliver set to take charge of the fixture.
Manchester United and Liverpool alike will be hoping for a positive result next Monday, with both yet to record a win in the new Premier League season.
United fell to a humiliating 4-0 defeat against Brentford in their last outing, with many fans quickly losing patience with the squad’s poor performances.
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The loss to Brentford followed a 2-0 opening game defeat to Brighton.
Likewise, Liverpool have recorded two disappointing results, with draws against newly-promoted Fulham and Crystal palace.
Match Referee
Veteran Premier League referee, Michael Oliver, has been tasked with officiating the grudge match between historic rivals in an encounter that is destined to produce a number of talking points from an officiating point of view.
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Oliver has already taken two Premier League fixtures in the first two weeks of the season, with these potentially indicating how he intends to manage the fixture.
He oversaw Manchester City’s 2-0 win over West Ham in their opening game, with this game being generally free of contentious decisions.
In the past game week, he had a more difficult game in the form of Aston Villa’s 2-1 win over Everton.
Oliver produced 5 yellow cards in this game, with the fixture becoming scrappy towards the end as both teams looked to secure points.
This game is perhaps more of an indication as to how the United Liverpool game will play out, as Everton’s soaking up of Villa’s pressure before launching counter attacks draws parallels with how United are likely to play against Liverpool.
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Oliver’s style of allowing play to generally continue where possible could be both a blessing and a cure to Manchester United, with this offering the reds little respite when subjected to Liverpool pressure but equally, could be pivotal in allowing them to counter attack effectively.
It is likely Oliver will be reaching for his cards several times in this fixture.
Assistant Referees
Running the lines at Old Trafford will be Stuart Burt and Simon Bennet.
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The assistants will be pivotal in helping Michael Oliver effectively manage both sets of players throughout the encounter.
Fourth Official
David Coote will be between the two managers as the fourth official.
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Jurgen Klopp is known to be animated on the touchline as is Erik ten Hag, with Ten Hag perhaps being more inclined to focus exclusively on his own team.
Video Assistant Referees
Darren England takes charge of the video for the match, assisting Oliver with anything that may have been overlooked initially.
Timothy Wood is his assistant at Stockley Park.
Featured Image Credit: AlamyTopics: Manchester United, Liverpool, Premier League, Michael Oliver