Premier League referee Anthony Taylor was on the receiving end of fiery backlash on social media following the controversial decisions he called in Sunday’s Liverpool vs Manchester City clash.
Anthony Taylor accused of bias – Here’s why
The 43-year-old is, perhaps, one of the most criticised football officiators in Europe, and on Sunday, his streak continued when a few decisions he made drew ire from fans.
Firstly, Phil Foden‘s second-half goal was disallowed after VAR determined that Erling Haaland had impeded Fabinho’s defensive capabilities by tugging at his jersey.
Then, toward the end of the game, minutes after Mohamed Salah had clinched the winning goal for Liverpool in the 76th minute, Taylor courted controversy for disregarding a clear foul, perhaps worse than Haaland’s tug on Fabinho, by İlkay Gündoğan.
The fiery moment landed Liverpool coach Jürgen Klopp in trouble for dissent, and he was shown a red card.
Watch the full match highlights below:
Liverpool vs Man City post-match reactions
The top-draw fixture resulted in Liverpool taking three points and moving into the Premier League Top 10, a victory that will surely spur the Reds onto a recovery following the worst start to a league campaign since Klopp joined the club in 2015.
Post-match reactions to the match centred around Taylor’s decisions, and while Liverpool fans were the least to complain, neutral fans and pundits were very critical of the referee’s officiating.
Former City player Micah Richards insisted that Taylor did not have “clear and obvious” grounds to disallow Foden’s goal.
“The decision, if you look at Fabinho, he’s already going down; the referee has given that decision. Why not stay with your original decision? On the evidence, for me, that’s re-refereeing the game, in my opinion.
“I don’t think that’s clear and obvious if I’m being totally, totally honest. It’s very close. Liverpool deserved it [the win], I just think these crucial moments, you slow it down, if you put it in normal pace Fabinho is already going down,” he said.
On the other hand, fellow referee Mike Dean, in an opinion piece published in the Mail, congratulated Taylor for “excellent officiating at Anfield.”
“VAR Darren England did his job, too, including requesting that Tayls should review a possible foul at the pitchside monitor, which led to disallowing City’s would-be opener by Phil Foden. Tayls couldn’t see the shirt pull by Haaland on Fabinho from his position – but VAR could,” he wrote.
Here are more reactions from social media on Taylor’s refereeing in the Liverpool vs Man City game.