‘Weak’ Michael Oliver slammed by ex-PGMOL ref after ‘huge error’ in Merseyside derby
Former PGMOL chief Keith Hackett has branded Michael Oliver ‘weak’ after the referee made a ‘huge error’ in the Merseyside derby on Wednesday.
Liverpool boss Arne Slot has been slapped with a two-match ban by the Premier League after his X-rated confrontation with Oliver after Everton snatched a dramatic late equaliser.
James Tarkowski scored deep into stoppage time, smashing a bouncing ball into the roof of the net to send the Goodison Park crowd wild in the last-ever derby in the historic stadium.
Slot called Oliver ‘a f***ing disgrace’ after the game and has been slapped with a two-match ban by the Premier League as a result, but it wasn’t that moment that caught Hackett’s attention as the former FIFA ref took to X to have a pop at Oliver.
He firstly felt there was no foul by Liverpool’s Ibrahima Konate on Everton forward Iliman Ndiaye, which was given as a free-kick and led to Beto’s opener.
Posting on X, Hackett wrote: ‘This was an incorrect award of a free kick that then went into to result in Everton scoring their opening goal.
‘A huge error!! By referee Oliver who did not have his best performance. He needs some coaching advice from the PGMOL. Then I look and see that Lee Mason is the Head of Coaching!!! Say no more.’
Hackett also believes Oliver was ‘weak’ at the end of the game as Abdoulaye went over to celebrate in front of the Liverpool fans, which got Curtis Jones’ knickers in a twist and led to the referee showing both players red cards after second yellows.
‘The celebration of goals creates dangerous crowd surges. Thought Oliver was weak,’ he wrote.
The former referee added: ‘There was a lot wrong in this performance from Oliver. You are only has good as your last game. I would not be happy with that effort by him.’
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Oliver also showed Slot a red card as well as his assistant Sipke Hulshoff, with Reds skipper Virgil van Dijk therefore left to conduct the post-match interviews as Premier League rules prevent dismissed coaches from doing so.
Van Dijk claimed Oliver “didn’t have the game under control” as he explained why Jones was so frustrated.
“We saw how they celebrated the goal, they have every right to,” the Liverpool captain said.
“But in the end I think Doucoure wanted to provoke our fans and Curtis didn’t think that was the right thing to do.
“Then obviously you know what happens when there’s a little tussle.
“But I think the ref didn’t have the game under control, in my opinion. I said it to him. I don’t know what it is, but it is a fact.
“Both teams had to deal with it. It is what it is. Like I said, take the point and move on.”
