The referee for Sunday’s clash between Manchester United and Liverpool at Anfield has been announced and that announcement is already ruffling a few feathers.
Martin Atkinson will be the man in the middle when the two old rivals meet, and he’s well fit to get his cards out. He’s dished out 43 yellows and a red this season in the 13 games he’s overseen and may well have his hands bus on the day on Merseyside.
Liverpool, who will come into this clash as table toppers, were unhappy with the 47-year-old’s performance when he oversaw a tie between themselves and Manchester City earlier in the season.
Virgil van Dijk was adjudged by Atkinson to have fouled Leroy Sane late in the day at Anfield when the game was scoreless, which handed Riyad Mahrez a chance to win the match. He missed the spot kick, of course, but the displeasure lingered.
While Liverpool fans have been reacting in annoyance to Atkinson’s appointment for that reason, Manchester United fans have been nagging over the amount of cards he tends to award.
The two teams could hardly come into this old fixture in more different states, with Liverpool having snatched the lead in the title race last weekend and Manchester United relying on a win against Fulham to bring them up to sixth.
Form can, to bring on old cliche around, go out the window on days like this, but the usual bite should remain and Atkinson will need to be on his toes from the first whistle.
