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The Red Devils are still battling to rediscover their former dominance under Ruben Amorim, with unresolved problems from last season — which marked their worst league finish since the 1992 rebranding — continuing into the 2025/26 campaign. ..Continue Reading
United haven’t secured a win at Anfield since 2016, and with recent heavy defeats including 5-0, 4-0, and the notorious 7-0 loss at Old Trafford, supporters are understandably anxious ahead of facing the reigning champions.
However, with Arne Slot’s team still adjusting after a hectic transfer window, there remains a slim chance that Amorim could pull off a surprise result against their long-standing rivals.
That optimism has quickly faded this week, as fans have pointed to Michael Oliver’s controversial history in this fixture — incidents they believe could once again tilt the balance in Liverpool’s favor, according to voices from M16 already bracing for disappointment.
Among rival fans, it’s become a running joke that United are stuck in the past.
With their golden era long gone, it’s an easy punchline — and the club hasn’t helped matters by resurfacing a 2023 flashpoint involving Oliver and Diogo Dalot on social media.
In that encounter, Liverpool and United played out a goalless draw under Erik ten Hag, but one of the most debated moments saw Dalot receive a yellow card for shouting at the official, followed moments later by a red for dissent.
Supporters haven’t let go of Oliver’s involvement, with one X user posting this week:
“Michael Oliver has been appointed as the referee for the Liverpool vs Manchester United clash. The last time Oliver officiated this exact fixture, he booked Dalot for winning the ball & sent him off for appealing!”
Though the incident occurred just two minutes before full-time and didn’t affect the result, it continues to fuel frustration among fans who fear biased officiating. “Insane to give him this fixture again,” another user wrote, while a third added:
“Michael Oliver being given the Liverpool-United game after the Dalot fiasco the season before last feels like a wind-up. He’s a terrible notice-me ref at the best of times; seems to go up a notch when given a big game.”
A fourth chimed in: “His performance in last season’s fixture as shambolic. The time before that? Even worse.” And a fifth concluded: “To ensure Liverpool get back to winning ways, the PGMOL have appointed Michael Oliver as the ref for Sunday.”
Still, referees often face backlash from multiple fanbases, and Oliver has also drawn criticism from Liverpool supporters despite assumptions of favoritism.
In the 2020/21 campaign, he came under fire for not sending off Jordan Pickford after a reckless challenge on Virgil van Dijk that led to a season-ending injury.
Then in 2022, during Liverpool’s 3-2 loss to Arsenal, Oliver declined to award a penalty for a suspected handball by Gabriel Magalhaes in the lead-up to the decisive goal — a call that was slammed for inconsistency, especially since he had given a similar handball penalty to Fulham against Aston Villa just days earlier.
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