Liverpool fans will be breathing a sigh of relief with news that Michael Oliver is banned from officiating a key fixture in the coming weeks.
Our Carabao Cup final against Newcastle will not be overseen by the native of Northumberland, because of his geographical connections with our opponents (as confirmed in The Express).
This decision comes in the fallout of a poor performance, his disastrous display at the Merseyside derby.
Many supporters will point to key events in the match, like the fact he completely missed Beto’s push on Ibou Konate – a moment that led to us not leaving Goodison Park with three points.
Other decisions in the game left even fellow referees unable to ignore the incompetence of the 39-year-old.
Michael Oliver will have no part in our Carabao Cup final
With the final looming against the Geordies, this ruling will certainly be seen by many as nothing short of a blessing for us.
With Arne Slot and Sipke Hulshoff being shown red cards across Stanley Park, we saw what those from inside our club felt about his most recent performance and it’ll be a relief for them to not have to cross paths with Oliver at Wembley.
Despite being the supposed highest profile official in the league, many have long questioned his ability to manage high-stakes games and his recent blunders have only reinforced these doubts.
The echo of his errors in the derby led to the chaotic scenes after the full time whistle and then the widespread criticism that followed afterwards.
The standard of officiating in England means we likely won’t be delighted with whoever is given this responsibility but we can at least hope that the match will be overseen by someone more capable.
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