Though Liverpool got the three points as they fought back to beat Brighton 2-1, the latest shocker from referee David Coote was still worth singling out.
When the officials for Liverpool vs. Brighton were confirmed earlier in the week, there was almost a resignation among fans over those given the duties.
Coote as referee, Paul Tierney as VAR, both of whom have courted controversy on Merseyside – and around the Premier League – in recent seasons.
As Liverpool’s 2-1 victory played out at Anfield, Coote did little to enhance his reputation, with a series of bizarre decisions going against both sides.
There were soft yellow cards for Alexis Mac Allister, Pascal Gross and Virgil van Dijk, along with penalty shouts from both Darwin Nunez and Mohamed Salah swiftly waved away.
At stages throughout the game there were both sets of fans jeering the official, while in the VAR booth, there was a very tight offside call from Tierney that denied Luis Diaz a second goal for 3-1.
No surprise, then, that fans took to social media to criticise Coote’s showing.
How David Coote is a Premier League official is beyond me.
— Jack Lusby (@LusbyJack) March 31, 2024
David Coote forgot to put his clocks forward? Operating on a lag every decision
— Lewis Steele (@LewisSteele_) March 31, 2024
Honestly what on earth is David Coote seeing? He’s completely lost the commentating team as well here.
— Mari Murphy (@MariCLMurphy) March 31, 2024
Referee David Coote appears to have lost all ability to make reasoned decisions. Which could have significant implications with at least another 40 minutes to play.
— Carl Markham (@carlmarkham) March 31, 2024
This referee is absolutely shocking!!his all round decision making is laughable!!but there again we know him very well not just for his VAR ing but his refereeing how has
Coote got to be a premier ref ?ps have I spelt it right folks ??— John Aldridge (@Realaldo474) March 31, 2024
David Coote’s opening 35 minutes here is one for the ages.
Disgracefully bad referee.
— Henry Jackson (@HenryJackson87) March 31, 2024
Liverpool fans chanting 'cheat, cheat, cheat' to referee David Coote after a foul. Brighton fans respond with 'cheat, cheat, cheat' after Liverpool get a free-kick seconds later
— Lewis Steele (@LewisSteele_) March 31, 2024
David Coote isn’t even at Sunday League standard. An absolutely atrocious referee!
— Sebastian 'Tino' (@Tino_LFC) March 31, 2024
David Coote is fucking useless btw. Fair enough if he doesn’t think Nunez having his shirt pulled and arm held is a penalty but to then book both Mac Allister and Virgil for brushing Brighton players with their little finger is disgraceful.
— Biggies Malls 2.0 (@Biggies_MaIIs) March 31, 2024
David Coote is putting in a Hall of Shame performance here.
— Watch LFC (@Watch_LFC) March 31, 2024
David Coote genuinely cannot wait to blow the whistle when a Liverpool player makes a challenge
— ???? ? (@AnfieldMagic) March 31, 2024
I wonder if David Coote knows it is actually legal in the game for Liverpool players to tackle Brighton players…
— Shaun (@LfcShaunjudge) March 31, 2024
David Coote is literally just giving decisions based on how players react
— LFCJ (@Ifcj__) March 31, 2024
Never mind Coote being useless, I’d rather focus on just how good Alexis Mac Allister is ????
— Jamie Holme (@JamieHolme) March 31, 2024
Fortunately, that final point is the enduring one: despite the officiating, a high-quality clash was able to play out at Anfield, with Liverpool picking up the win.
Had things ended up differently, there may have been more scrutiny over the referee, but in this instance, the decisions mattered for little.
Nevertheless, it served as yet another chapter in a ridiculously farcical campaign for PGMOL and the Premier League.
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