The Premier League have confirmed appointments for Sunday’s clash between Liverpool and Crystal Palace at Anfield, with Chris Kavanagh set to referee.
Kavanagh will referee his sixth Liverpool fixture of the season, with his most recent being the Carabao Cup final against Chelsea.
That afternoon at Wembley saw Ryan Gravenberch suffer a nasty ankle injury, following a challenge by Moises Caicedo which went unpunished.
Gravenberch went on to miss five games with ligament damage, with Klopp criticising Kavanagh’s performance afterwards, saying “the referee did not have the level of the game.”
“I’m not sure if these boys are too quick for them, but this situation, for me, is obvious,” he added of the Caicedo incident.
More recently, Kavanagh was VAR for the 3-1 win over Sheffield United, which saw Ibrahima Konate escape a serious injury for a shocking off-ball challenge by Will Osula that went unpunished despite the chance for a review.
Including the eventual extra-time win over Chelsea, Liverpool have won three of the five games Kavanagh has refereed so far this season, drawing the other two against Man City and Arsenal (both 1-1).
Michael Oliver will serve as VAR on Sunday, with Stuart Burt assisting him at Stockley Park.
Simon Bennett and Dan Robathan have been appointed assistant referees, while Keith Stroud will be fourth official.
Overall, Liverpool have lost only two of their 18 games so far with Kavanagh as referee, winning 14, with no players sent off for either side in those fixtures.
The Reds have been awarded two penalties by the 38-year-old from Manchester, while their opponents have been given just one combined.
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