It should come as no surprise that for Jurgen Klopp‘s final match he will have David Coote acting as VAR when Liverpool take on Wolves on Sunday – they really love stirring the pot!
Sunday is the final act for Klopp as Reds manager, with Gary O’Neil’s Wolves side the final opposition as the curtain falls on an unbelievable tenure at Anfield.
The result, whatever it may be come the final whistle, will not change Liverpool’s position in the table, with third-place guaranteed.
But there could yet be some final referee drama for Klopp after the appointments were confirmed for the final matchday.
The headline for Liverpool is that Chris Kavanagh will be the man in the middle, with Coote acting as VAR back at Stockley Park.
And surprise, surprise, Klopp has history with both of them!
Coote has long courted controversy on Merseyside and beyond and it was only a few weeks ago that he was described as a “Hall of Shame performance” for his role in the middle in the win over Brighton.
Moreover, Coote, of course, was the one who failed to recommend a penalty for Martin Odegaard’s handball in the 1-1 draw between Liverpool and Arsenal in December, when he was on VAR duty.
Referee chief Howard Webb has since admitted the incident was a mistake, and yet here we are again!
As for Kavanagh, Klopp criticised his performance in the League Cup final, 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 said when reflecting on Moises Caicedo’s nasty challenge that injured Ryan Gravenberch.
Kavanagh has overseen the Reds 19 times in his career and Klopp’s men have lost just three times – this season, Liverpool have won three of the six games with him in the middle.
At Anfield, Kavanagh will be assisted by Simon Bennett and Dan Robathan, while Anthony Backhouse will act as the fourth official. Finally, Scott Ledger will assist Coote on VAR.
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