Michael Oliver was labelled “weak” after his involvement in Liverpool’s 2-2 draw with Everton, with ex-PGMOL chief Keith Hackett pointing out “too many errors.”
Oliver was given the responsibility of refereeing a midweek Merseyside derby just two weeks after wrongly dismissing Arsenal defender Myles Lewis-Skelly in another high-profile error.
His officiating in a controversial 2-2 draw has led to even more scrutiny, including a non-foul for the free-kick that led to Everton‘s opener and then a number of issues around James Tarkowski’s late equaliser.
Though holding a reputation as the PGMOL’s leading official, Oliver has been criticised for a number of mistakes this season.
This continued after the derby with former PGMOL chief Hackett, in a series of posts on X, branding his approach to the game “weak” and saying he made “too many errors.”
“Referees on the day apply the law through what they see, recognise, think and act,” he wrote.
“They will make mistakes just like referee Oliver awarding a free-kick to Everton from which the home team scored.
“There was NO foul and it was an error in my judgment.”
Hackett explained that he “counted at least four more where fouls were awarded and there was no offence,” adding: “I do not think that this was Oliver’s best performance. Too many errors.”
One of his biggest issues with the 39-year-old came with the events which led to Arne Slot‘s red card, saying that “standing in the middle at the end of the game invites trouble. Just get off the field ref.”
Everton midfielder Abdoulaye Doucoure and Liverpool’s Curtis Jones were also shown second yellows for a flashpoint at full-time, with Doucoure gesturing to the away end and Jones angrily confronting him.
Hackett, who was appointed general manager of the PGMOL in 2004, blamed Oliver for failing to control the situation around those scenes.
“The action of Doucoure was unwise followed by a negative response from Jones and then a mass confrontation. Fans on the pitch, bottle thrown,” he wrote.
“Early intervention would have and should have avoided this poor end to a spectacle.”
Though VAR checked for a possible foul on Ibrahima Konate before Tarkowski’s leveller, Hackett argued that “grappling, holding, pushing, pulling appears to be accepted and not punished.”
He concluded: “[Oliver] did not have his best performance. He needs some coaching advice from the PGMOL.
“Then I look and see that Lee Mason is the head of coaching! Say no more.”
Oliver was refereeing his fourth Merseyside derby, with all four of those ending in draws – including the 2-2 at Goodison in 2020 that saw Jordan Pickford avoiding a red card for rupturing Virgil van Dijk‘s ACL.
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