Why Liverpool fans have every right to be worried about Chris Kavanagh appointment vs Man City
Below is a summary of the full article. Click here for the full version from Rush The Kop or go back to LFC Live.
But as Liverpool prepare to lock horns with Manchester City, the Premier League’s decision to put Chris Kavanagh in the middle has raised more than a few eyebrows around the fanbase and not just because of his recent record with the Reds.For a fixture that often hinges on the finest of margins, refereeing appointments carry huge weight. While Liverpool supporters are well aware of their own patchy record under the 41-year-old official winning just three of their last 11 matches with him in charge a look across the league shows that Andoni Iraola might be watching this weekend's officials with an equally sharp eye.In fact, the last time Iraola tasted defeat in the Premier League, it was Kavanagh holding the whistle as his former Bournemouth side fell to defeat to Arsenal.
The Spaniard did not hold back after the final whistle, venting his frustration over what he felt was a distinct lack of game management and common sense from the referee in the dying moments.Speaking after that match, Iraola questioned several late decisions that fundamentally altered the flow of stoppage time:"I think there are no big key decisions that he has made mistakes," Iraola admitted at the time. He has shown also a couple of yellow cards at the end to Junior Kroupi and Amine Adli, soft fouls."We can discuss if he's a foul or not, but very soft fouls.
He was arguing that in the first half he did something similar but I've just seen it before coming here."He gives Martin Odegaard the chance to cross, he gives Piero Hincapie the chance to cross, and then when they play backward, he whistles."That blow-up at the Emirates was far from an small incident for Iraola when it came to Kavanagh’s decision-making. Iraola later argued that the call flew directly in the face of the Premier League chiefs regarding proximity and natural arm positions.So far this season, Kavanagh has taken charge of three Premier League fixtures, but this weekend marks his first outing involving either Liverpool or Manchester City in the current campaign.The 41 year old has been a Premier League referee since 2017 and was added to UEFA's "elite list" last December.