Darren England Confirmed As Referee For Manchester United Vs Liverpool At Old Trafford

Manchester United and Liverpool are set to clash at Old Trafford with Darren England confirmed as the referee for the Premier League fixture, while Tim Wood and Akil Howson are named as his assistants.

The Premier League also appointed Anthony Taylor as the fourth official, with Stuart Attwell in charge of VAR and Constantine Hatzidakis as the assistant VAR on the day.

BBC

One preview notes that “Darren England set to referee Premier League fixture between Man Utd and Liverpool,” and frames the appointment as a major talking point for the match.

Another report says the Premier League “have now confirmed who will officiate the fixture at Old Trafford between Manchester United and Liverpool,” again placing England at the center of the officiating team.

The same coverage adds that England has refereed Liverpool on nine occasions, with Liverpool recording four wins, three draws, and two losses in those matches.

It also states that England has shown yellow cards to Liverpool players on 22 occasions, and that he has previously sent off one Liverpool player and awarded one penalty kick in those nine ties.

The match’s officiating lineup therefore arrives with a detailed history attached to England, and with VAR leadership assigned to Stuart Attwell and Constantine Hatzidakis for the on-field review process.

The appointment of Darren England is presented alongside an “unwanted history” from 2023 when he served as an acting VAR official, a detail that one preview says involved Luis Diaz being wrongly flagged for offside in a meeting with Tottenham Hotspur.

That same account says Tottenham Hotspur “lost 2-1,” and adds that “after a review, England did not correct the error, later admitting his mistake.”

BBC

With England now set to referee the Manchester United vs Liverpool match, the coverage emphasizes that the same official will again be central to decisions that can be influenced by VAR and assistant review.

Another report shifts the focus from England to the VAR team, calling the appointment of Stuart Attwell on VAR “one very unpopular appointment.”

It says Attwell was the referee for the recent Manchester United vs Bournemouth game that ended in a 2-2 draw, and that he was “widely criticised.”

The preview describes how Attwell “waved away a penalty appeal on Amad, before giving one at the other end against Harry Maguire, and sending off the Manchester United defender,” and it adds that Maguire “was given an extra game ban for allegedly verbally abusing Attwell.”

It further states that United “made a complaint to the PGMOL following the game,” and then concludes that “Now Attwell will have another big say on Manchester United’s season.”

After Liverpool’s 3-2 loss at Old Trafford, Arne Slot was visibly angry in front of journalists, blaming “stupid” Liverpool errors and VAR calls for the “whole season.”

“Arne Slot claimed it was no surprise a video assistant referee (VAR) intervention went against Liverpool in their 3-2 defeat at Manchester United”

BBC

One report describes Slot as “visibly angry as he sat in front of journalists after Liverpool’s 3-2 loss at Man United,” and says the Dutch head coach suffered his “19th defeat of the season” as Liverpool fought back to 2-2 only to concede a Kobbie Mainoo winner.

Slot’s frustration centered on Benjamin Sesko’s goal for 2-0, which one account says went in via the Man United striker’s hand but “was not ruled out by VAR Stuart Attwell.”

In that post-match exchange, Slot asked, “If it was a touch – which I think it is, because [the way the ball moved] there must have been a contact – is that enough to disallow a goal?” and then answered, “I think the rule is if there was a touch it should have been disallowed.”

He added that it was “not a surprise to anyone this season that if there is a VAR intervention or if there is something you could look at – could be left, could be right – then that decision goes against us,” and he called it “the whole season, every single time the same.”

Slot also compared incidents involving Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich, saying, “I remember Paris Saint-Germain at home, getting a penalty for a soft touch on Mac Allister, but of course the VAR intervenes and say ‘no, this is not a penalty’,” before contrasting it with another match where “the penalty stays.”

He then argued that Liverpool’s second goal was not conceded because of handball, stating, “the second goal we did not concede because of a handball, we conceded it because we lost the ball in a stupid position and we lost a few big moments afterwards in duels.”

While Slot argued that VAR decisions had gone against Liverpool “every single time the same,” the Premier League’s explanation for Benjamin Sesko’s goal was that there was “no conclusive evidence” of handling before scoring.

The London Evening Standard reported that Slot “admitted the VAR decision not to disallow Benjamin Sesko’s goal left him frustrated,” but said he was “more disappointed with his Liverpool side’s performance in defeat by Manchester United.”

Daily Express

It quoted Slot to Sky Sports: “If it is a touch it is never a lot of course. If it was a touch, it should have been disallowed. I want to focus on how we conceded that second goal, because that's where we can do better.”

The Liverpool goal controversy was also addressed in coverage that described the Premier League Match Centre’s X account clarifying the VAR outcome, with one report stating: “The referee’s call of goal was checked and confirmed by VAR – with it deemed there was no conclusive evidence that Sesko handled the ball before scoring.”

Another report similarly described the VAR check as taking about three minutes before the home supporters celebrated again, and it said VAR, “Stuart Attwell,” determined “that the goal should stand.”

The Mirror added a direct quote from Gary Neville, saying: “It’s not conclusive, certainly not enough to disallow the goal. There might be a little flick with that finger,” and it framed the decision as cleared because evidence was insufficient to disallow.

Across these accounts, the same central point appears: the Premier League’s Match Centre explanation rests on the absence of conclusive evidence, even as Slot and Liverpool’s supporters argued that a touch should have led to disallowance.

The officiating controversy and Slot’s complaints are tied to the immediate stakes for Champions League qualification, with multiple reports describing how the result affects the race for top-four and the remaining fixtures.

One preview says the upcoming Manchester United vs Liverpool match has “real stakes,” noting that “United hold a three-point advantage over Liverpool and can secure Champions League qualification with a win.”

Eurosport

It also says the result “will go a long way to determining who finishes in third place and holds bragging rights,” and it frames the match as a key end-of-season test.

After the 3-2 defeat, The New York Times reported that Slot’s side still needed “four points from their remaining three games to guarantee Champions League qualification,” and it named the missing player Alexander Isak as having a “really small injury.”

Another account said Liverpool must now secure “three points from their remaining matches against Chelsea, Aston Villa, and Brentford to guarantee a place among the top five.”

The stakes are also reflected in how Slot described what he expects next, with one report saying he is looking to close “fine margins” between Liverpool and their rivals and that “we are already working hard on that because we have a bit more training time now.”

With the Premier League’s VAR explanation emphasizing “no conclusive evidence,” the next match’s officiating team—again featuring Stuart Attwell in the VAR role—becomes part of the same pressure environment around qualification and positioning.