Simon Hooper will referee Monday night’s Premier League clash between Newcastle and Liverpool at St James’ Park – his first time overseeing this fixture.
Liverpool began their title defence with a 4-2 win over Bournemouth, whereas Newcastle were held to a goalless draw against 10-man Aston Villa.
As for Hooper, he handed out five yellow cards in Arsenal’s win at Manchester United, and now oversees what could be a fiery affair, fuelled by the transfer saga surrounding Alexander Isak’s potential mega-money move to Merseyside.
Liverpool won’t have forgotten when Hooper controversially sent off two Reds players and disallowed a clear goal against Spurs in 2023/24, while Newcastle have suffered more defeats than wins under his whistle.
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Hooper vs Newcastle Record
| Category | Total |
|---|---|
| Matches | 23 |
| Wins | 8 |
| Draws | 6 |
| Defeats | 9 |
| League Points | 27 |
| Penalties Per Game | 0.13 |
| Yellow Cards Per Game | 1.95 |
| Reds Per Game | 0 |
Hooper has officiated 23 Newcastle matches spanning four competitions since 2016. Five of those games were last season, including a 2-0 win at Old Trafford and their Carabao Cup semi-final second-leg triumph over Arsenal.
Newcastle have received three or more yellows in 10 of Hooper’s 23 games, but have never once received a red card from Hooper.
One of Hooper’s most memorable outings came in Newcastle’s action-packed 2-2 draw at Leeds in 2023, where he awarded three penalties and a red card: Callum Wilson converted twice for the Magpies, while Patrick Bamford missed for Leeds, who also saw Junior Firpo sent off.
Hooper’s most recent Newcastle game was a 1-0 defeat to Arsenal in the penultimate game of last season, where he dished out three cards for each team.
Hooper vs Liverpool Record
| Category | Total |
|---|---|
| Matches | 23 |
| Wins | 8 |
| Draws | 6 |
| Defeats | 9 |
| League Points | 27 |
| Penalties Per Game | 0.13 |
| Yellow Cards Per Game | 1.95 |
| Reds Per Game | 0 |
Hooper has overseen 14 Liverpool games in the Premier League (10), League Cup (3), and FA Cup (1). The Reds have won eight times and suffered three defeats in this sequence.
Hooper caused outrage among Liverpool fans two seasons ago in their stoppage-time defeat to Tottenham, where they had a Luis Diaz goal wrongly ruled out. Curtis Jones also saw red in contentious fashion, and Diogo Jota received two yellows in quick succession — Liverpool’s only two reds from Hooper.
Liverpool’s most recent game with Hooper in the middle was also a disappointing one, as they suffered a 3-1 defeat to Chelsea in May last season, although the Reds team was much-changed following their win over Spurs, which secured their second Premier League title.
Hooper now officiates a Newcastle vs Liverpool match for the first time in his career, as the teams lock horns for the first time since Newcastle’s Carabao Cup final win at Wembley.