The Premier League have announced that Michael Oliver will be the referee in charge of Sunday’s clash between bitter rivals Liverpool and Manchester United at Anfield.
It means the game, always a big fixture in any Premier League campaign, is going to be officiated by a man with a glowing CV.
Oliver has taken charge of League Cup and FA Cup finals, countless Champions League matches and huge international showdowns at the 2022 World Cup and Euros 2020 and ’24.
Indeed, Oliver has refereed both these clubs in finals, overseeing Liverpool’s shootout loss to Manchester City in the 2016 League Cup final and two years later blowing the whistle on Man Utd’s 1-0 loss to Chelsea in the FA Cup Final.
Inevitably, given Oliver’s experience and over 10 years refereeing in the Premier League, he has taken charge of his share of hotly contested duels between Liverpool and Man Utd, two of the country’s biggest sides – and biggest rivals.
Oliver has refereed Liverpool versus Man Utd a total of six times, all in the Premier League, the first four occasions at Old Trafford, then latterly twice at Anfield.
And it was the first of those two showdowns on Merseyside — in December 2023 — which guarantees Oliver a rough ride from Man Utd fans, who have never forgiven him for showing Diogo Dalot two yellows in quick succession, the first for dissent, the second for continuing to argue. This is a huge match for Oliver and for both clubs with Arne Slot’s Liverpool desperate to stop a three-game losing streak while Man Utd continue to strive for some sort of consistency under Ruben Amorim in an already troubled campaign.
Michael Oliver’s Liverpool record
| Category | Total |
|---|---|
| Matches | 66 |
| Wins | 31 |
| Draws | 22 |
| Defeats | 14 |
| League points | 101 |
| Penalties per game | 0.27 |
| Yellow cards per game | 1.59 |
| Red cards per game | 0.02 |
Michael Oliver took charge of two games at Anfield last season, the first the Reds’ only Premier League home defeat, a 1-0 loss to Nottingham Forest in September.
Four months later, on January 5, Oliver was back to take charge of this fixture, Liverpool versus Man Utd, a 2-2 draw in which Amad Diallo scored a late equaliser for the Red Devils.
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Michael Oliver’s Man Utd record
| Category | Total |
|---|---|
| Matches | 47 |
| Wins | 18 |
| Draws | 13 |
| Defeats | 16 |
| League points | 53 |
| Penalties per game | 0.09 |
| Yellow cards per game | 2.09 |
| Red cards per game | 0.11 |
Michael Oliver’s last two away-days with Man Utd have both been at Liverpool in the Premier League, last season’s 2-2 draw in January preceded by a 0-0 draw at Anfield in December 2023.
Surely Oliver’s most famous match refereeing Man Utd away from home, however, was their remarkable 6-3 loss at Man City in October 2022 when Erling Haaland and Phil Foden both scored hat-tricks on a harrowing afternoon for the Red Devils.