Man Utd claim against Anthony Taylor shot down as Mike Dean makes Liverpool point

View Image

Former Premier League referee Mike Dean has denied Manchester United bias following complaints from rival supporters. The issues have been sparked following high-profile decisions being made during high-stakes matches in the Premier League .

There has been a stigma surrounding United and referees for a number of years, which came to a head when former Liverpool winger Ryan Babel posted a picture of referee Howard Webb in a Manchester United kit following their encounter in 2011, landing him a £10,000 fine.

Current top-flight referee Anthony Taylor has been in charge of a number of showdowns between the two North West clubs in recent years, which often sparks anger due to Taylor's affiliation with Greater Manchester, having grown up in Altrincham, also supporting the National League side.

Liverpool recently lodged a complaint with the PGMOL (Professional Game Match Officials Limited) after Virgil van Dijk's header was ruled out for offside against Andy Robertson. The Reds didn't cite any foul play but were unhappy with the reasoning behind the Dutchman's header being chalked off.

The referee for the encounter was Chris Kavanagh, with Michael Oliver on VAR. Meanwhile, Arne Slot was left aggrieved during their defeat to Manchester United after Bryan Mbeumo's opener early on.

Alexis Mac Allister went down with a head injury after a collison with Van Dijk but play continued, leading to United earning the lead.

But the Wirral-born referee was keen to dismiss the notion of refereeing bias against any Premier League club, using Taylor as an example.

"I get where you’re coming from and Anthony [Taylor] is from Altrincham, he has supported them. He does Man United against Liverpool but having said that," he said speaking on the Overlap's Fan Debate.

"Having said that, Liverpool fans never complained when I officiated them and I’m a Tranmere fan. I get where you’re coming from and there could be a bit more thought in that.

"Sometimes, unfortunately, the best refs that we have live in certain areas, so there’s nothing you can do. You’re not going to have Man City vs Liverpool refereed by a guy who has only done one or two years in the Premier League, whether it's Oliver, Brooks or Kavanagh. It was like when Stuart Attwell done a game at Everton and gave a penalty, did someone complain?

"You’ve got to ref what’s put out in front of you, if there’s a big call, make a big call. Refs aren’t afraid of big calls if it’s for the so-called, as you say, teams at Man U, City or Liverpool.

"If it’s an unpopular call, it’s an unpopular decision. You’ve got to referee 11 v 11 and forget what’s around. If you go to Burnley against Man City, I sent Sterling off for taking his shirt off, you could’ve said I overlooked it against a smaller team but you have to referee what’s in front of you."

There will be more to follow on this breaking news story and Mirror Sport will bring you the very latest updates, pictures and video as soon as possible.

Please check back regularly for updates on this developing story.