Premier League appoint referee who made Liverpool mistake for West Ham showdown

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Darren England has been chosen to officiate Liverpool's Premier League showdown with West Ham United on Sunday afternoon. England previously ruffled feathers among Liverpool fans when he incorrectly disallowed a Luis Diaz goal during their 2-1 loss to Tottenham in 2023.

Diaz believed he had given Liverpool the lead at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, but his goal was deemed offside by the assistant referee. The decision was upheld by VAR, led by England, despite those at Stockley Park believing the goal should have stood as replays clearly showed Diaz was not behind Spurs' last defender.

Referee Simon Hooper was instructed to stick with his initial decision, which they believed was goal. Tottenham ultimately won the match 2-1, leading to England and assistant VAR Daniel Cook being sidelined for the following weekend's fixtures.

Since then, England has refereed three Liverpool matches and will be in charge of their crucial game at London Stadium. The Premier League has also confirmed that Scott Ledger and Akil Howson will serve as assistants, with Andrew Kitchen acting as the fourth official.

Paul Tierney has been appointed head VAR, assisted by Nick Hopton. While West Ham are just outside the relegation zone, the match is of greater significance for Liverpool, who are reeling from a crushing 4-1 defeat to PSV in the Champions League .

This came just days after Nottingham Forest triumphed 3-0 at Anfield. Slot acknowledged he has the backing of Liverpool's hierarchy but further disappointing results , particularly with Leeds United and Sunderland fixtures looming after the West Ham clash, could alter that position.

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Having suffered nine defeats in their last 12 matches, it's unsurprising that Slot is experiencing pressure as he disclosed in his pre-West Ham press conference. He said: "A lot of pressure if you work at a top club, even more so if you losing more than this club is used. There is always pressure, last year it was to win the league but now it is a different pressure.

"Maybe my job is easier because I don't have to play. It's hard for every player, when we go down after 5 minutes and play welll first half and then we concede second half, so we get knock after knock after knock. So we keep fighting. It is what we did so well last year and it is the minimum we expect over 90 minutes."

Regarding discussions with club officials, he added: "We've had the same conversations as we've had since I've been here. We fight on. And we try to improve, that is what we all try. The conversations have been the same as the last 18 months."

"No, not at all [have the players let me down]. Although I do agree that our standards, the team, have not been at the standard we're used to. We think we can play better than we do. The focus is on the team not the individuals. If the opposite is happening, we look at the team not the individuals.

"If you win, lose or draw you reflect on decisions you do in the week, maybe you do it more if you lose. We try to find the answer we need to win a game. In the end it's about doing what this club is about - keep fighting, we have to fight together.

"It would also be nice if we reward ourselves in the moments we play well, because there are large parts when we do. Every small mistake or error leads to us conceding a goal."

Slot will be hoping to have Florian Wirtz and Alisson back in the squad alongside Hugo Ekitike , who was substituted earlier this week due to a back problem.

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