Liverpool vs Brighton ref watch: Three decisions Stuart Attwell got wrong at Anfield
Stuart Attwell would have been hoping for a quiet night at Anfield as Liverpool took on Brighton in the fourth round of the FA Cup.
That would be far from the truth, however, especially after Cody Gakpo saw a first-half strike ruled out for offside, and plenty of cards were dished out to the visitors in the opening 45 minutes.
Arne Slot has been seriously struggling at Liverpool, with his side slipping to sixth in the Premier League table, but it is Fabian Hurzeler who is at serious risk of being sacked by Brighton this season.
The Reds would eventually prove too strong in a 3-0 win on Merseyside, with Curtis Jones, Dominik Szoboszlai and Mohamed Salah all finding the back of the net.
Nonetheless, the game wasn’t without its controversial moments, thanks to Attwell.
Sparks fly between Milos Kerkez and Joel Veltman
Attwell had a huge chance to stamp his authority on the game when Milos Kerkez and Joel Veltman went head-to-head before the half-time, needing to be split up by Arne Slot.
While there was no real headbutt by either party, it was a far more violent incident than the referee should have allowed at Anfield without showing two cautions to those involved.
Harry Howell gets away with murder at Anfield
In just 45 minutes of football, 17-year-old Harry Howell had committed five fouls under the nose of Attwell, and it could have been even more after a tussle with Alexis Mac Allister.
Hurzeler made the right decision to substitute him just a few minutes into the second half, allowing him to leave the pitch without a caution, but he needs to be smarter if he is to get more minutes in the Premier League.
Stuart Attwell misses a Mohamed Salah push on Brighton star
Salah finally got himself back on the scoresheet, lashing home a spot-kick in the second half to seal the Reds’ spot in the fifth round of the FA Cup, but there was some debate over the incident.
Before driving into the penalty area and being dragged to the ground, the Egyptian winger pushed Ferdi Kalioglu over, forgetting about the ball for a second, before proceeding.
It would have been an easy decision for the referee to blow up for a foul, but instead, the Liverpool star was allowed to continue, and then was awarded a penalty to seal the win.