Credit: Imago
Credit: Imago

Liverpool vs Fulham ref watch: Three Anthony Taylor decisions that caused fury at Anfield

Harri Burton

Senior Correspondent AUTHORITY Senior football journalist specialising in refereeing and officiating; former contributor to The Football League Paper, Late Tackle, and the Premier League; University of Derby graduate. FOCUS Refereeing controversies, football finance and governance, PGMOL decisions, and officiating analysis across the Premier League, EFL, and SPFL. THE INSIGHT Harri utilises a network of officiating and industry contacts to deliver verified, expert analysis of refereeing decisions and PGMOL policy. He provides the regulatory clarity behind the controversy to ensure fans get the full picture.

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Liverpool and Fulham supporters both made their feelings known about referee Anthony Taylor at Anfield on Saturday.

Rio Ngumoha and Mohamed Salah were on target at Anfield on 11 April, helping to put an end to the Reds' three-game losing streak, thanks to defeats to Brighton, Man City and PSG.

With a Champions League quarter-final second leg clearly on the mind, Arne Slot rested some of his bigger names, but his side still managed to get the job done, taking some of the pressure off him as well.

Speaking to Football Insider, Keith Hackett hailed referee Taylor for some of his decision-making on Merseyside, but the official was not without his mistakes during the 90 minutes.

Anthony Taylor falls for Sander Berge's dive

In the 54th minute, Liverpool appeared ready to win the ball back high up the pitch, as Dominik Szoboszlai stole the ball. Instead, the Cottagers were awarded a free-kick, much to the players' frustration.

Replays showed that the Reds had every right to be upset, with Sander Berge throwing himself to the floor under minimal, if any, contact, and conning the referee to stop a dangerous attack.

Antonee Robinson gets away with penalty shout at Anfield

Football Insider understands that Liverpool have backed out of the race for Antonee Robinson, but the USA international may have still helped his opponents on their way to three points.

Halfway through the second half, Salah attempted a cute flick around the corner, but his pass was cut out quickly by the Fulham man. Replays showed that it had come off the full-back's hand.

LiverpoolvsFulham
53%Possession47%
18Shots19
5Shots on Target4
1.81xG1.09
3Big chances2
10Fouls committed4
6Corners9

While it was a small moment in the game, it could have serious repercussions had the Cottagers gotten back into it, so VAR should have at least advised the referee to take a second look.

Joe Gomez crashes into bad challenge on Alex Iwobi

The game seemed dead and buried in the final 10 minutes, with much of the atmosphere completely flat, but there were some spatters from the away end after a big challenge from Joe Gomez.

He had only been on the pitch for the best part of 15 minutes when he lunged into a foul on Fulham's No.17, but likely because of the situation, Taylor kept his cards in his pocket. Very lucky.

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