Jurgen Klopp may not be too pleased with the appointment of Anthony Taylor to referee Liverpool’s clash with Manchester United this Sunday. The Reds manager has a history with the Altrincham-born official, who sent him off during a win over Manchester City in 2022.
On that occasion, Klopp bellowed in the linesman’s face after Taylor refused to blow for a free-kick when Mohamed Salah went down under a challenge from Bernardo Silva. The referee then stopped a City attack in its tracks to show red to the Liverpool manager and send him marching down the tunnel.
Klopp apologised for his actions and insisted he deserved to be dismissed in his post-match press conference, but it’s not the first time he and Taylor have butted heads. Reports indicate that the German was unhappy with the referee’s performance in a 5-0 win over United in 2021.
He also criticised Taylor publicly four years prior, following the decision to award Sunderland a free-kick in a disappointing draw. “It is tough for me to accept,” ranted Klopp at the time. “If there’s no free-kick then there’s no handball. And there was no foul for the free-kick. I saw it again and there was no contact.”
Another chapter could be written into their long history this weekend when Liverpool travel to Old Trafford for a vital Premier League showdown. Taylor has been assigned to the match with Gary Beswick and Adam Nunn assisting, Craig Pawson as fourth official and John Brooks on VAR duty.
The exact same fixture was played out in the FA Cup just before the international break, and Liverpool will be desperate to exact revenge after losing the quarter-final 4-3 in extra-time.
Klopp has already revealed that he will leave the club at the end of the season, and winning a second Premier League title would be an emotional way to end his tenure. His only previous triumph over City and Pep Guardiola came in 2019/20, when fans were absent due to the Covid pandemic.
Liverpool and United each have a midweek Premier League fixture to overcome before doing battle at Old Trafford. Klopp and co host Sheffield United on Thursday, with the Red Devils travelling to Chelsea on the same evening.
