Referee named for Liverpool vs Manchester United as assistant returns after VAR blunder

Michael Oliver has been named as the referee for Sunday's Premier League clash between Liverpool and Manchester United.

The 38-year-old will take charge of his 60th match involving the Reds. Liverpool have won 29 of those., losing 13 and drawing 17.

Oliver has been in charge of more Reds games than any other Premier League club in his officiating career, with Arsenal, Everton (both 55), Manchester City (53) and Chelsea (51) trailing behind.

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The Northumbrian official has been in charge of 44 United fixtures. The Red Devils have won 18 of those, suffering defeat on 15 occasions with 11 draws.

Sunday won't be the first time that Oliver has been in the middle of a match involving the two North West clubs. He held the whistle for Liverpool's 2-1 defeat at Old Trafford last season, as Erik ten Hag's side stopped the rot following a poor start to the campaign.

Oliver was also in charge for draws between the teams in 2017 and 2019, plus a 3-1 defeat for the Reds in 2015, all of which came at United's home ground.

He will be assisted on Sunday by Stuart Burt and Dan Cook. For Cook, it will be the first time he has been involved in a Liverpool game, as an assistant referee, since the controversy surrounding Luis Diaz's disallowed goal against Tottenham Hotspur.

Darren England was on VAR that night with Cook assisting him as AVAR. As a result of their error, the pair were stood down from Premier League duties following the incident on September 30 before returning on October 17.

John Brooks will be at Stockley Park as the VAR official on Sunday, with Simon Long assisting him in