Mike Dean has explained why he will be contacting fellow referee Anthony Taylor to “congratulate” him following his performance during Liverpool’s win over Manchester City.
The Reds claimed a 1-0 victory in Sunday's big Premier League clash at Anfield on Sunday. However, the match was surrounded in controversy following an incident before Mohamed Salah scored the winner.
Man City thought they had taken the lead through Phil Foden. However, the goal was disallowed after a VAR check saw Taylor change his mind due to a foul from Erling Haaland on Fabinho.
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Both Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola have weighed in with their opinions on the incident. And Dean, who retired as a Premier League referee at the end of last season and now works as a dedicated VAR official, has explained why he will “congratulate” Taylor.
“I didn't want to disturb Anthony Taylor so soon after his game on Sunday night but once he's had time to digest it all, I'll be messaging Tayls to congratulate him on putting in a superb performance at Anfield,” Dean told the Mail Online .
“His approach to refereeing this high-pressure Premier League match only added to the spectacle. He let the game flow by waving away the soft fouls and penalising the ones that clearly overstepped the mark. It was the same for both Liverpool and Manchester City and it made for the physical battle we like to see in the Premier League.
“VAR Darren England did his job, too, including requesting that Tayls should review a possible foul at the pitchside monitor, which led to disallowing City's would-be opener by Phil Foden. Tayls couldn't see the shirt pull by Haaland on Fabinho from his position – but VAR could.
“It was a clear foul for me which left the Liverpool man on the ground, and it's important to remember that Fabinho would have been the one tracking City's striker as he made his way into the box. Haaland's foul therefore had a direct impact on how this attacking phase played out. He won the ball and then Phil Foden scored.
“VAR might have had another decision to make on whether Alisson had the ball under control when Haaland took it away from him – I don't think the Liverpool goalkeeper did – but it didn't get to that stage as Haaland's earlier foul on Fabinho meant the goal had to be disallowed and VAR was right to intervene.
“Overall, the refereeing team, including the two assistant referees - Adam Nunn and Gary Beswick - can hold their heads high after this showing. They were trusted with the most high-profile Premier League game this weekend and didn't disappoint.
“You can only officiate like this when you've put in the hard work. Tayls used all of his experience at Anfield and showed why he and his team are going to this winter's World Cup.”
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