- Liverpool’s game vs Brentford had two referees after an unlikely incident occurred during the Premier League game
- Referee Simon Hooper had to be replaced by the fourth official as Liverpool lost further ground in the league
- The Reds last won a Premier League game in September, with Arne Slot struggling to find answers to the team’s problems
Liverpool suffered a fourth Premier League defeat in a row after Brentford beat them 3-2 at the Gtech Stadium on Saturday night.
Source: Getty Images
The defending champions thought they had gotten some respite after beating Eintracht Frankfurt in the Champions League in midweek, only to fall back into uncharted territory in the league.
Away from the result on the pitch, the game had another interesting moment as the second half was delayed due to an injury to, wait for this, the referee.
Why Brentford vs Liverpool had two referees
Simon Hooper started as the centre referee for the contest in London and was involved in some contentious decisions.
He rejected Liverpool’s appeals for a penalty for a foul on Cody Gakpo before Brentford scored immediately on the other end.
There were also concerns about the first half stoppage time as Milos Kerkez scored in the fifth minute, yet only three were initially added.
What happened to Simon Hooper?
At the start of the second half, Hooper failed to reappear as the fourth official, Tim Robinson, took charge.
It has now emerged that Hooper suffered a hamstring injury and could not run up and down, forcing the unlikely change. The delay to the start of the second half was prompted by Robinson warming up.
Source: Getty Images
Robinson awarded a penalty to the hosts after Virgil van Dijk’s foul. He had initially given it as a free-kick, but VAR showed the offence had taken place at the line, hence the penalty.
Brentford beat Liverpool
Igor Thiago stepped up to beat Giorgi Mamardashvili to take the score to 3-1 after goals from Dango Ouattara and Kevin Schade in the first half.
Mohamed Salah scored his first goal in seven games with a beautiful volley in the 88th minute to give Liverpool fans hope, but Keith Andrews’ side held on to get the famous win.
The Reds have now gone an entire month without winning in the Premier League. Their last win came on September 20 when they beat Everton in the Merseyside derby.
The loss in London leaves them in sixth place, four points behind Arsenal, who play Crystal Palace on Sunday.
“Disappointing, again. You are always hoping if you win a game of football during the week, although it is only two days’ rest when you come over here, of course, you are hoping for a better result,” said Arne Slot after the game via the club’s website.
Why Dorgu wasn’t sent off
In a different story, the Premier League has explained why Patrick Dorgu wasn’t sent off against Brighton.
The Manchester United fullback fouled Yankuba Minteh in a last-man challenge but was only shown a yellow card.
Ruben Amorim’s side won the game 4-2 to move into the top four.
Proofreading by Jackson Otukho, copy editor at TUKO.co.ke.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
