A Liverpool supporter has posted a Reddit thread sharing statistics about matches overseen by Michael Oliver since the start of the 2020/21 season.
Earlier this week, Liverpool contacted PGMOL — the organisation in charge of referees in English professional football — to express concerns over Virgil van Dijk’s disallowed goal during their 3-0 loss to Manchester City.
The incident happened in the 38th minute, when Van Dijk’s header was chalked off because officials ruled that Andy Robertson was interfering with play. The Premier League later stated: “The referee’s decision of offside and no goal was checked and upheld by VAR — Robertson was offside and considered to be making a clear action in front of the goalkeeper.”
Liverpool disagree, arguing that Robertson didn’t block Donnarumma’s line of sight and that the necessary VAR checks were not carried out. Michael Oliver, who was on VAR duty, has been criticised by fans for not advising referee Chris Kavanagh to review the footage on the monitor.
After the match, manager Arne Slot insisted: “It was obvious the wrong decision was made. He didn’t interfere with the goalkeeper at all.”
According to the Reddit post (using Transfermarkt data), Oliver has been in charge of 23 Liverpool matches since 2020/21. During those games, Liverpool have eight wins, eight draws and seven defeats — a win rate of just 34.8%.
Van Dijk also voiced his frustration: “I think the goal should have stood. Someone showed me a clip of a similar goal Manchester City scored against Wolves last year — same referee. But the decision is made. We lost 3-0, and we won’t use it as an excuse. We move on.”
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