Darren England has been named as fourth official for Liverpool's Premier League match against Wolves on Saturday, a full year after he found himself at the centre of VAR drama when the Reds took on Tottenham.
England was on VAR duty in September 2023 on a controversial afternoon at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with Simon Hooper the on-field ref. Liverpool had two players send off before conceding a last-gasp winner, but the biggest flashpoint was a disallowed goal for the Merseyside club.
Luis Diaz was ruled offside after running through and beating Guglielmo Vicario, with England delivering the 'check complete' ruling after mistakenly believing the goal had been given by Hooper and not ruled out. By the time the VAR team had realised the error, it was too late to go back.
England returned to VAR duty for the first time in April, and has refereed a number of top-flight games both last season and this. However, Saturday will be the first time he's involved in a Liverpool game since that fateful day.
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Anthony Taylor will referee the match at Molineux, returning after a week on fourth official duty. Taylor had been subjected to abuse after the Bournemouth vs Chelsea game, where he booked 14 players, with the Premier League launching an investigation.
Gary Beswick and Adam Nunn will serve as Taylor's assistants for the game, with England in place as fourth official. Michael Salisbury is on VAR duty for the game, assisted by Dan Robathan.
England has refereed just two Premier League matches this term, Chelsea's 6-2 win at Wolves in August and Leicester's draw witn Everton in the last round of fixtures. He has also officiated matches in the EFL Cup and the Champions League qualifiers.
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Liverpool star Diaz was in the midst of a difficult run in front of goal when his effort against Spurs was ruled out. He has rediscovered his form this term, scoring five goals in as many games in the Premier League, but admitted in October 2023 that the Spurs drama had impacted him.
"The goal issue was a bit complicated,” he told Colombian outlet El Heraldo. “At the time it hit me very hard, but not only to me, but to all my teammates.
“In the middle of the game we talked about it a lot, it was a positive result that was going to help us. These are things that happen, the referees are human. You have to take it easy and for the next one it will be.”
If title rivals Manchester City drop points against Newcastle on Saturday lunchtime, Liverpool will know they can move top of the league with a win against Wolves. Gary O'Neil's hosts are still looking for their first win of the season, and sit bottom with just one point from five matches.
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