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Liverpool fans fume as Manchester-born Anthony Taylor named referee for City clash
Anthony Taylor will officiate the highly-anticipated clash between Liverpool and Manchester City.
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Liverpool fans have slammed the decision to appoint Anthony Taylor as referee for their Premier League encounter with Manchester City. Taylor will take charge of the crunch clash on Sunday at Anfield despite being born in Wythenshawe, an area in Manchester, and the decision has left Reds fans incensed with accusations of bias.
Taylor has come under fire this season for some controversial decisions in high-octane encounters, namely between Chelsea and Tottenham at Stamford Bridge and the north London derby between Arsenal and Tottenham.
Former Chelsea head coach Thomas Tuchel, who was sacked in early September, was charged by the Football Association for improper conduct and fined £20,000 after suggesting Taylor should not be in charge of future matches involving the Blues.
It will be the second time he has officiated a game involving Liverpool in 2022-23, after overseeing the goalless draw in the Merseyside derby earlier this season. And with that, he will have taken charge of 50 Liverpool games in the Premier League since he began refereeing in the top flight back in 2010.
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That is the highest number of games for which Taylor has refereed, with City racking up 47 games. He was the man in the middle for their league fixture at the Etihad Stadium last season, which ended in the 2-2 draw which effectively ended Liverpool's hopes of winning the domestic title.
And Liverpool fans are not happy that Taylor - born and raised in the Manchester area - will be presiding over the clash given his roots, with Darren England, who has overseen a series of contentious calls of late, in charge of VAR decisions.
@james_mcghan wrote on Twitter: "Sunday is gonna be the 4th time in the last couple of years that Manchester born Referee Anthony Taylor will referee Liverpool v Man City.. Liverpool haven’t won any of the previous 3.. I wonder why."
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@Funnell_Jamie8 added: "Manchester born Anthony Taylor taking charge of Liverpool Man City... Why do the PL even put themselves in a situation like this?"
@daniel26091003 tweeted: "Man City fan Anthony Taylor refereeing Liverpool Man City yet again this has to be a joke."
But one user, @ebsk23, suggested Liverpool supporters don't have a leg to stand on: "Anthony Taylor is both a United fan and a City fan, depending on which one allows Liverpool fans to cry more."
The 43-year-old, who has been a referee since 2002, has been more willing to dish out a card this season than before. In his 13 matches at both club and international level, Taylor has brandished a total of 53 yellow cards and two reds this season.