The Premier League has issued a clarification regarding referee Michael Oliver’s decision not to halt play during a head injury incident involving Liverpool’s Alexis Mac Allister in the match against Manchester United.
Early in the match, Mac Allister went down after colliding with his own teammate, Virgil van Dijk, while contesting a header. The Argentine midfielder was left holding his head, but play continued. Moments later, Manchester United’s Bryan Mbeumo capitalized on the situation to score the opening goal.
Standard protocol dictates that referees should immediately stop the game when a player suffers a head injury. However, the Premier League’s official match centre, in a communication to Sky Sports, clarified that Oliver did not stop play because he did not see the incident occur.
This explanation did little to satisfy Liverpool supporters and pundits. Former Reds defender Jamie Carragher expressed his frustration live on air, stating, “He was on the floor holding his head… I’m surprised Michael Oliver hasn’t pulled that back with a head injury.”
BBC Radio 5 Live pundit Stephen Warnock echoed similar sentiments, highlighting the contentious nature of the decision within the context of the match.
Despite the protests, the goal stood, and Manchester United went on to secure a 2-1 victory with a later goal from Harry Maguire.
In the post-match press conference, Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim praised young winger Amad Diallo but also revealed the player’s frustration at being substituted, saying, “Amad is doing so well… He was upset today when I made the sub, but he had a yellow card.”
The match also saw other talking points, including Jurgen Klopp’s comments on why he turned down Manchester United and Rio Ferdinand tipping Arsenal for the title after Liverpool’s latest defeat.
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