Liverpool vs Newcastle referee change made to official who has already drawn Arne Slot's fury

The Premier League have confirmed that they have changed referee for Liverpool's clash with Newcastle on Wednesday.

The Reds welcome Eddie Howe's side to Anfield for their latest league outing and they will be hoping to extend their advantage at the top of the table with a win. But just hours ahead of kick-off, there has been a major change to the refereeing team.

Having previously confirmed that Chris Kavanagh would oversee the match, it has been announced that Stuart Attwell will be the man in the middle instead. He was initially tasked with West Ham United’s clash with Leicester, but has been replaced by Anthony Taylor.

The rest of the officiating team stays the same. Simon Bennett and Dan Robathan will be his assistants, with Darren Bond the fourth official. The VAR has been named as Matt Donohue, with Wade Smith the assistant VAR. A reason for the change in referee has not been announced.

Liverpool will be hoping that there is not as much controversy as one of the most recent times Attwell has refereed a game in which they were involved. Reds boss Arne Slot was left furious at his failure to send Lucas Bergvall off in the Carabao Cup semi-final first-leg, with the midfielder going on to score the winning goal.

“I don’t think there’s any debate about that,” Slot said about the decision. “They say he (the referee) didn’t (want to) stop the counter-attack and I say every manager would prefer when a tackle being made 40 yards from our goalkeeper, that the player is given a second yellow card rather than to continue the counter-attack with a player less to play that counter-attack with.

“The next discussion is was it reckless enough to give advantage and come back and say the tackle was still too reckless and then give a yellow. When he (the referee) didn’t give the second yellow nobody thought it would have such a big impact 30 seconds later.

Will Liverpool beat Newcastle? Share your predictions in the comments below

“I haven’t asked him, but I’m 99.9% sure I wasn’t the only one who felt ‘wow, not the best’. I’m 99.9% sure when Bergvall scored the referee thought ‘oh, is this really happening?’ because he couldn’t change it anymore. I think for him it was also far from ideal.”

Slot will not have the chance to speak with Attwell should there be any controversial moments. The Dutchman has been hit with a two-match touchline ban following his sending off against Everton.

Join our new WhatsApp communityand receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.