Are Liverpool fans right to fume over Anthony Taylor and Paul Tierney appointments for Manchester City clash?

Liverpool fans have been left furious after the Professional Game Match Officials Board (PGMOL) appointed Anthony Taylor as the referee for Sunday’s trip to Manchester City.

Taylor-born in Wythenshawe, Manchester - will be joined by Lancashire’s Paul Tierney on VAR duty, a decision which has angered the red side of Merseyside.

The Super Sunday clash has been billed as a potential title decider, with neither side looking likely to drop points in any other game.

Liverpool are currently second in the league and just a point behind Man City after clawing back most of a 12-point gap - they can go two clear at the top if they return from Manchester with all three points.

Which only makes the prospect of having a Mancunian refereeing the game all the more confusing - albeit one who claims to be an Altrincham fan - while Tierney has had his fair share of run-ins with Jurgen Klopp.

But is there any evidence of Taylor or Tierney being pro-City?

Anthony Taylor ref record with Liverpool and City

Anthony Taylor has been refereeing in the Premier League since 2010, during which he has officiated 47 Liverpool games - more than any other club - and 31 Man City games.

Of the Reds’ 47 matches, they have won 27, drawn 11 and lost nine - a win rate of 57%.

Meanwhile, City’s 31 games have seen them win 18, draw five and lose eight at a win rate of 58%.

The veteran ref has awarded Liverpool 11 penalties during those games - one every 4.3 games - while awarding six to various opponents - one every 7.8 games.

He has also handed out only two red cards to Liverpool players while brandishing three reds to opponents - two of which were this season to Manchester United’s Paul Pogba and Chelsea’s Reece James.

City have struggled for penalties with Taylor in the middle, winning just five in total at a rate of one every 6.2 games, but they have also had six penalties against them in 16 fewer games - bumping the rate up to a promising (for Liverpool fans, anyway) rate of one every 5.1 games.

Taylor has also sent a Man City player off three times while sending off an opponent just once.

So while the win percentages are almost identical, Liverpool seem to have the edge in terms of penalties awarded both for and against as well as red cards for and against.

Tierney VAR record with Liverpool and City

Admittedly, the sample size for this comparison is much smaller, but Paul Tierney has been on VAR duty for seven Liverpool games and six Man City games.

Liverpool’s record in those seven reads five wins, two draws and no defeats - a win rate of 71%.

City’s six games with Tierney on VAR has seen four wins, two draws and no defeats - a win rate of 75% and another insignificant difference.

In those same seven games, Liverpool have had a generous five spot-kicks awarded, with just one against - there have been no red cards for or against during Tierney’s games on VAR.

And in City’s six games they have received just two penalties, with one against and no red cards for or against.

This season’s controversies

Of course, the numbers do not tell the whole picture.

Tierney was the man in the middle for Liverpool’s 2-2 draw at Spurs, a game in which he failed to give the Reds a certain penalty for a foul on Diogo Jota and failed to send off Harry Kane for a dangerous tackle on Andy Robertson before sending Robertson off in another controversial call.

Tierney was subsequently removed from VAR duty for the match against Chelsea as a result.

And it was the Lancashire-born ref at the centre of controversy again in February, this time at Goodison Park, when he failed to spot a clear handball from Man City midfielder Rodri, with five minutes to go and Pep Guardiola’s men 1-0 up.

Taylor’s links to Manchester haven’t lead to any controversies this season, however, with the 43-year-old in charge for both of Man City’s defeats to Spurs - including that 3-2 thriller.

He did struggle to spot a dangerous tackle in the same fixture back in 2019 though, when Vincent Kompany lunged in late and relatively high on Mohamed Salah after just thirty minutes - he received a yellow card but the ongoing debate as to whether it was a red or not probably shows that it wasn’t the worst decision ever made.

With all of that in mind, having Taylor in charge on Sunday is not too suspect, and while Tierney’s mistakes against Liverpool have been well documented, the record with him as VAR suggests that Liverpool fans should have nothing to worry about.