Richard Keys hints at Darren England conspiracy after ‘incredible’ Everton controversy vs Liverpool
David Moyes was among those outraged by Darren England’s officiating of the Merseyside derby on Saturday.
Everton lost 2-1 to Liverpool at Anfield, with the referee coming under scrutiny for several nonsensical decisions.
Keith Hackett exclusively told Goodison News that Moyes “has every right to be annoyed”, after England had bizarrely booked Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall for taking a quick free kick.
The midfielder had looked to get the game going again with Everton searching for an equaliser, and looked bemused when he was shown a yellow card.
Keith Hackett also said Iliman Ndiaye had been fouled before Liverpool’s opener, which he said the video assistant referee should have picked up on.
Richard Keys suggests Darren England ‘owed Liverpool one’
England was also slammed for allowing repetitive Liverpool fouls on Jack Grealish, with the referee refusing to give any Liverpool defender a yellow card, despite the winger having been fouled six times.
Instead, the 30-year-old was booked himself, after making his feelings clear to the referee following the final whistle.
What also stood out was the decision to allocate just three minutes of stoppage time, despite several substitutions and pauses to play in the second half.
| Player | Fouls | Yellow cards |
| Conor Bradley | 4 | 0 |
| Vitalii Mykolenko | 3 | 0 |
| Iliman Ndiaye | 3 | 1 |
| Milos Kerkez | 2 | 0 |
| James Garner | 2 | 0 |
| Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall | 0 | 1 |
| Jack Grealish | 0 | 1 |
Although the fourth official holds up the board that displays how much added time there will be, the decision is made in consultation with the referee.
Writing in his blog on Tuesday, Richard Keys suggested there may be more to England’s decision-making on the day.
“Dewsbury-Hall – booked for taking a quick free-kick. Incredible,” the beIN Sports presenter wrote.
“And just three minutes added time at Anfield, despite six second-half substitutes and no end of stoppages. How?
“Darren England was the ref – the same England that wrongly ruled out that ‘on-side’ Luis Diaz goal at Spurs when he was on VAR duty. Did he think he owed Liverpool one? Surely not? I can’t believe that.”
Darren England may feel unconscious bias towards Liverpool
The Diaz disallowed goal in question resulted in, undoubtedly, one of the biggest controversies the Premier League has seen since the introduction of VAR.
The Liverpool winger had scored what looked to be an offside goal at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with the linesman raising his flag in the first instance.
England on VAR, under the impression that the goal had been allowed, drew the lines and confirmed the player was, in fact, onside, before telling the referee that the on-field decision should stand.
By the time they had realised their mistake, it was already too late. England was removed from Liverpool matches for the season, but has since returned, refereeing the Reds on three occasions.
It would not be outlandish to suggest that the Diaz incident may still be at the back of his mind, leading to an unconscious bias that could have made its way into his decisions on Saturday.
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