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Liverpool's upcoming Premier League clash with Burnley will be officiated by Michael Oliver, as confirmed recently. This marks the referee's first time overseeing a Reds game since last season's Merseyside derby at Goodison Park.
Following the international break, Liverpool returns to action as the reigning Premier League champions and current leaders of this season, boasting a 100 per cent winning record. Its next challenge comes in the form of newly-promoted Burnley, who have yet to taste defeat at Turf Moor this season.
On Monday, the Premier League announced the officials appointed for the fourth game week's 10 fixtures, reuniting the Reds with a referee who previously caused them some frustration.
Oliver is set to take charge of Sunday's encounter with Burnley. Throughout his career, he has refereed 64 Liverpool matches, the most recent being the final Merseyside derby against Everton at Goodison Park in February.
That evening saw Arne Slot's team fight back from an early deficit to lead 2-1 going into stoppage time. Oliver added seven minutes of extra time but failed to blow the whistle before James Tarkowski equalised for the Blues with a volley in the 98th minute.
In the heat of a title race and the magnitude of the match, emotions spilled over when Slot and his right-hand man, Sipke Hulshoff, were both given their marching orders post-match for squaring up to the referee. Liverpool's Curtis Jones and Everton's Abdoulaye Doucoure also saw red after a tussle that riled up the away fans.
Following the fracas, Liverpool copped a £50,000 ($67,735) fine, while Everton were hit with a £65,000 ($88,055) penalty after both clubs owned up to the Football Association's charges of 'failing to ensure their players and/or technical area occupants did not behave in an improper and/or provocative way following the final whistle'.
Slot himself was slapped with a hefty £70,000 ($94,829) fine, Hulshoff with £7,000 ($9,483), and both were handed two-match touchline bans for 'acting in an improper manner and/or used insulting and/or abusive words and/or behaviour towards both the match referee and an assistant referee'.
"The best thing I could have done was just walk inside, but unfortunately I didn't," Slot conceded later on.
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When quizzed on whether he'd take it as a lesson to keep his cool in future, the Reds' gaffer said: "I hope, but I can't promise because I'm a human being. The way I am now, I would react the way I reacted after the game."
The officials teaming up with Oliver for the upcoming Burnley vs Liverpool clash this Sunday include Stuart Burt and James Mainwaring on the lines, with Chris Kavanagh taking up the role of fourth official.
Paul Tierney will be on video assistant referee (VAR) duty - his first time overseeing on-field decisions in a Liverpool match since the Merseyside derby at Anfield in April. Following that game, PGMOL confirmed he had missed a challenge by Tarkowski on Alexis Mac Allister that should have resulted in a sending off.
Eddie Smart will be assisting Tierney as VAR for Sunday's match.
* An AI tool was used to add an extra layer to the editing process for this story. You can read the original story in the Liverpool ECHO by clicking here.
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