Craig Pawson has been appointed to referee this Saturday’s Northwest derby and although Liverpool fans have reacted more negatively to the news than their Manchester United counterparts after the 38-year-old awarded Everton a soft penalty in the Merseyside derby at Anfield earlier this season, ending 1-1, Red Devils supporters have a right to be concerned as well.
Indeed, in a worrying omen for Jose Mourinho’s side, the last United match Pawson officiated was the 1-0 defeat to Newcastle at St. James’ Park last moth, when he didn’t issue the Magpies a single yellow card despite committing 12 fouls yet booked Chris Smalling and Antonio Valencia.
That’s not to suggest Pawson has any kind of agenda against either side, but the statistics make worrying reading for the Red Devils too. Ranking in the top nine of the 19 referees to work in the Premier League this season for fouls per tackle and fouls, yellow cards and penalties per game, it’s clear Pawson is one of the division’s stricter referees.
Cross-reference that with what the statistics tell us about the two sides involved in Saturday’s 12.30pm kickoff. United have committed the fourth-most fouls of any Premier League team this season, whereas Liverpool are at the opposite end of the foul table, ranking 17th throughout the top flight – albeit, jumping up one place for fouls per game on the road. Accordingly, United have picked up 18 more yellow cards than the Reds this season.
Pawson will likely be a little more lenient than usual on Saturday – after all, what’s the point in watching English football’s biggest derby if the players aren’t allowed to make a fair share of meaty challenges?
But it’s still a clear word of warning for the Red Devils; considering the technical quality Liverpool have and the incredible pace of their forward play, free kicks in dangerous areas or bookings for key personnel, like left-back Ashley Young who will have to contain Mohamed Salah, could well be the difference on Saturday.
But the big positive for the neutrals in the context of recent Northwest derbies is how few draws Pawson has presided over this season. Just 22% of the Premier League fixtures he’s officiated this season have ended in a point apiece, which is the seventh-lowest return of any referee this term.
Perhaps then, we’ll see an end to Liverpool and United’s run of four consecutive draws across all competitions, with two of them being scoreless.
[ad_pod ]