FIFA really needs to investigate this match between Manchester United and Liverpool that ended 2-1 in United’s favor. The referee’s performance tonight has raised serious eyebrows, as too many errors were made that clearly went against Liverpool’s favor

Liverpool, October 19, 2025 — Anfield’s sacred turf, long a graveyard for Manchester United hopes, became a farce on Sunday when referee Michael Oliver’s string of contentious calls handed the Red Devils a contentious 2-1 Premier League victory, sparking a firestorm that has Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher demanding an immediate FIFA investigation. The 47-year-old Sky Sports commentator, who switched Kop roars for the commentary booth with Peter Drury and Gary Neville, was blunt in his post-match analysis: “This was one of the worst officiated games this season. Too many errors were made against Liverpool; this is not incompetence; it is something that should be investigated. FIFA must launch a probe immediately. I have significant evidence in the tape that the referee’s judgements were the real reason for this loss.” Carragher’s outburst, delivered with the passion of his 2005 Champions League victory, has fuelled cries of injustice, with fans assaulting social media under the hashtags #OliverOut and #InvestigateAnfield, gathering over 400,000 posts in hours.

The match, a lunchtime tempest under grey Merseyside skies, was advertised as Arne Slot’s redemption story against Ruben Amorim’s struggling Red Devils. Liverpool, stung from three consecutive defeats, including Chelsea’s stoppage-time heartache on October 4, began with fire: Mohamed Salah, the 33-year-old immortal, curled a 12-minute beauty past André Onana after a silky Alexis MacAllister through ball, sending 61,000 fans into ecstasy and briefly hiding the Reds’ third-place vulnerability (15 points from 10 games). However, controversy erupted in the 18th minute when Bryan Mbeumo stunned Anfield with the quickest United goal in derby history, a poacher’s finish from Matheus Cunha’s lofted pass, mere seconds after Mac Allister crumpled clutching his head, inadvertently elbowed by teammate Virgil van Dijk in an aerial duels. According to FA rule, play must stop for suspected head injuries if the referee feels it necessary, but Oliver waved it off, allowing United’s counterattack to prosper. Sky’s Drury said, “Mac Allister’s down holding his head – this should stop!” Carragher spoke up live: “He was on the floor! Oliver’s statement is shocking.”

The Premier League Match Centre then stated via X: “The referee had not seen the injury and thus could not stop the game,” which fuelled Liverpool’s outrage. Mac Allister, the Argentine linchpin, underwent treatment during United’s celebrations, donning protective headgear before returning, providing a striking visual of the error. “That’s not just a miss; it’s negligence,” Carragher said on The Overlap podcast hours later, repeating footage showing Oliver only yards away, eyes fixated elsewhere. “FIFA should look into this; head injuries are not voluntary. Against United? In a Derby? “It is suspicious.” The incident, which is very similar to the 2023 Manchester City match in which Jeremy Doku’s high boot on Mac Allister went unpunished under Oliver’s watch, has sparked concerns about referee accountability, with PGMOL chief Howard Webb facing calls for openness.

Worse was to follow. In the 67th minute, Bruno Fernandes converted a VAR-awarded penalty following Cody Gakpo’s handball in the box, a decision Slot labelled “soft” in his tunnel outburst, saying the ball impacted Gakpo’s hip rather than his arm. VAR’s intervention, directed by Jarred Gillett at Stockley Park, affirmed Oliver’s on-field decision, but Liverpool’s bench stormed, with Slot receiving a red card for arguing. Kobbie Mainoo’s 82nd-minute dagger, assisted by Marcus Rashford’s sprint, extended United’s eighth-place advantage to 13 points, while Liverpool’s drop to fourth, nine points behind leaders City, exacerbated the misery. In the 54th minute, Amad Diallo’s arm deflected Darwin Núñez’s cross, resulting in a disallowed penalty. VAR judged it a “natural position,” according to the Premier League’s post-match tweet, but Carragher described it as “clear as day – arm away from body, unnatural.” Oliver canned it.

Carragher, who is no stranger to officiating uproar (his notorious 2018 ‘over the line’ tweet against West Ham nearly cost him his job), doubled down on TNT Sports. “Proof? Re-watch the tape. Mac Allister’s sprawl was ignored, as was Gakpo’s handball, and Amad’s block was waived away. Everyone is against us. This isn’t sour grapes; it’s institutional bias in major games. FIFA’s protocols require review; PGMOL is too cosy.” United fans, ecstatic at Amorim’s first derby win since his November coup, responded with glee: “Karma for Istanbul,” one X user wrote, referring to 2005’s epic. However, even neutrals stirred: Gary Lineker tweeted, “Oliver’s had a howler – questions for the IFAB.” Slot fumed in his press conference: “We deserved more, but decisions destroyed us. Arne Slot isn’t crying wolf; this stinks.”

Oliver, a 40-year-old Northumberland native with a 46% victory rate for Liverpool (31-21-14 in 66 games), came in under a cloud. Pre-match, United had “concerns” about his appointment, his third in a row for this tie, highlighting Diogo Dalot’s 2023 red card for dissent and a dubious Matthijs de Ligt penalty against West Ham that prompted Erik ten Hag’s dismissal. Liverpool’s ledger? A 2024-25 Everton brawl in which Slot’s confrontation with Oliver resulted in a two-match ban, with the Dutchman joking, “If we don’t win the league, thank you, Michael.” Pundits like Danny Murphy agreed with Carragher: “Poorest since the Spurs offside farce – FIFA should step in, not just Howard Webb’s slap on the wrist.”

As flares blaze outside Anfield and the hashtag #BoycottPGMOL grows, the IFAB, FIFA’s rule-making body, is under increasing pressure. Carragher’s “strong proof,” a dossier of timestamps uploaded on his Instagram (which garnered 2 million views), calls for action: Enhanced head injury technology, required VAR for derbies? For Slot’s Reds, who are licking their wounds ahead of a Champions League showdown against Milan, this is more than a setback; it’s a black plot. “FIFA, investigate,” Carragher pleaded. “For the badge, for the game.” In football’s most intense rivalry, when bias whispers louder than roars, Anfield’s echo demands justice – or revolution.