John Brooks has been appointed to referee Liverpool's Premier League clash with Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday. The Reds have unhappy memories of Brooks, who sent off Virgil van Dijk during their match against Newcastle United in August 2023.
Van Dijk was dismissed for denying Alexander Isak a goalscoring opportunity. The Liverpool captain received an automatic one-match ban before being handed an additional suspension and a £100,000 fine by the Football Association after refusing to leave the pitch and remonstrating with Brooks and fourth official Craig Pawson.
Brooks has since refereed four Liverpool matches, most recently the 2-1 Premier League win over Chelsea in October. In February, he was dropped from VAR duties for Liverpool's derby with Everton and Arsenal's clash with Manchester City, following his controversial decision to rule out Brighton's goal in their 1-1 draw with Crystal Palace.
For the match against Tottenham, Anthony Taylor will act as the fourth official, with Stuart Attwell on VAR duty. Attwell was criticised last month for a major decision in Liverpool's 2-0 win over Aston Villa, when Amadou Onana avoided a red card after appearing to grab Alexis Mac Allister by the throat.
During the League Cup semi-final first leg at Tottenham in January 2022, Attwell angered the Liverpool camp by failing to dismiss Lucas Bergvall, moments before that player scored the winner. The 18-year-old had been booked earlier but escaped a second yellow card for a late challenge on Kostas Tsimikas.
Ahead of Saturday, it is another must-win game for Liverpool in north London, with Arne Slot's side aiming to secure back-to-back victories after recent draws against Sunderland and Leeds United. Spurs, meanwhile, were beaten 3-0 at Nottingham Forest last Sunday and have now won and lost six games apiece in the Premier League.
