The bald referee enforces Manchester United against Liverpool, and both sides dislike it! Ten Hag's three-position employment is in the spotlight

Famed bald referee Anthony · Taylor will officiate Manchester United's home game against Liverpool on Sunday. The double red will be scheduled to start at 4 p.m. local time instead of the traditional 2 p.m. due to fears of a clash between fans on both sides.

Manchester United's clash with Liverpool is always a tight affair and occasionally controversial, and this Sunday's game will certainly be no exception. Manchester-born referee Anthony · Taylor, whose hometown is Wizengshaw on the outskirts of Manchester, has been appointed as the referee, and many fans often joke about his birthplace, especially when he officiates against Liverpool.

In fact, Taylor is an old acquaintance of the Reds and Sunday's game will be his fifth officiation against Liverpool since 2016. He was particularly regularly scheduled to play Liverpool games, officiating 60 games, more than any other club. Chelsea (51), Arsenal (50), Everton and Manchester United (both 47) followed.

Taylor's penalty for the visitors in Manchester United's 2-2 draw at home to Liverpool last season sparked controversy. In 2020/21 and 2021/22, Taylor's Double Red Club saw Liverpool win 4-2 and 5-0. His first double red game was back in 2016 when the two sides drew 0-0 at Anfield.

Given Taylor's Manchester roots, it is almost inevitable that his impartiality will be questioned by some Liverpool fans. However, as mentioned earlier, United fans have also repeatedly expressed their displeasure with Taylor's decision.

An interesting statistic that gives us an idea of the winning percentage of each team in Taylor's enforcement matches. Arsenal have the highest win rate with a 60% win rate; Manchester United followed with 59.6 per cent, while Manchester City (56.8 per cent), Tottenham (54.3 per cent) and Liverpool (53.3 per cent) also won more than half of the games in which Taylor blew the penalty.

In recent discussions about referee appointments, Howard · Webb, head of Professional Match Referees Limited (PGMOL), briefly hinted that clubs supported by referees might be made public to increase transparency in enforcement. However, he quickly retracted the idea.

It has been widely reported that Antony · Taylor's support for the team is neither Manchester United nor Manchester City, but non-league side Altrincham, a claim also confirmed by club president Graham · Raleigh, who revealed last year that Taylor had retained his season ticket despite his busy schedule. Of course, people still prefer controversy to facts, and the controversy against Taylor is unlikely to subside completely.

When the whistle blows, what really matters is whether the 22 players on the pitch can perform well in this historic confrontation and how the manager on the sidelines has been able to figure out how to blame the referee for the defeat is the act of weakness.

Manchester United will have two major highlights for this game, focusing on Ten Hag's personnel. Up front, whether Zilkze and Garnacho will replace Marcus Rashford and Mason · Mount; De Ligt, on the defensive line, will also compete with Harry Maguire for a starting spot. Darren · Bent said: "Garnacho has to start, he has to start. Even if it means giving up Rashford, it has to be done. I would have Garnacho, Diallo and Zirkze as the trident. Ten Hag will only be able to protect Rashford for a while, and despite the latter's poor form in recent times, the boss has given him every chance to succeed."