Liverpool, October 19, 2025 – Anfield’s sacred turf, long a graveyard for Manchester United hopes, became a theater of farce on Sunday as referee Michael Oliver’s string of contentious calls gifted the Red Devils a contentious 2-1 Premier League victory, igniting a firestorm that has Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher demanding an immediate FIFA investigation. The 47-year-old Sky Sports pundit, who traded Kop roars for commentary booth alongside Peter Drury and Gary Neville, didn’t mince words in the post-match fallout: “This was one of the poorest officiated games this season. Too many errors went against Liverpool – it’s not incompetence; it’s something that needs probing. FIFA must open an investigation immediately. I’ve got strong proof in the footage that the referee’s decisions were the real reason behind this loss.” Carragher’s blast, delivered with the ferocity of his 2005 Champions League triumph, has amplified cries of injustice, with fans storming social media under #OliverOut and #InvestigateAnfield, amassing over 400,000 posts in hours.
The match, a midday maelstrom under gray Merseyside skies, was billed as Arne Slot’s redemption arc against Ruben Amorim’s beleaguered Red Devils. Liverpool, stinging from three straight defeats including the stoppage-time Chelsea heartbreak on October 4, started with fire: Mohamed Salah, the 33-year-old eternal, curled a 12th-minute beauty past André Onana after a slick Alexis Mac Allister through ball, sending 61,000 voices into ecstasy and briefly masking the Reds’ third-place fragility (15 points from 10 games). Yet, 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 duel. According to FA protocols, play must halt for suspected head injuries if the referee deems it necessary, but Oliver waved on, allowing United’s counter to flourish. Sky’s Drury roared: “Mac Allister’s down holding his head – this should stop!” Carragher interjected live: “He was on the floor! Shocking from Oliver.”
The Premier League Match Centre later clarified via X: “The referee had not seen the injury and therefore couldn’t stop the game,” a justification that fueled Liverpool’s fury. Mac Allister, the Argentine linchpin, received treatment during United’s celebrations, donning protective headgear before resuming – a stark visual of the oversight. “That’s not just a miss; it’s negligence,” Carragher fumed on The Overlap podcast hours later, replaying footage that showed Oliver mere yards away, eyes fixed elsewhere. “FIFA needs to dig into this – head injuries aren’t optional. Against United? In a derby? It’s suspicious.” The incident, eerily reminiscent of the 2023 Manchester City clash where Jeremy Doku’s high boot on Mac Allister went unpunished under Oliver’s watch, has reignited debates on referee accountability, with PGMOL chief Howard Webb facing calls for transparency.
Worse was to come. In the 67th minute, Bruno Fernandes slotted home a VAR-awarded penalty after Cody Gakpo’s handball in the box – a decision Slot branded “soft” in his tunnel tirade, claiming the ball struck Gakpo’s hip, not arm. VAR’s intervention, overseen by Jarred Gillett at Stockley Park, upheld Oliver’s on-field call, but Liverpool’s bench erupted, with Slot flashing a red card for protesting. Kobbie Mainoo’s 82nd-minute dagger – a counter-clincher assisted by Marcus Rashford’s burst – sealed United’s eighth-place surge to 13 points, while Liverpool’s slide to fourth, nine behind leaders City, deepened the gloom. A denied penalty shout in the 54th minute, when Amad Diallo’s arm deflected a Darwin Núñez cross, added salt: VAR deemed it “natural position,” per the PL’s post-match tweet, but Carragher dissected it as “clear as day – arm away from body, unnatural. Oliver bottled it.”
Carragher, no stranger to officiating outrage – his infamous 2018 “over the line” tweet against West Ham nearly cost him his job – doubled down on TNT Sports: “Proof? Rewatch the tape: Mac Allister’s sprawl, ignored; Gakpo’s handball, overlooked initially; Amad’s block, waved away. All against us. This isn’t sour grapes – it’s systemic bias in big games. FIFA’s protocols demand scrutiny; PGMOL’s too cozy.” United fans, reveling in Amorim’s first derby win since his November coup, countered with glee: “Karma for Istanbul,” one X user posted, referencing 2005’s epic. Yet, even neutrals stirred: Gary Lineker tweeted, “Oliver’s had a howler – questions for the IFAB.” Slot, seething in his presser: “We deserved more, but decisions killed us. Arne Slot doesn’t cry wolf – this stinks.”
Oliver, the 40-year-old Northumberland native with a 46% win rate for Liverpool (31-21-14 in 66 games), entered under a cloud. Pre-match, United expressed “concerns” over his appointment – his third straight for this fixture – citing a 2023 red to Diogo Dalot for dissent and a dubious Matthijs de Ligt penalty against West Ham that sparked Erik ten Hag’s sacking. Liverpool’s ledger? A 2024-25 Everton brawl where Slot’s confrontation with Oliver earned a two-match ban, the Dutchman quipping: “If we don’t win the league, thank you, Michael.” Pundits like Danny Murphy echoed Carragher: “Poorest since the Spurs offside farce – FIFA should step in, not just Howard Webb’s slap on the wrist.”
As flares smolder outside Anfield and #BoycottPGMOL surges, the IFAB – FIFA’s rule-making arm – faces mounting pressure. Carragher’s “strong proof,” a dossier of timestamps shared on his Instagram (garnering 2 million views), demands action: enhanced head-injury tech, mandatory VAR for derbies? For Slot’s Reds, licking wounds ahead of a Champions League Milan rematch, this isn’t just a loss – it’s a conspiracy cloaked in black. “FIFA, investigate,” Carragher implored. “For the badge, for the game.” In football’s fiercest feud, where bias whispers louder than roars, Anfield’s echo demands justice – or revolution.
