Superstitious Kopites might be concerned by the appointment of Andre Marriner as referee for Liverpool’s crucial last game of the season at home to Crystal Palace on Sunday.
A 3-0 win over Burnley at Turf Moor finally propelled Jurgen Klopp’s side back into the top four and ensures that Liverpool remain masters of their own Champions League qualification destiny.
The Reds have now leapfrogged Brendan Rodgers’ Leicester City into fourth place by virtue of a superior goal difference (24 to 20) so they know that they will be back competing in European football’s elite competition next term if they can match the Foxes result at home to Tottenham Hotspur at the weekend.
Third placed Chelsea are a point above the pair but could still miss out if they fail to win at Aston Villa but both Liverpool and Leicester City are victorious.
However, as Champions League finalists, the west London side also have the opportunity for securing a fifth place for English clubs next term if they were to finish outside the top four but still beat Manchester City in Porto to lift the trophy this season.
The Reds go into their final fixture in fine form having won their last four games in a row and remaining unbeaten in nine Premier League matches.
Other than concerns that their former manager Roy Hodgson might spoil the party though in what will be the 73-year-old’s last game in charge of the Eagles as Anfield welcomes back fans for the first time since December with what will be the stadium’s biggest attendance since before the pandemic, the choice of match official could get the nerves jangling among those who hold stock in certain sequences.
Mr Marriner could be considered to be something of an unlucky omen for Liverpool this season.
The 50-year-old from Birmingham has taken charge of four previous Reds games this term and Klopp’s side haven’t won any of them.
First there was the Community Shield at Wembley back in August. The game finished 1-1 but Liverpool lost on penalties to Arsenal.
Then there was a 1-1 draw at relegated Fulham in December.
After that it got worse as Marriner was the man in the middle for the Reds’ 1-0 loss at Southampton in January, after which Klopp questioned his decisions over a number of incidents.
It was Liverpool’s first domestic reversal since the shock 7-2 thrashing at Aston Villa in October and while they remained top of the table at the time, the result ensured that both Manchester United and Manchester City – who were still only fifth – could each overhaul them if they won their games in hand.
Then on Marriner’s only previous visit to Anfield this term he presided over the 1-1 draw with Newcastle United when Klopp’s side survived one late equaliser from the Magpies being chalked off by VAR before Joe Willock netted deep into second half stoppage time to deny them the three points.
If that’s not bad enough, a glance at who is on VAR duty this Sunday might put a chill down the spine too.
Paul Tierney will be the man in front of the screen back at Stockley Park.
He’s the same referee who told a raging Klopp to “get over it” at Anfield last season when he felt Gini Wijnaldum had been fouled and also bemused the Liverpool boss by blowing early for half-time when Sadio Mane was through on goal against Manchester United back in January.
On the plus side, Liverpool were unbeaten in the five matches that Marriner officiated for them last season, four of which were victories with a total of 17 goals plundered by the Reds in total.
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