10 Controversies & Scandals That Rocked Liverpool

By Joseph Dempsey /

10. "The Clattenburg Derby"

If a referee has a football game named after them it's a pretty safe bet it's because they've done something highly controversial. And so it told in October 2007 in a typically-fiery Merseyside derby between Liverpool and Everton. The Reds were the beneficiaries of a number of blunders from referee Mark Clattenburg, including a contentious red card for Toffees right-back Tony Hibbert. After upending Steven Gerrard in the penalty area, Clattenburg appeared to be reaching for a yellow card until a quiet word in the ear from the Liverpool captain persuaded him to dish out a straight red instead. Later, Dirk Kuyt got away with a waist-high, two footed lunge on Phil Neville while Everton were denied a stone-wall penalty after Jamie Carragher dropped Joleon Lescott in the box. Everton manager David Moyes fumed at a 'blatant injustice' at full-time while Neville went one further and claimed some referees are €˜awestruck€™ when dealing with some of the league€™s top players. Clattenburg was suspended for the following weekend of Premier League fixtures and didn't officiate a single Everton game for the next five years, until 2012's encounter with Aston Villa.