Mark Clattenburg has come under fire for his comments during the Liverpool vs. AC Milan match, where he suggested that referee Espen Eskas should have called “one or two small fouls” to maintain control. Despite an early scare from Christian Pulisic, Liverpool, managed by Arne Slot, began their 2024-25 Champions League campaign with an impressive 3-0 victory, featuring goals from Ibrahima Konate, Virgil van Dijk, and Dominik Szoboszlai.
After Liverpool’s dominant 3-1 victory, fans criticized Mark Clattenburg for his controversial comments, where he suggested that referee Espen Eskas should have given the home side “cheap fouls” to help maintain control of the game.
In the vibrant atmosphere of the San Siro, referee Espen Eskas had his hands full from the beginning. As the game moved past the 60-minute mark and the crowd’s jeers grew louder, Alan Shearer praised Eskas for his steadiness, saying:
“He hasn’t been swayed by this crowd; they certainly make noise for every decision they want. He’s just evening it up. If he didn’t give the first one, he’s not going to give that one.”
In response to the striker-turned-pundit’s comments, Clattenburg shockingly suggested that Eskas, officiating just his fifth tie in Europe’s premier competition, should have awarded the hosts with free-kicks to relax the home contingent.
Shocking the Anfield supporters, the former official—who had previously worked as a referee analyst at Nottingham Forest—commented: “The first one is definitely a free-kick. He needs to calm the crowd; they’re against him.
“They’ve been applying pressure, as evidenced by the earlier penalty shout. The referee should call a couple of small fouls to help regain control.”
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