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Liverpool fans express their dismay at appointed referee for Manchester City clash

LFC Globe -

The have announced that referee Anthony Taylor will take charge of Liverpool's clash against on Thursday.

Liverpool take on Pep Guardiola's side at the Etihad, heading in to the match with a seven point lead over their closest title rivals.

Victory against City could be a pivotal moment of the title race, with the Reds having navigated the majority of their more difficult fixtures this season.

With the game having so much at stake, the smallest of details could be important - and supporters believe the Premier League's appointment of Taylor could be troublesome.

Taylor was born in Wythenshawe in Greater Manchester, leading some to claim he may have a negative bias against the Reds or cause unneeded headlines.

Whilst Taylor is recorded to support non-league side Altrincham, Liverpool fans have taken to social media to share their concerns on a controversial appointment.

Taylor has previous with Liverpool, having awarded some controversial decisions against the Reds in a 2-2 against Sunderland back in 2017, leading to manager Jurgen Klopp ranting at the officials after the game.

He has taken charge of three Liverpool games in 2018, wins against West Ham and and a against .

He has come under the microscope of late, having dished out 6 yellow cards and 2 reds in this weekend's Championship fixture between and Blackburn Rovers.

Both sets of coaching staff and supporters were unhappy with Taylor's performance, with Blackburn manager Tony Mowbray calling him out after the game.

Image: Getty Images

He said: “It was an Intense football match, two teams who were at it. Sadly I would say the officials had the biggest impact on the game today.

“I think the referee mismanaged the game. He's come from the Premier League to the Championship, thought he'd have a nice easy day and he's guessed his way through the match with his decisions.

“He's upset the stadium, upset our bench and I think he had the biggest impact on the game.”

The hope will be that Taylor is not the main topic of discussion after Thursday evening's meeting, unlike his horror showing on Saturday.