Simon Hooper WILL referee Sheffield United vs Liverpool and will not be punished

Simon Hooper will remain referee for Sheffield United versus Liverpool on Wednesday night, with the 41-year-old avoiding being sidelined for his late error which enraged Manchester City.

PGMOL insiders say there will be no change to the midweek refereeing rota, though it is being acknowledged privately that Hooper made a mistake in not playing advantage when Erling Haaland set up Jack Grealish late in Sunday’s 3-3 draw with Tottenham.

Though City were left furious by the failure to let Grealish run through on goal – and Hooper faced significant abuse on social media in the aftermath, including threats against his family – the consensus is human errors can happen in the heat of the moment.

Footballing figures such as Mail Sport columnist Chris Sutton have likewise pointed out that Hooper was not the only one who made a mistake in Sunday’s scintillating Premier League clash.

Haaland led the protests against Hooper on the pitch for killing the promising attack, though some of his fury may have stemmed from his own frustration at not taking his chances.

Sutton wrote in his Monday column: ‘Simon Hooper made a mistake, a big one, but then plenty of players made mistakes in this 3-3 thriller, arguably bigger ones.

'That includes Erling Haaland, who missed an open goal and yet was screaming in Hooper's face as if he alone had stopped Manchester City from winning.’

Hooper was stood down earlier this season after failing to award a penalty to Wolves in their 1-0 loss to Manchester United for a stoppage-time challenge by Andre Onana on Sasa Kalajdzic.

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