Former PGMOL chief and retired referee Keith Hackett has called for a rule change after the latest Merseyside derby.
Liverpool made it five wins from five in the Premier League after overcoming arch-rivals Everton 2-1 in the first of two Merseyside derbies to be played this season. First-half goals from Ryan Gravenberch and Hugo Ekitike gave the Reds a commanding lead to hold by the half-time break.
Everton battled back, however, looking like the better team for large portions of the second half. Idrissa Gana Gueye pulled a goal back for the Toffees, but David Moyes’ side were unable to overturn the deficit despite their performance.
To end the game, referee Darren England added just three minutes of stoppage time, which seemed low given what had happened in the match. In the aftermath of the game, Keith Hackett, as per Football Insider, made his thoughts clear.
Hackett Puts Forward an Idea
With the way Everton were playing, it is feasible to think that, with more time, they perhaps could have snatched an equaliser. With just three minutes to be played after the full 90, however, this hope never became a reality.
It was clear that Everton players were unhappy with the decision, with multiple Toffees surrounding the referee at the full-time whistle and loanee Jack Grealish even being booked, despite the game having finished.
Now, Hackett has put forward an idea that, were it to be implemented, could see any confusions about stoppage time swiftly come to an end. He said:
“Can you remember when we had 10, 11, 14 minutes of added time on Premier League games? It lasted about six weeks. In the Merseyside derby today (20th September), three minutes…
“It’s just not enough. The lawmakers must consider taking the timing of games out of the hands of the match officials and introduce an independent time-keeper, who operates a stop-clock inside the stadium.
“That way, we’ll have fewer players feigning injury and we’ll probably see fewer stoppages. They’ll want to get on with the game, won’t they?”
Whether the governing bodies of English football choose to implement such a rule remains to be seen, but it is hard to argue that Hackett’s idea would not offer much more clarity to future games regarding adding on stoppage time.