There are some refereeing decisions that you eventually move on from.
Then there are decisions that leave such a bitter taste that you never forget them.
For Liverpool supporters, Darren England will forever be associated with one of the most extraordinary refereeing failures in Premier League history — the infamous Luis Díaz goal at Tottenham.
That night, Liverpool were denied a perfectly good goal after England, acting as VAR, failed to properly communicate that the on-field decision had been overturned.
It was an extraordinary error.
And, quite frankly, Liverpool should have insisted that Darren England never went anywhere near another Liverpool game.
Yet here we are.
After what happened against Ipswich, you have to ask why Liverpool weren’t protected from having England involved in another of their matches.
This time there were two more major talking points.
First came the incident involving Cody Gakpo.
Liverpool had a strong claim for a penalty, but once again the decision went against them.
Then came the Szoboszlai incident.
England sent the referee to the pitchside monitor — yet remarkably, the referee had not initially given the decision.
That is exactly why VAR exists.
If the technology identifies something that the on-field referee has missed, the referee should be given the opportunity to review it.
And on this occasion, he did.
The fact that he ultimately changed his decision only makes you wonder why it wasn’t spotted in the first place.
Of course, Liverpool shouldn’t be looking for excuses.
They won the game.
They scored twice.
They were the better team.
And ultimately, good teams have to overcome poor refereeing decisions.
But that isn’t really the point.
The point is trust.
After the Díaz incident at Tottenham, Liverpool supporters were entitled to wonder whether England should ever again be involved in a Liverpool fixture.
Referees are human and mistakes happen.
But when one official has already been at the centre of arguably the biggest VAR communication failure in Premier League history involving Liverpool, surely there should be some consideration given to avoiding another potential conflict.
Liverpool shouldn’t have to wonder whether the next controversial decision involving England will once again go against them.
The Premier League and PGMOL have spent years telling supporters that they want to improve standards.
Then surely common sense has to come into it.
If there is a referee or VAR official who has lost the confidence of an entire fanbase because of a previous catastrophic error, why put him in a position where another controversy can arise?
Liverpool beat Ipswich.
That’s what matters most.
But the Gakpo penalty and Szoboszlai decision will inevitably have supporters asking the same question:
Why was Darren England anywhere near a Liverpool game in the first place?
After the Luis Díaz debacle at Tottenham, Liverpool should have made their feelings crystal clear.
They should have insisted that England never officiated another Liverpool match.
Because after what happened against Ipswich, that decision looks more justified than ever.
Jamie (The Kopite View)
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