Arne Slot is well regarded for his calm demeanour but the referee appointed as lead VAR for the trip to Nottingham Forest previously had him erupting with emotion to earn him a yellow card.
Liverpool face an important Premier League trip to the City Ground on Tuesday evening, a clash that could see the gap between the two teams reduce to three points or stretch to nine.
Chris Kavanagh will oversee matters on the pitch, his second time officiating the Reds this season, and watching from Stockley Park as lead VAR will be John Brooks.
• READ: Slot says Gomez not close to return – confirms only 2 out vs. Forest
Brooks will be familiar to Liverpool fans more his altercations with Jurgen Klopp, but Slot was introduced to the referee when shown a yellow card during the 2-1 win over Chelsea in October.
Brooks overturned a penalty with VAR’s assistance in a game that looked beyond his ability, which Chelsea will have cursed as it played a part in stirring Anfield to respond.
- Referee vs. Forest: Chris Kavanagh
- Assistants: Stuart Burt, James Mainwaring
- VAR: John Brooks
- Fourth official: John Busby
Slot got swept up in the emotion himself on the touchline with what he was seeing from the referee, earning himself a yellow card that would contribute to a one-match suspension later on.
“The booking came from the fact that, I think there were three or four decisions that didn’t go in our favour,” Slot explained at the time.
“So it was a handball, I don’t know if it was, but everybody was screaming for it, so I did as well. Then there was the red card situation, then there was the penalty situation just afterwards.
“So there were a few things going against us, and I think sometimes you cannot hold your emotions, and that’s what you saw with me as well.”
He added on his “deserved” yellow card: “This was just as clear as the penalty he should have given the second time!”
It is a good job that Slot does not have any hair to lose as he has been quickly shown why Klopp was consistently left aghast by what he saw from English officials.
