Rooney Supports Grealish’s Reflections on Referee Following Liverpool Game

Following Liverpool‘s 2-1 win in the Merseyside derby, many questions arose about the officiating—an opinion shared by several analysts.

Details: After the match, Everton’s winger Jack Grealish expressed his surprise at the referee stopping play for quick free-kick restarts.

Quote: “The second half was a bit disappointing because they tried to slow the game down. I’ve never seen a player get booked for taking a quick free-kick in my life. I don’t know where that rule came from. Even the added time—what was it, three minutes and then one minute? I haven’t seen anything like that in the last two or three years.”

Grealish’s views were echoed by former Everton striker Wayne Rooney.

Quote: “I saw Jack criticising the referee, and I agree. The ref stopped Everton’s quick free-kicks two or three times—maybe he wanted a break. In that moment, I understand Jack’s frustration. The team was trying to get back into the game, and the referee disrupted their momentum,” Rooney said on BBC Sport.