Premier League referee Michael Oliver has been overlooked for Manchester United's home clash against Arsenal by the PGMOL after they announced their officials for this weekend's top-flight matches.
Oliver has been under the spotlight this season after a number of controversial decisions, with the latest coming in the FA Cup. The Northumberland official was in charge of Crystal Palace's South London derby against Millwall, which saw the Championship club's goalkeeper, Liam Roberts, clatter into Jean-Philippe Mateta outside the area.
Immediately, it was clear that Roberts had caught Mateta in the face with his studs, and Oliver made the decision to let play continue before pulling it back for a free kick. However, the referee chose to hold fire on cautioning Roberts as VAR took another look at the incident.
READ MORE: 'The club is dying' - Manchester United protest group make unusual request before Arsenal game
READ MORE: Manchester United dealt massive Chido Obi blow ahead of Europa League knockout stages
The referee was soon instructed to go to his monitor, where he came to the final decision to send Roberts off. Mateta has since begun his recovery having received 25 stitches in hospital.
Following the match, former referee Keith Hackett told Football Insider that it was a 'no brainer' to send Roberts off and the fact it took VAR to award the dismissal was 'appalling'. The Premier League has since announced their officials for this weekend's matches, and the big one between United and Arsenal will be officiated by Anthony Taylor.
In fact, Oliver is nowhere to be seen in the list of referees, fourth officials, and VARs for this weekend's Premier League matches. Oliver has been selected by UEFA to referee the Champions League tie between Bayern Munich and Bayer Leverkusen, which could suggest his absence this weekend.
