“Got to be Pūñished’ – Former Premier League Referee Thinks David Coote Made Big Liverpool Mistake

Former Premier League referee Jeff Winter has shared his views on David Coote’s officiating during Liverpool’s 2-0 victory over Aston Villa.

Winter both praised and criticised Coote’s decisions during the game, highlighting a key moment that shaped Liverpool’s opening goal.

Winter commended Coote for his role in allowing play to continue in the lead-up to Liverpool’s first goal on Saturday. However, he believes Coote made a significant error in how he handled that moment overall.

Following the game, it was announced that Coote has been suspended by PGMOL, as an investigation is underway into a historical video that surfaced online.

The video reportedly shows Coote in an explicit rant, making offensive remarks directed at Liverpool and their former manager, Jurgen Klopp.

The video began circulating on social media on Monday, just two days after Coote refereed the match between Liverpool and Aston Villa. His decisions during the game were already facing scrutiny by some fans and analysts.

Liverpool’s Darwin Nunez scored the opening goal by taking advantage of a loose ball after Villa’s Leon Bailey seemed to take out Mohamed Salah, who was through on goal. Coote allowed the game to continue, and Nunez quickly capitalised on the chance, scoring without the need for VAR intervention.

Jeff Winter defended Coote’s choice to let play continue, praising it as a “brilliant advantage.” However, Winter criticised Coote for failing to go back and issue a yellow card to Bailey for the foul on Salah, accusing him of “abdicating his responsibilities” in that aspect of the game.

“Leon Bailey couldn’t be sent off in the terms of the tackle,” Winter told Grosvenor Casino. “Because if you’re talking about denying an obvious goal scoring opportunity, he didn’t deny an obvious goal scoring opportunity.

“He most certainly tried to. If the referee had blown the whistle, then he would have denied it. But the fact the referee was on his toes on this occasion, he played the advantage.

“Can you imagine the furore if the referee had blown up, then the ball ends up in the back of the net and they get a free kick? Alright, he gets a red card, but then they get a free-kick, 25/30 yards away from goal.

“It was good refereeing in this instance. He made the right decision in allowing the game to continue, because if it was a serious foul-play challenge, then there’s an argument for not allowing the game to continue because the ball doesn’t end up in the net, and then you’ve got 20 players brawling.

“But in not going back and cautioning him, he’s got that one wrong. He might have been basking in the reflective glory of what a brilliant advantage Liverpool have scored because, as referees, there’s nothing better than playing an advantage and the ball ends up in the net.

“But you mustn’t abdicate your responsibilities. So, there’s a big plus for the referee in allowing Liverpool the advantage, but also a significant minus because, those sorts of challenges, the cynical ones, have got to be punished.”

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