Craig Pawson will officiate Aston Villa’s Premier League clash with Liverpool at Villa Park on Wednesday night, but Stuart Attwell was initially scheduled to oversee the game
Liverpool’s Premier League showdown with Aston Villa has experienced a last-minute switch in referee. Initially, Stuart Attwell was set to officiate the titanic clash at Villa Park on Wednesday night, but the 42-year-old has now been replaced by Craig Pawson.
Pawson was originally lined up to take charge of Leeds United’s Championship encounter with Sunderland at Elland Road on Monday evening. However, Attwell stepped in at the eleventh hour, sparking speculation among fans that the swap was due to Pawson’s alleged allegiance to Sheffield United.
However, as per recent reports from the Sheffield Star, the decision was purely down to scheduling and not a conflict of interest. This means Pawson will now be the man in the middle for Villa’s game against Liverpool on Wednesday night, as Arne Slot’s team aim to stretch their seven-point advantage over Arsenal at the table’s summit.
The Reds have triumphed in 18 of their 25 Premier League matches this season, suffering their only defeat by Nottingham Forest back in September. Currently ninth in the league, Villa are keen to keep their European aspirations alive for the 2025/26 season, sitting just five points shy of Europa League qualification and six from the Champions League.
Under Unai Emery’s guidance, the Villans have made a strong impression on the European stage throughout 2024/25, finishing eighth in the new league format with five victories, one draw, and only two defeats from eight games, reports the Mirror. Aston Villa are now set to face either Club Brugge, Borussia Dortmund or Sporting CP in the Champions League Round of 16, as they aim to secure their first title since their 1982 triumph over Bayern Munich
Liverpool struggled to beat Wolves last time out in the Premier League with Luis Diaz and Mohamed Salah getting on the scoreline for the Reds at Anfield.
Slot said of the win: “Clearly it was relief at the end, especially after what happened on Wednesday. Those last eight minutes, and especially the last minute where we conceded a goal, you are so frustrated because you know that moment can also have [an] impact for the next game or for the next games that are coming up.
“And I think you saw today after us conceding the 2-1 that maybe for the first time this season we were a bit, ‘Ooh…’ after conceding in the last minute against Everton. I think that was in our heads a bit and that’s also why we, as a team, were so furious on Wednesday.”
