Liverpool vs Chelsea referee drew angry response from Virgil van Dijk over controversial decision

Liverpool returns to Premier League action this weekend with Enzo Maresca and Chelsea coming to Anfield in a heavyweight clash. And the referee who will take charge of the fixture has now been confirmed.

John Brooks will be the man in the middle while Simon Bennett and Darren Cann are his assistants. Craig Pawson has been named as the fourth official and Michael Oliver will be at Stockley Park as lead VAR, assisted by Stuart Burt.

In total, Brooks has been in charge of six Reds fixtures in the past. Three of those were wins with one draw and two defeats. He last met Liverpool in the FA Cup defeat to Manchester United at Old Trafford at the back end of last season.

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Liverpool most recently saw Brooks take charge of a Premier League game when he sent off Virgil van Dijk at St James' Park early last year. Darwin Nunez came off the bench to score a match-winning brace on that occasion.

Early in the game, Brooks issued a straight red card to Virgil van Dijk for a challenge on Alexander Isak, which left the Liverpool captain furious. The Dutchman felt that he had played the ball even though he was the last man, and his protests saw him receive an additional one-match ban and a £100,000 ($130,000) fine from the Football Association.

Van Dijk has had extra time to prepare for the Chelsea game this week after he was sent off while playing for the Netherlands against Dominik Szoboszlai and Hungary last week. He missed his country's 1-0 defeat against Germany yesterday and returned to Merseyside for a short break ahead of a huge run of fixtures.

Liverpool.com says: Ultimately, no one wants the referee to be the story on Sunday. Liverpool has the chance to show the rest of the Premier League that it is well ahead of Chelsea — even though there is only four points between the sides — by winning well.