To no one’s surprise, Mike Dean seems to have landed in a bit of controversy.
The English referee has been officiating games in the top flight of English football for over 20 years now, dishing out the most red cards in the process.
Over the years, Mike Dean has been rather infamous for his eagerness to grab the limelight.
We’ve all seen him extravagantly pointing to the penalty spot or handing out his trademark ‘no-look cards’.
The English referee loves to be the centre of it all. And Fans witnessed another example of Dean’s flamboyance on Thursday.
Officiating Newcastle’s visit to Anfield, the English referee had Geordies fuming at his decision to let Diogo Jota’s goal stand.
His verdict had already disgusted Newcastle supporters and players alike, but Mike Dean really wanted to ensure that the post-match discussion centred around him.
Trent Alexander-Arnold netted Liverpool’s third in spectacular fashion, unleashing a rocket out from his right foot.
Naturally, the goal had fans in awe of the fullback’s striking abilities.
The narrative quickly began to shift, however, as fans began to take notice of Dean’s antics right before the strike.
The 52-year-old stood merely 5 yards away from the English international when he unleashed his strike. One would think the rational approach for a referee would be to remain as further away as possible from a shot on goal, Mike Dean clearly had other ideas.
The English referee opted to run right in front of the shot’s path and ended up narrowly avoiding it.
Having two decades worth of experience, Dean is a master of his craft, as far as drawing attention is concerned.
And evidently, his antics throughout the game worked as the away end dove into a chorus of “Mike Dean, it’s all about you”.
Twitter reaction to Mike Dean’s antics before TAA’s shot –
What on earth is Mike Dean doing running across TAA’s shot like that?! I’m not even mad about it, I’m just genuinely curious why his brain told him to do that!?! #NUFC
Clever run from Mike Dean here! Really helped TAA create the space he needed to crack this one from outside the box. Can't teach that part of the game. Natural instinct from the REFEREE. Absolute masterclass. 🤣 https://t.co/CMTjWT8MPW
