Everton
Clattenberg Reflects on Merseyside Derby Errors That Followed His Career
Clattenberg admits derby errors, calls it his worst mistake; he lost control and faced threats. also
Eighteen years on, Mark Clattenberg has described a Merseyside derby as the defining error of his refereeing career. His account, given on the Daily Mail’s Whistleblowers podcast, revisits a match at Goodison Park that he now says exposed his unreadiness for that intensity.
“I had already been given Manchester [derby], and the north London derby the previous week. I was appointed to referee Everton-Liverpool at Goodison [Park]. I’m not using this as an excuse, but I had never experienced that type of derby before,” he told the podcast. “It was ferocious. This was a working-class derby, and I got it completely wrong.”
Clattenberg accepts the decisions that turned the fixture became the flashpoint. “I sent off two Everton players. The Everton fans thought I changed my mind because of Steven Gerrard. He walked past the camera when I was changing from a yellow to a red card… but it was always a red card for Tony Hibbert. It looked like Gerrard said something to me, and I had changed my mind. That obviously never happened. I also sent off Phil Neville for a handball on the line.
“The worst mistake I made was near the end of the game. I don’t know what was going on in my mind. Jamie Carragher pulled down Joleon Lescott for an easy penalty. If I had given it, Everton had the chance to equalise. In the eyes of Everton, I had made three big errors—all the big decisions seemed to go in Liverpool ’s favour.”
He said he “lost control” of the derby, a failure that had consequences off the field as well as on it. Clattenberg received death threats after the match and was kept off Everton games for the next six years until 2013. The referee, who made his top-flight debut in the early weeks of 2004–05 and became full-time in 2006, has since moved into television and now heads the refereeing role on the BBC revival of the gameshow Gladiators.
Everton
Grealish’s Everton situation remains unresolved as Moyes keeps door open
Moyes says Grealish has a future, but Everton’s winger remains unavailable and under scrutiny.
David Moyes says Jack Grealish still has a future at Everton, but the winger remains out of action and his situation is still unclear.
Grealish, who is on loan from Manchester City, first missed the defeat to Arsenal because of illness. Everton then made the reason for his absence against Newcastle United in the Carabao Cup on Oct. 29 public, describing it as a “breach of club discipline.” There was no formal explanation beyond that, although reports pointed to an unauthorized training absence.
He was also absent when Everton faced Newcastle again in the Premier League on Monday. In the build-up, The Athletic reported that the England international was “not fit” after spending the previous two weeks on the sidelines.
After the final whistle at St James’ Park, Moyes declined to offer any further detail. “He’s unavailable at the moment and we will make a decision with the club when we think that availability comes back,” the Scot told BBC Sport.
“All I’m giving out is that he is unavailable at the moment.”
When pressed on whether disciplinary action was still in place, Moyes added: “No, I can’t comment on that.”
Everton return to action on Friday night against Coventry City at the Hill Dickinson Stadium, but Grealish’s involvement is still unknown. Moyes insists there is still a route back for him during the final six months of the season, although his influence has been notably smaller than in his earlier loan spell.
Grealish had already drifted from his Manchester City role after being part of the 2022–23 treble campaign, but he began the 2025–26 season strongly with Everton. He won August 2025’s Premier League Player of the Month award before a mid-season injury halted his progress and also ended any chance of an England recall ahead of the 2026 World Cup.
His return to Everton at the end of the summer transfer window has been far less productive. He had to wait for a start, and by his sixth and most recent outing he had still not scored or assisted for the club.
That leaves Grealish at a clear turning point. He turned 31 in September and is now effectively fighting for his next contract, with City’s loan decision this season pointing towards a likely exit into free agency next summer.
Arsenal
Gameweek 9 verdicts: Chelsea edge United, Arsenal stun Liverpool
A full set of Gameweek 9 predictions, including Chelsea vs Man Utd and Liverpool vs Arsenal.
Gameweek 9 brings a stacked Premier League schedule, with several meetings that carry clear weight in the early-season picture. The most eye-catching fixtures are Chelsea against Manchester United at Stamford Bridge and Liverpool’s home clash with Arsenal, while there are also plenty of tight contests elsewhere across the division.
At Stamford Bridge, Chelsea are tipped to come through 2-1 against a Manchester United side under pressure after back-to-back three-goal defeats to Como and Bournemouth. Michael Carrick remains in charge for the trip to west London after talks with Bruno Fernandes and the rest of the squad, but this feels like a critical test. Chelsea have their own issues, yet home advantage and the absence of João Pedro could still matter in a narrow contest.
Bournemouth’s strong run is expected to continue with a 2-1 win over Leeds United. The Cherries have produced a striking sequence of results across multiple competitions, and with Rayan, Marcus Tavernier and Evanilson supported by Eli Junior Kroupi’s return, they look well placed to extend that momentum.
Other calls point to draws for Brentford against Nottingham Forest and Newcastle United against Everton, while Coventry and Sunderland are forecast to cancel each other out. Hull are backed to edge Ipswich 1-0, and Manchester City are favoured to beat Brighton 3-2 in what could be the weekend’s most open game.
Tottenham are projected to keep improving with a 2-0 win over Crystal Palace, while Aston Villa are expected to defeat Fulham 3-0 after their recent uptick in form. The standout result, though, is at Anfield, where Arsenal are predicted to win 2-1 after Liverpool’s recent consistency meets a team looking to respond after a cup setback. The final matchup, Newcastle versus Everton, is also forecast to finish level.
Aston Villa
Matchday 8: A Weekend of Rain, Errors and Narrow Margins Across the Premier League
Stormy conditions, missed chances and decisive errors shaped a Matchday 8 full of fine margins.
There was little sunshine to be found on Matchday 8, as Storm Boelo lashed English grounds with rain and wind. For all the bad weather, only one fixture finished goalless, and the round still produced a sharp series of swings in tone, quality and consequence.
Manchester United’s latest setback stood out for all the wrong reasons. Without Bruno Fernandes, they looked short of attacking life again, while Bournemouth made the most of what they created in a 3-0 win. Elsewhere, Tottenham Hotspur earned a notable victory at Stamford Bridge after Mike Penders handed them the opening goal, with Cole Palmer adding to Chelsea’s problems by picking up two unnecessary yellow cards.
Several matches were defined more by frustration than fluency. Fulham struggled to trouble Coventry, managing just two shots on target, while Crystal Palace surrendered control against Newcastle after leading the shot count at the break. Everton were pushed back by Arsenal and rarely threatened after falling behind early. Ipswich and Nottingham Forest finished level after a match in which neither side found much rhythm, even if the visitors were able to make more of the contest than their hosts.
Brentford’s draw away to newly promoted opposition drew a blunt response from Keith Andrews and Michael Kayode, who both said, “We have to be better.” Sunderland also shared the points in a contest shaped by the conditions, with Régis Le Bris pleased enough to say, “We were Sunderland today.” At the Stadium of Light, the wind played a major role in a game where both teams completed only 73% of their passes.
There were also decisive moments at Anfield and Villa Park. Liverpool saw Brighton’s recent momentum halted as early goals changed the shape of the match, while Villa took control through Nicolas Jackson’s sharp finishing and a commanding display from Zion Suzuki, who produced six saves and 12 line-breaking passes. In another tight contest, Hull and their opponents could not be separated, and Sergej Jakirović called it “a fair result.”
The weekend’s final judgement was not about one storyline alone, but about a league round where weather, missed chances and single moments repeatedly decided the outcome.
