Former referee Keith Hackett has praised the officiating in Liverpool's win over Arsenal on Saturday particularly during the moment where a row broke out between Jurgen Klopp and Mikel Arteta.
Liverpool ran out 4-0 winners in a match they needed to win to keep pace at the top of the Premier League with leaders Chelsea and rivals Manchester City.
There was a flashpoint however just after the half hour mark which sparked the spat between Klopp and Arteta.
The Arsenal manager was infuriated by a challenge from Sadio Mane on Takehiro Tomiyasu even thought it was not deemed a foul.
The Spaniard's remonstrations upset Klopp who reacted angrily to his opposite number's claims that Mane should be reprimanded.
'I Thought It Was Handled Really, Really, Well' - Hackett
Officials from both dugouts were up on their feet trying to calm matters and Hackett reserved special praise for 4th official Andy Madley when talking to Football Insider.
“I thought it was handled really, really well.
“You don’t want that to happen. You know there’s passion and the odd word can be misconstrued and we don’t know what was said. It sparked a very physical clash.
“Andy Madley, who was the fourth official, he’s a big lad. He stepped in and used his weight and authority really well.
“Also, the staff of both teams came in and kept Klopp and Arteta away from each other."
'World Class' Michael Oliver
Hackett was also quizzed on the performance of Michael Oliver and again praised the referee for his handling of the situation and the game itself.
“Firstly, there’s no doubts Oliver is our best referee. He had an outstanding game. The way he handled this, what’s grown in recent years is his maturity. He remained neutral, he didn’t overreact. It was absolutely brilliant, textbook.
“He remained calm, he didn’t overplay the yellow cards, he didn’t over demonstrate, he didn’t give a long speech, he didn’t look angry. There was so much good about that and his performance.
“He is a world-class referee, there are no doubts. His self-control was brilliant. Sometimes you can pile in.
“He didn’t jump in with red cards, he went through the right process which was a public warning.”
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