Former PGMOL Chief Urges Probe into ‘Unacceptable’ Incident During Liverpool’s Dramatic Win

A former chief executive of PGMOL has urged the Premier League to investigate the high number of stoppages during Liverpool’s thrilling win over Newcastle at St James’ Park on Monday night.

The match, already charged due to the backdrop of the Alexander Isak transfer saga, lived up to its billing with a fiery encounter that saw five yellow cards issued and Newcastle’s Anthony Gordon sent off for a dangerous tackle on Virgil van Dijk.

Liverpool secured victory with a dramatic stoppage-time goal from substitute Rio Ngumoha in the 100th minute. However, OptaJoe later revealed the ball was in play for just 40.8% of the game — the lowest figure in the Premier League since 2010.

Former PGMOL boss Keith Hackett, speaking to Football Insider, criticized the frequent interruptions, citing the low ball-in-play time as “unacceptable” and unfair to fans. He called on the Premier League to review the match and determine where time was lost — whether due to tactical delays, prolonged substitutions, injury stoppages, or slow restarts.

Hackett defended referee Simon Hooper, suggesting he typically avoids over-intervening, but emphasized that the official could still impact total play time by enforcing adequate stoppage time.

Although the match was unusually disrupted — with 32 fouls and three Newcastle injuries — data from FBref indicates this may have been an anomaly rather than part of a growing trend. Early-season averages suggest fewer fouls, yellow cards, and red cards than were seen in this particular game.

Still, despite the interruptions and extended time, the match delivered high drama, with Liverpool maintaining their perfect start to the season — a record only matched so far by Arsenal and Tottenham.