5 of the worst refereeing performances in the last decade (2010-2019)

4. Kevin Friend – Manchester United vs. Bournemouth (2017)

Kevin Friend was labelled a rabbit in the headlights for this awful performance

Premier League ref Kevin Friend was no stranger to controversy when he took charge of Manchester United’s 2017 clash with Bournemouth; his performance in a 2015 match between Southampton and Liverpool left his name trending for all the wrong reasons after a series of errors, but his showing at Old Trafford in 2017 was even worse.

During an ill-tempered game, somehow Friend managed to miss a blatant stamp by Cherries defender Tyrone Mings to the head of Zlatan Ibrahimovic during the first half. Evidently the decision didn’t sit well with Ibrahimovic – who took his revenge later in the game with a blatant elbow to Mings as the two men jostled for the ball during a corner.

Again, Friend missed the infraction entirely – only to award Bournemouth’s Andrew Surman a second yellow card for his part in the melee that followed Ibrahimovic’s elbow, but only after being reminded by his assistant that the midfielder had already been booked.

It was a baffling call, and left Friend in the firing line, with former referee Keith Hackett later labelling him a “rabbit in the headlights” and stating that his performance was the worst refereeing job in some time.