“You’re just scumbags. Always have been” - Liverpool hero Michael Owen hits out at criticism over discussion on Premier League refereeing

Liverpool legend Michael Owen blasted his critics on social media after they suggested that he failed to challenge PGMOL chief Howard Webb on a segment of 'Match Officials: Mic'd Up'.

Webb presents the show each week in order to explain significant calls made by VAR from last weekend's Premier League action. Owen made an appearance in the most recent episode.

The pair touched on several controversial incidents that took place over the month, including Anthony Gordon's winner that VAR allowed to stand during Newcastle United's 1-0 win against Arsenal on November 4 (via GOAL).

Other notable discussions were Cristian Romero's red card during Chelsea's 4-1 win against Tottenham Hotspur on November 6 and Scott McTominay's disallowed goal during Manchester United's 1-0 victory against Fulham on November 4.

Many fans on social media felt that Michael Owen was too passive in his analysis and that the Liverpool icon failed to challenge Howard Webb on any of the controversial decisions that have affected Premier League football this season.

Responding to the criticism, Owen took to X (formerly Twitter) to fire back, saying:

"You’re just scumbags. Always have been. Trawl through a load of messages until you find a couple of negative ones and then create an article. Most people thought the show was insightful and educational. Which is our aim."

Premier League football is set to resume on Saturday, November 25, following the final international break of the season.

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Liverpool skipper Virgil van Dijk gives his verdict on possible title challenge

Virgil van Dijk recently gave his verdict on Liverpool's start to the 2023-24 campaign, before giving his thoughts on the Reds' chances of challenging for the Premier League title.

The Dutchman has returned to his very best this season, helping the Reds get to second in the league standings with 27 points from 12 games. They are just one point behind leaders Manchester City and are in contention to win their second title in four years.

Speaking about his team's progress, Van Dijk said (via Liverpool's official website):

“We need to see, we need a bit of luck, we need no injuries and need consistency. Overall this season we have been doing well but the season is not decided in November and there could be so many twists and turns, we all know that."

He added:

“You have all these aspirations, dreams, goals before the season and you want to compete until the very end in every competition we are in. That is definitely the case at the beginning of the season and then you grow into a season."

The 32-year-old concluded:

“There is still so much to play for. It’s going well, but if we had not got a result against Brentford we would have been in that downward spiral – from the outside world, of course – because you don’t set it up nicely for the game after the international break. But we finished on a positive feeling.”

Liverpool next face league leaders Manchester City in the Premier League at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday, November 25.