Overview
- Reports from the closing stages at Anfield say ball attendants threw replacement balls to Liverpool players after Harry Maguire’s 84th-minute goal.
- Additional accounts note manager Arne Slot was seen handing a ball to a player and that two balls were on the pitch at times late on.
- League guidance introduced in 2022 requires spare balls to stay on cones and forbids coaches, substitutes and ball assistants from distributing them directly.
- Aston Villa’s £125,000 fine and temporary ban from using the system in August followed repeated breaches across multiple matches, establishing the enforcement precedent.
- Outlets say the Premier League is set to contact Liverpool to reiterate the rules, with no public comment from the club or league and no formal complaint filed by United.