Liverpool 'break' rule several times as Premier League prepare talks

Liverpool are set to hold talks with the Premier League after they appeared to have breached the multi-ball rules system during their 2-1 defeat to Manchester United. Under regulations introduced in 2022, balls should be positioned on tees around the pitch, with players expected to pick them up, and ball boys and girls not permitted to hand them over.

Earlier this season, Aston Villa were fined £125,000 after accepting they broke the multi-ball rule on several occasions last season. They were also banned from operating a multi-ball system in each of their first three home games of the 2025/26 season.

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According to the Daily Mail, Liverpool broke the rule multiple times with ball boys and ball girls appearing to hand the ball to players during the latter stages of the second half, rather than following protocol and leaving them to be collected from the cones.

The Premier League champions are not expected to receive a similar fine to Villa, given Unai Emery's side were charged for multiple breaches.

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The report claims that Liverpool will likely be given a slap on the wrist and a reminder of the rules. It's said that United are not believed to have lodged a complaint, however the Reds' tactics raised eyebrows among higher-ups in attendance at Anfield.

The Premier League and Liverpool are yet to comment on the matter. The multi-ball system will be the least of Arne Slot's worries at the moment as he looks to return to winning ways.

The Merseyside outfit have lost each of their last four games across all competitions, suffering defeats to Crystal Palace, Galatasaray, Chelsea and United. Speaking on Sunday evening, the Liverpool boss highlighted the number of chances his side squandered.

"If you would had told me we are 1-0 down against a United team that played in the style they did, and you had told me that we would create eight, nine, 10 open chances, then I would have said to you that I don't think that is possible," said Slot. "But it was possible.

"So, the second thing that went wrong is that from all the chances we got, we only scored one goal. I have said it in Holland many times and maybe I've said it here as well, it's almost impossible to win a big game of football - and Liverpool v United is a big game with so many quality players on the pitch - to win it with a negative set-piece balance. We conceded another one and that led to us losing the game."

On whether his side are lacking confidence, Slot added: "Do we lose confidence? I cannot see it yet, because every single game we've lost, we were able to create in the second half an unbelievable amount of chances.

"If you look back at all the three games we've lost in the Premier League, if you just put all the highlights [next to] each other, you would say it's hardly possible that they lose this game. So if we can keep producing what we are doing and do a few things a little bit better, then there is every reason to expect that we start to win football games again.

"But I cannot promise you that on Wednesday evening [when Liverpool take on Eintracht Frankfurt in the Champions League] we are again able to create eight, nine or 10 open chances. I hope so, and with the players we have then it will lead in the end to us scoring more goals."

Liverpool will hope to end their barren run when they lock horns with Eintracht Frankfurt in the Champions League on Wednesday night. The last time they faced off was in the UEFA Cup first round in September 1972, and the Reds waltzed away 2-0 victors on aggregate.

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