HUGHES LAUNCHES AT-TACK ON REFEREE

ANGRY boss Mark Hughes has reopened Stoke’s old feud with Martin Atkinson, claiming the referee should have been dropped from the Premier League this weekend.

Hughes claims Atkinson should have paid the price for failing to send off Liverpool goalkeeper

Simon Mignolet in the Potters’ 3-0 defeat on Wednesday.

And the claims have echoes of a row four years ago, when Stoke complained to referee chiefs about Atkinson, and chairman Peter Coates branded his performance “disgraceful”.

In a 5-1 loss at Newcastle on Boxing Day 2013, Atkinson sent off Glenn Whelan and Charlie Adam, ordered Hughes from the touchline in five first-half minutes, and was involved in a string of other contentious decisions.

He only booked Mignolet, despite the Liverpool keeper denying Mame

Diouf what looked a clear goalscoring opportunity (above), when Hughes’s men only trailed 1-0.

Atkinson will take charge of Watford’s home game with Tottenham today, after being appointed before the latest controversy.

But Hughes believes he should have been dropped. “I thought that was part of the process, but clearly it isn’t,” said the Welshman.

“If we make wrong decisions or, by our action, are deemed to have made mistakes, we usually get pulled up by the FA, or the powers that be.

“That doesn’t seem to happen on too many occasions with referees.

“I didn’t expect him not to have a game this weekend, because he is viewed as one of the top referees. It is what it is.

“We had the opportunity in the week to get a positive result.

“Performance-wise, we were OK, we went behind, but showed good character, came back, and created chances.

“There was one clear-cut chance that could have changed the game, influenced by the referee’s decision on the night.”