Former Premier League whistler Clattenburg admitted in an interview that the Merseyside derby at Goodison Park in October 2007 was the worst officiating in his refereeing career, and he hopes to have the opportunity to officiate that game again.
Is there any game in your refereeing career that you wish you could officiate again?
There is a game that I wish I could call again. I was still a young referee and it was only my first season in the Premier League, but I had already been assigned to the Manchester derby and the North London derby the week before.
I was appointed to officiate Everton's game against Liverpool at Goodison Park. I don’t want to use that as an excuse, but I’ve never experienced that type of derby before. It was a very intense game and I totally screwed it up.
Can you talk specifically about the Merseyside derby at Goodison Park in October 2007?
I sent off two Everton players. For one of the red cards, Everton fans thought I changed my mind because of Gerrard. When I changed the yellow card to a red card, he walked right in front of the camera... but that card for Tony Hibbert should have been a red card. It looked like Gerald said something to me and I changed my mind. That obviously never happened. I also sent Phil Neville off for a handball on the goal line.
Looking back at that game, what do you think was the biggest mistake you made?
The worst mistake I made was towards the end of the game. I don't know what I was thinking. Jamie Carragher brought down Jolyon Lescott and it was a no-doubt penalty. If I had awarded that penalty, Everton would have had a chance to equalize. I made three big mistakes from Everton's perspective and all the key decisions seemed to go in Liverpool's favour.
What impact did this competition have on you personally?
After the game, I received death threats. After that I didn't referee an Everton game for six years.
What did you learn from this game?
I learned a lot from that game, such as how to understand a game and how to balance emotions in an important derby. The North London derby is a football game and this (Merseyside derby) is a war. I lost control and the ability to make decisions. I was a young referee but I did bounce back. Years later I officiated some of Everton's great games, such as the 4-0 win over Manchester City and Moyes' final game. But people only remember that one moment - the fans will never forgive you. No matter how many correct calls you make later, it won't matter.