REF ATKINSON EXPLAINS POSTPONEMENT

Jimmy Rice 20 December 2006 Referee Martin Atkinson has explained his decision to postpone last night's Carling Cup tie against Arsenal.

Both Rafael Benitez and Arsene Wenger believed the game was playable despite the fog – but Atkinson felt the tie could have descended into farce. "You have to consider if the assistant referees could see from one side of the ground to the other," he said. "They may have had to make a 50-50 decision that could decide the game. It would have been an impossible job for them." The decision, which came an hour before kick-off, rounded off a miserable day for the Gunners. First they had to switch their flight from Luton to Stansted because of weather conditions - then they had to land at Blackpool because of fog at John Lennon Airport. The last time Anfield witnessed a postponement was in 1997 when a Premiership encounter with Newcastle United was called off in the wake of the death of Princess Diana.