Mike Dean’s beard mocked on Twitter as ref shows off bold new look in Liverpool’s clash with Everton

MIKE DEAN arrived back from lockdown with a new beard - and was immediately and mercilessly mocked on Twitter.

The ever-controversial referee was once again stealing the show as Liverpool took on Everton at Goodison Park.

But rather than his on-pitch performance, it was his fashion sense that had social media in meltdown.

With the Reds just two wins away from the title, all the talk should have been about Jurgen Klopp and his side's march to their first-ever Premier League crown.

That, and the big Virgil van Dijk vs Richarlison battle following their war of words midweek...

But instead, fans couldn't help but notice Dean's beard.

One Twitter user wrote: "Lot to take in with the derby in an empty Goodison Park.

"But Mike Dean reffing it with a lockdown beard is on the top of my thoughts."

Another said: "Mike Dean in a full beard you just know he’s going to misbehave."

A third added: "That beard has aged Mike Dean about 20 years."

One even joked: "Tremendous amount of respect for mike dean’s lockdown beard, the master of making the story all about himself."

While another said: "Is that Mike Dean or an obsessed sea captain chasing a white whale? That beard makes it hard to tell."

Another even tried to get it trending, tweeting: "Surely Mike Dean's beard will be trending soon. #mikedeansbeard".