The Premier League will not allow fans in stadiums any longer as Liverpool and Everton moved into tier three in the midst of a rise in COVID-19 cases across the United Kingdom. These two sides were the only clubs allowing fans at the time of the latest set of restrictions in the UK.

On Tuesday, reports indicated there were another 53,000-plus new cases of COVID-19 as a ‘mutant’ strain of the virus picks up momentum.

As such, Everton won’t have fans at Goodison Park on Friday night vs West Ham, and Liverpool will play without their home fans vs Man United in mid-Jan.

Initially, clubs with stadiums in tier 1 and 2 zones allowed fans in the stadium, with tiers 3 and 4 being restricted to a ‘no-fan’ zone. Many critics and media alike wondered if it would be best to say no to fans completely from the get-go.

Wednesday afternoon’s Tottenham-Fulham clash was the latest day-of scratch as it became the third EPL postponement of the season. 18 positive cases were reportedly confirmed across the league Tuesday.

“With low numbers of positive tests across the overwhelming majority of clubs, the Premier League continues to have full confidence in its COVID-19 protocols and being able to continue to play our fixtures as scheduled,” the Premier League said in an official statement.