Arsenal visit Liverpool in the Premier League at Anfield on Sunday afternoon.
Arne Slot’s side beat Newcastle in dramatic fashion on Monday night, with Rio Ngumoha’s stoppage-time strike securing the Merseysiders all three points on Tyneside.
This result means Liverpool have maximum points heading into the showdown with the Gunners this weekend.
Meanwhile, Arsenal beat Leeds 5-0 in their last outing, meaning Mikel Arteta’s team also head into the early-season six-pointer with two wins from two matches.
Premier League appoint Chris Kavanagh as referee for Liverpool vs Arsenal
Arsenal suffered the brunt of several contentious refereeing decisions last season.
The Gunners had six players sent off in the Premier League, while Myles Lewis-Skelly’s red card against Wolves was overturned after the match as it was deemed incorrect.
Thus far this campaign, Arteta’s side haven’t been the subject of a controversial officiating moment, and he’ll hope it stays that way when his team visits Anfield on Sunday.
Chris Kavanagh has been confirmed as the referee for the clash with Liverpool, and he’ll be supported by Dan Cook and Wade Smith.
The Premier League has also appointed Sian Massey-Ellis as the Video Assistant Referee for the game.
| Kavanagh’s record refereeing Arsenal matches | |||
| Matches | Arsenal wins | Draws | Arsenal defeats |
| 24 | 12 | 7 | 5 |
Chris Kavanagh sent Declan Rice off for Arsenal against Brighton last season
Kavanagh will oversee the showdown at Anfield, much to the dismay of Arsenal fans and Declan Rice.
The official sent the midfielder off during the Gunners’ game against Brighton at the Emirates in August of last season.
An egregious decision – Rice was dismissed for ‘delaying the restart’, after he’d nudged the ball a few metres away from Joel Veltman when the Dutchman was trying to take a free-kick.
Veltman followed through on Rice, but the Englishman was the one punished by Kavanagh, shown a second yellow card for kicking the ball away.
The referee may have implemented the law to the nth degree, but the decision was unnecessary for such a minor infringement, and ruined the spectacle.
Rice and the Gunners’ faithful were bemused at the decision, with this particular rule not enforced in several identical incidents after this match throughout the 2024/25 season.
The 26-year-old will no doubt be devastated to see Kavanagh will oversee one of Arsenal’s biggest games of the season on Sunday.
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