Premier League referee & VAR appointments for gameweek 24

The latest round of Premier League fixtures are right around the corner, and it has been revealed which referees will be officiating each game and who will be in charge in the VAR room.

There is a lot to live up to this weekend as there were an astonishing 45 goals scored in the last round of matches, with only two clubs failing to get on the scoresheet. Fingers crossed, the drama on the pitch is left to the players once again, but we’ve got the lowdown on the referees, anyway.

Football FanCast has created a handy list of each game, who the referee and VAR officials will be, as well as their statistics for the season so far, per Transfermarkt.

Manchester City vs Everton

John Brooks

Everton travel to champions Manchester City in the weekend’s lunchtime kick-off, with the hosts hoping to end the clash top of the table.

Taking charge of the clash will be John Brooks, who was the man in the middle for the reverse fixture in late December. That game made the headlines for a contentious handball decision involving Amadou Onana as the Citizens came from behind to win at Goodison Park. Responsible for deliberating over any big calls will be Michael Oliver on VAR.

Brooks’ only other visit to Merseyside this term came when Manchester United ran out 3-0 winners, while his only other game involving these two teams was in City’s defeat at Aston Villa.

Interestingly, Brooks handed the visiting side a penalty in both of his games at Goodison this term.

Fulham vs Bournemouth

Darren England

Fulham’s clash against Bournemouth sees two sides looking to get back to winning ways following draws last weekend, while neither team has won in their last six matches combined.

Refereeing their clash at Craven Cottage is Darren England, with Michael Salisbury on VAR duty.

England has only taken charge of four Premier League matches this season, with most of his on-pitch duties this term coming in the Championship. He is averaging nearly six yellow cards per game in the top flight, so players may have to be on their best behaviour.

One intriguing stat from this one is that Bournemouth have a 100% record with England in the middle, including the Cherries’ recent FA Cup success over Swansea City last month.

Liverpool vs Burnley

Tim Robinson

Relegation favourites Burnley face the daunting task of taking on current league leaders Liverpool, who may still be reeling from their damaging defeat at Arsenal.

The man the Clarets will be hoping for a decision or two from is Tim Robinson, who takes charge of both of these sides in the league for the first time this term. Stuart Attwell is at Stockley Park as the VAR.

Robinson has awarded a penalty in three of his last four Premier League games, and only Chelsea (8) have received more spot-kicks than Liverpool (7) in 2023/24. Meanwhile, Burnley have been given just one penalty all season.

Luton Town vs Sheffield United

Chris Kavanagh

Luton Town host relegation rivals Sheffield United in a huge match at Kenilworth Road for both teams.

Chris Kavanagh has been chosen as the man to officiate the big occasion, having taken charge of plenty this season, including Manchester City v Liverpool, Manchester United v Chelsea and Liverpool v Arsenal. There is experience in the VAR room as well, with Paul Tierney on hand to go over any debatable calls.

While Kavanagh is yet to referee a game involving the Hatters this term, Chris Wilder’s side may not have the fondest of memories when it comes to this particular official, with the 38-year-old overseeing their 5-0 defeat to Burnley in early December.

Tottenham Hotspur vs Brighton & Hove Albion

Sam Barrott

Tottenham have a chance to redeem themselves after dropping two points late on last week when they take on Brighton in north London.

The visitors will be without Roberto De Zerbi firing instructions from the touchline following his latest misdemeanour last time out, which may be music to the ears of referee Sam Barrott. VAR responsibilities fall to Jarred Gillett for this one.

Barrott has not taken charge of Spurs in the league thus far, but did oversee their recent FA Cup win over Burnley. Meanwhile, he was present for Brighton’s goalless draw at West Ham in early January.

He’s a referee who tends to keep his cards in his pocket, with five yellows the most he’s dished out in one game so far this season in the top flight.

Wolves vs Brentford

Simon Hooper

Wolves take on Brentford at Molineux looking to kick on from their superb win away at Chelsea last weekend, while the Bees continue to hover above the relegation zone.

But if it’s omens the visitors are looking for, then having Simon Hooper as referee could be just what they wanted. Indeed, the 41-year-old took charge of Brentford’s own victory at Stamford Bridge back in October, while his only involvement in Wolves’ season so far has been their slender loss at Old Trafford on the opening weekend, during which Hooper and VAR made headlines for not giving Gary O’Neil’s side a pretty blatant penalty.

Peter Bankes will have the honour of keeping things controversy-free from Stockley Park, but he may have his work cut out with Hooper in the middle – he has been in charge of some card-heavy fixtures already this term, so things could spiral out of control if the officials (and players) aren’t too careful.

Nottingham Forest vs Newcastle United

Anthony Taylor

The Saturday evening game sees Nottingham Forest welcome Newcastle United to the City Ground. Both sides were held last week and will see a great opportunity for three points, with Forest at the wrong end of the table and Newcastle woeful on the road for the most part this term.

Anthony Taylor will be holding the cards for this one, and with the most yellow cards in the Premier League this season given by this man, both teams should approach the game with caution. In the VAR room will be Tony Harrington.

Over half of Taylor’s games in the top flight this term have seen more than six yellows awarded, while two of his ten penalties given this season came against Newcastle recently against Liverpool – including for Diogo Jota’s apparent dive. He was also in charge in Forest’s controversial 3-2 defeat at home to Brighton.

However, he has been favourable to both clubs this year as well, with Forest handed a man advantage against Manchester City earlier in the campaign, while Newcastle were gifted a penalty themselves in their trip to Wolves. Crucially, however, neither team has ended up on the winning side with Taylor in the middle, so something may have to give on Saturday night.

West Ham United vs Arsenal

Craig Pawson

Sunday afternoon sees a London derby in the East End as West Ham take on Arsenal. The Hammers have already beaten Mikel Arteta’s men twice this year and are going for an impressive hat-trick at the London Stadium.

Making sure they do so fair and square will be Craig Pawson, who takes charge of both clubs for the first time this season. John Brooks will be the VAR official.

The stats show that Arsenal have a 55% win rate with Pawson holding the whistle, while David Moyes’ side have been successful in just a third (7 from 21) of their clashes involving the referee.

Aston Villa v Manchester United

Rob Jones

Champions League chasers Aston Villa meet Manchester United at Villa Park in what could be a pivotal clash in the race for the top four.

Rob Jones will be tasked with keeping things in check as David Coote takes up the reins in the VAR room.

In three games involving either of these two sides this season, Jones has only seen Villa come out victorious, as he oversaw their 2-1 success against Spurs at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. He also took charge of the Villans’ draw with Wolves and United’s defeat at Newcastle earlier in the year.

He is relatively quiet in terms of cards compared to his peers, with an average of 4.5 yellows per Premier League game thus far, which hopefully makes for a free-flowing, entertaining spectacle.

Crystal Palace vs Chelsea

Michael Oliver

Rounding off the weekend’s action will be Monday night’s clash between Crystal Palace and Chelsea. The London duo can barely string any good results together in the league, with the Blues winless in four and the Eagles woefully inconsistent, leaking goals aplenty.

Michael Oliver will be making sure everything is in order, with Andy Madley controlling things as the lead VAR.

Chelsea supporters will know Oliver is not afraid to make big decisions – with or without VAR – as seen in their chaotic tie with Spurs earlier in the season. His only other game involving the west Londoners was their 2-0 defeat at Everton. Palace, meanwhile, have only come across Oliver once this term as they drew 1-1 with West Ham in early December.

While Chelsea have only won just under half of their games overseen by Oliver, Palace have just a 32% win rate, so they may be hoping he does not have a huge bearing over the result if the numbers are anything to go by.