Bad news as Declan Rice red card ref in charge for Liverpool | OneFootball

Arsenal’s trip to Anfield on Sunday will be overseen by Chris Kavanagh, a referee whose history with the club has left supporters braced for more controversy.

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The appointment was confirmed by the Premier League, with Kavanagh joined by assistants Daniel Cook and Wade Smith, Samuel Barrott as fourth official, and Michael Salisbury on VAR alongside Sian Massey-Ellis.

For Arsenal fans, it is an all-too-familiar name in charge of a fixture that could have significant bearing on the title race.

Kavanagh’s previous matches involving Arsenal have been littered with contentious calls.

In March’s win over Chelsea, he ignored two major incidents that infuriated supporters: a Marc Cucurella handball in the box following a Jurrien Timber run, and a dangerous stamp by Wesley Fofana on Declan Rice.

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Despite clear evidence, VAR declined to intervene, with explanations citing an “expected position” for Cucurella’s arm and “insufficient force” on the stamp.

Fofana, who repeatedly tested the referee’s leniency, was eventually booked not for fouls but for throwing a second ball onto the pitch during a Myles Lewis-Skelly throw-in.

Rice himself has been at the centre of one of Kavanagh’s most notorious calls.

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In a match against Brighton, the midfielder was dismissed for kicking the ball away after a foul. Howard Webb, the Premier League’s chief refereeing officer, later admitted the sending-off was wrong and highlighted the inconsistency of allowing Joao Pedro to boot the ball across the pitch without punishment in the same game.

“We’ve messaged very clearly and strongly to the players in pre-season around the importance of not getting involved with the ball once the whistle is gone,” Webb explained, but conceded the standard had not been applied evenly.

Other flashpoints remain fresh in the memory.

Kavanagh failed to penalise Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sánchez for clattering into Gabriel Jesus at head height, a decision supported by VAR despite the obvious danger.

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He awarded a penalty to Newcastle against Arsenal that was overturned on review, and he presided over the 2021 defeat at Aston Villa when Emi Martínez’s foul on Alexandre Lacazette was somehow judged a free-kick to Villa, before Ezri Konsa escaped with only a yellow for hauling down Bukayo Saka when clean through on goal.

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Bukayo Saka fouled vs Aston Villa

Kavanagh’s history with Arsenal dates back to 2018, but it is the accumulation of these decisions in high-stakes matches that has made his name a lightning rod among supporters.

The fear is that his involvement at Anfield could again have decisive consequences.

With Mikel Arteta’s side travelling to Merseyside for the 4.30pm kick-off, the focus will not just be on how Arsenal handle Liverpool’s threat, but on whether the officials avoid once more becoming the story.