Chris Kavanagh has been appointed to referee Sunday's Premier League meeting between Liverpool and Manchester City at Anfield. The match is City's first since the club was found guilty of breaching Premier League financial rules over a nine-season period, a verdict City have appealed.
Kavanagh's recent record with Liverpool
The 41-year-old from Ashton-under-Lyne, Greater Manchester, joined Michael Oliver and Anthony Taylor — who has since retired — on UEFA's elite list of referees from England at the end of last year. Sunday will be his first Liverpool match since the 4-2 defeat at Aston Villa on May 15.
Kavanagh officiated eight Reds Premier League games last season, including the 3-0 loss to City at the Etihad Stadium on November 9. In that game, Liverpool felt a Virgil van Dijk goal, when City led 1-0 through Erling Haaland, should have stood. The equaliser was ruled out after Andy Robertson was judged offside and interfering with goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma.
Liverpool's previous complaints
Liverpool contacted refereeing body PGMOL over the decision, and Van Dijk said afterwards: "I don't know who was on the VAR, Michael Oliver? I think therefore, the officials at the stadium and the couple behind the screen have to make the right decisions for the game."
Van Dijk added: "I think [the explanation] was just hindering the goalkeeper or something like that? But someone showed me a clip that Man City scored last year against Wolves and the referee was [Chris Kavanagh] back then as well."
Match officials and VAR controversy
Assisting Kavanagh at Anfield will be Dan Cook and Nick Greenhalgh, with Andy Madley as fourth official. Paul Howard and Nick Hopton are the VAR and assistant VAR respectively.
Matt Donohue and Blake Antrobus remain stood down from Premier League duty after their error as VAR and assistant VAR in the Manchester derby on September 13, when they awarded a goal to Haaland despite Enzo Fernandez being offside.
