A battle between top teams is set in West London this Sunday, with first-place Arsenal facing second-place Chelsea in a match that could significantly impact the Premier League title race.
Enzo Maresca’s Blues sit just six points behind the Gunners in the table and have the opportunity to halve that gap, while Mikel Arteta’s men aim to extend their lead at the top following their 4-1 thrashing of Tottenham Hotspur in the North London derby.
Both teams head into the weekend after commanding victories in the Champions League: the Blues beat Barcelona 3-0 and Arsenal ended a 10-year wait for success against Bayern Munich by defeating Vincent Kompany’s side 3-1.
Here, Sports Mole takes a closer look at the referee and VAR teams confirmed to be taking charge of this weekend’s London showdown.
Anthony Taylor appointed referee for Chelsea vs. Arsenal
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An experienced Premier League referee, Anthony Taylor, will officiate this weekend’s blockbuster match between Chelsea and Arsenal, an unsurprising appointment, given the 47-year-old’s status as one of English football’s top referees.
Sunday's game will be the Manchester-born official's 413th in the top flight, and he has shown 1,446 yellow cards and issued 36 straight reds, along with 22 dismissals for second yellows.
Taylor has overseen 10 league games this season, dishing out 31 yellows but no second yellows or red cards; notably, he has awarded only two penalties in 2025-26, both in the same game: Sunderland’s 2-1 victory over Brentford in late August.
The top official has been the referee for one game involving each of these teams, with Chelsea defeating Liverpool 2-1 on October 4, and Arsenal winning1-0 at Fulham a fortnight later.
Anthony Taylor's record and past controversies in previous Chelsea matches
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Taylor’s appointment is unlikely to be greeted with warmth by the Stamford Bridge faithful, who have developed a long-standing animosity towards the official due to a series of high-profile incidents over the years.
Taylor has taken charge of 56 Chelsea matches in total, overseeing 29 wins, 14 draws and 13 defeats for the Blues.
While the 51.8 win percentage is respectable, the controversies have often overshadowed the results.
Most infamously, Chelsea fans remain aggrieved by decisions in two FA Cup finals against Arsenal.
In 2017, Taylor allowed Alexis Sanchez’s opening goal to stand despite an apparent handball before subsequently sending off Victor Moses for two yellows — the second for diving — and in 2020, he controversially sent off Mateo Kovacic for two soft bookable offences.
Months after that cup final defeat, the experienced referee annoyed Chelsea supporters in a match against Tottenham Hotspur, when goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga missed the ball completely and delivered a high kick into the chest of Marcos Alonso.
Taylor initially awarded a free-kick to Tottenham, penalising Alonso, before VAR intervened to correct the decision and award a penalty to Chelsea.
The referee’s initial misreading of a clear foul is often used as evidence of Taylor's perceived blindness to fouls committed against the West London giants.
Further ire was drawn during a 2-2 draw with Tottenham Hotspur in August 2022 when Taylor and VAR Mike Dean failed to punish Cristian Romero for pulling Marc Cucurella’s hair just moments before Harry Kane headed in a late equaliser.
A petition to ban Taylor from officiating Chelsea matches garnered over 160,000 signatures following that encounter.
Last season, the Manchester-born referee issued a Premier League record of 14 yellow cards during Chelsea’s 1-0 victory over Bournemouth in September 2024, eight of them to the Blues.
However, Taylor was the man in the middle for Chelsea’s 2-1 victory over Liverpool earlier this season on October 4.
Anthony Taylor's record and past controversies in previous Arsenal matches
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On the other hand, Arsenal have lost eight of 56 matches officiated by Taylor, the fewest among the division's Big Six teams.
The North London club have won 32 of 56 matches with the experienced Manchester-born official in the middle, more than every Big Six side except Liverpool (37), albeit from 68 games.
Taylor has also brandished 95 yellow cards to Arsenal players — 128 for Chelsea; however, he has sent off three Gunners players and given four sending-offs for second yellows.
Perhaps the most considerable Taylor controversy in Arsenal fixtures came at the death of the 2-2 draw with Liverpool in October 2024.
The Gunners were left furious when the experienced referee blew the whistle for a foul by Jakub Kiwior seconds before Gabriel Jesus fired the ball into the net for what would have been a late winner.
As it stands, the North London club last fell to a defeat in a match officiated by Taylor in May 2023 — a 1-0 loss to Nottingham Forest at the City Ground — a streak now at nine games.
John Brooks appointed VAR for Chelsea vs. Arsenal
John Brooks will be on VAR duty for Chelsea vs. Arsenal from Stockley Park, while Eddie Smart assists.
Brooks has been in charge of seven Chelsea matches, with the Blues winning two and losing five; notably, the West London club have fallen to four consecutive defeats in matches officiated by the official.
On the other hand, Arsenal have had superior joy when the ref has been in charge of their games, winning three of the four matches and falling to one defeat.