Michael Oliver will be back in the referee seat in Week 6 of the Premier League(Image: Carl Recine/Getty Images)

Premier League make decision on Michael Oliver after Man City vs Arsenal controversy

Michael Oliver and Anthony Taylor have each learnt whether they'll be back in Premier League referee action in Week 6 after a controversial weekend for officials in the top flight

25 Sep 2024, 07:09 by Tom Sunderland · football.london

Referees Michael Oliver and Anthony Taylor are both set to return to duty in Week 6 following major controversy in the Premier League.

Oliver was at the centre of several contentious decisions during Manchester City's tense 2-2 draw against Arsenal, where John Stones' last-minute equaliser secured a point for Pep Guardiola's side. Arsenal were left seething after Leandro Trossard received two yellow cards in the opening 45 minutes, the second of which was given for supposedly kicking the ball away.

City star Jeremy Doku appeared to get away with the exact same offence in the same fixture without being penalised. However, Kyle Walker and his City colleagues were also irate when Oliver called the England international out of position just before Arsenal scored their first goal on a counterattack.

The Mirror reported Oliver has been installed as the VAR for Chelsea's match against Brighton on Saturday. He'll be back in the main referee role for Southampton's south coast derby against Bournemouth just 48 hours later (Sept. 30).

Meanwhile, Taylor has been reinstated to referee duties after acting as the fourth official for Brighton's thrilling 2-2 draw against Nottingham Forest. It was he who appeared to persuade referee Rob Jones to give Morgan Gibbs-White his second yellow card for a tackle on Joao Pedro in that fixture after Jones was inclined to believe Gibbs-White had won the ball.

Jones subsequently dismissed both Forest manager Nuno Espirito Santo and Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler following their reactions. Taylor was absent from last weekend's list of referees following a contentious encounter between Chelsea and Bournemouth the previous week, which resulted in an record-breaking 14 yellow cards.

Taylor will mark his comeback overseeing another Premier League kingpin as Liverpool look to overcome Wolves at Molineux. The official has refereed more Liverpool matches than any other club in his career so far, including their 3-0 triumph over Manchester United earlier in September.

On the other hand, Jones won't be taking charge of a top-tier match in Week 6 and instead serves as the fourth official for City's journey to Newcastle in Saturday's early kick-off. However, he'll still have to be at his best to avoid any more Guardiola scrutiny as City strive to get back in victory lane.

Chris Kavanagh will take control of arguably the week's most significant fixture as a fluctuating United welcome Tottenham on Sunday. Kavanagh controversially sent off Declan Rice when Arsenal drew with Brighton earlier this season but will hope to get through that clash without major incident.

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