Anthony Taylor is one of the best-known referees officiating in the Premier League and has taken control of some of the biggest matches in world football.
The former prison officer from Altrincham has refereed two FA Cup finals, a League Cup final and a Europa League final.
Anthony Taylor Profile
- Nationality: English
- Place of birth: Manchester
- Date of birth: 20/10/1978.
- Referring experience: 23 years
- Premier League debut: February 2010 (Fulham vs Portsmouth)
Taylor’s refereeing career started in the Northern Premier League in 2002 and he moved on to the National League two years later before being appointed to the Football League list in 2006, taking charge of his first game when Wrexham and Peterborough United met that August.
His first Premier League game came in 2010 and he became a Fifa-listed referee in 2013, shortly after he had been fourth official to Andre Marriner at the FA Cup final.
He refereed both the Community Shield and League Cup final in 2015, and then the 2017 FA Cup final when Arsenal beat Chelsea 2-1. He became the first referee since 1901 to take charge of the marquee fixture for a second time three years later when the Gunners again beat the Blues by the same scoreline.
Taylor also refereed the 2023 Europa League final between Sevilla and Roma.
Who Does Anthony Taylor Support?
It is widely reported that Anthony Taylor supports his home town Altrincham, who play their football in the National League.
Anthony Taylor Stats and Discipline
Anthony Taylor is undoubtedly one of the most trusted officials in the Premier League, which is demonstrated by the fact that no referee took charge of more matches than his 31 during the course of last season.
Looking at the stats, it would suggest he is one of the more lenient officials on the circuit as he averaged just 2.87 yellow cards per game, which was the third lowest, as he dished out a total of 89 yellows and six red cards.
There were an average of 21.26 fouls per game in his matches, which was the 19th highest average among the 24 officials who took charge of English top-flight games in 2024-25.
Anthony Taylor 2025/26 Stats – All Competitions
| Competition | Games | Yellow Cards | Red Cards | Penalties |
| Premier League | 4 | 14 | 0 | 2 |
| World Cup qualifiers | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
How Does Anthony Taylor Compare to Other Premier League Referees?
Anthony Taylor’s statistics demonstrate that he has traditionally been one of the more lenient referees in the Premier League who has looked to keep his cards in his pocket.
Here is a table of how he compares to some of the other familiar faces who officiate in the top division of English football.
| Referee | PL Games | ?Per 90 | ? Per 90 | Penalties Per 90 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anthony Taylor | 4 | 3.5 | 0 | 0.5 |
| Chris Kavanagh | 4 | 3.25 | 0 | 0.5 |
| Michael Oliver | 4 | 1 | 0.25 | 0.25 |
| Simon Hooper | 4 | 5.5 | 0.25 | 0 |
| Stuart Atwell | 3 | 5.6 | 0 | 0.33 |
Anthony Taylor Notable Matches and Controversies
Chelsea vs Bournemouth (2024) – Taylor courted controversy in September 2024 when he dished out 14 yellow cards in the game between Chelsea and Bournemouth, which was a record number of bookings for a Premier League match.
Eight of the yellow cards went to Chelsea players and complaints from both sides led to Taylor being suspended for one match
Sevilla vs Roma (2023) – Roma were not happy with Taylor’s performance in the Europa League final against Sevilla in Budapest after the Wolves were denied a penalty for a handball by Fernando.
Their manager Jose Mourinho was charged with using abusive language to an official following his team’s defeat on penalties, even though a decision to award a penalty to Sevilla following a foul by Lucas Ocampos on Roger Ibanez was overturned by VAR.
Denmark vs Finland (2021) – Taylor was in charge of the Euro 2020 game between Denmark and Finland when Danish midfielder Christian Eriksen suffered a cardiac arrest just before half-time.
Taylor was praised for his calm and quick actions to help manage the emergency and it was highlighted that his training as a prison officer was extremely helpful.
