Darren England has been appointed the referee for Saturday’s Premier League lunchtime clash between Arsenal and Nottingham Forest at the Emirates.
Arsenal have the opportunity to go top of the table – for a few hours at least – but standing in their way is former Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou, who will take charge of his first Nottingham Forest match after he replaced Nuno Espirito Santo during the week.
England has overseen two Premier League matches this season: the goalless draw between Chelsea and Crystal Palace, followed by Brighton’s 2-1 win at home to Man City before the international break.
England’s most infamous moments have arguably come in the VAR room. Notably, he upheld Myles Lewis-Skelly’s red card against Wolves last season and was previously involved in the highly criticised officiating during Liverpool’s clash with Tottenham in 2023 – an error that led to him being removed from referring duty the following week.
Read on for a more in-depth look at England’s record officiating both clubs.
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England vs Arsenal Record
| Category | Total |
|---|---|
| Matches | 6 |
| Wins | 4 |
| Draws | 1 |
| Defeats | 1 |
| League Points | 10 |
| Penalties Per Game | 0.17 |
| Yellow Cards Per Game | 1.17 |
| Reds Per Game | 0 |
England has officiated six Arsenal matches: five in the Premier League and one in the League Cup. Arsenal have taken four wins from the six league games, losing to Newcastle and drawing against Everton.
That Toffees draw, back in April, was not without controversy as England awarded Everton a soft penalty, prompting Mikel Arteta to fume: “I’ve seen it 15 times – in my opinion, it is never a penalty.” The match ended on a strange note when England blew the final whistle prematurely, leaving players and fans alike confused.
Although he wasn’t the on-field referee, England also drew criticism last season in his role on VAR during Arsenal’s 1-0 win over Wolves. He surprisingly upheld Michael Oliver’s controversial red card decision against Myles Lewis-Skelly – a call that Alan Shearer described as “one of the worst decisions I’ve seen in a long time.” Arsenal appealed the decision, and the red card was later overturned.
England vs Nottingham Forest Record
| Category | Total |
|---|---|
| Matches | 17 |
| Wins | 8 |
| Draws | 5 |
| Defeats | 4 |
| League Points | 20 |
| Penalties Per Game | 0.05 |
| Yellow Cards Per Game | 1.88 |
| Reds Per Game | 0.05 |
England has officiated 17 Nottingham Forest matches – second only to Brentford (20) – which have resulted in eight Forest wins, five draws, and four defeats. During this time, he’s dished out a total of 58 yellows, including 33 for Forest, and three reds, one of which was for Forest.
Five of those fixtures have come in the Premier League, with the most recent being Forest’s 2-0 home defeat to Brentford in May. That match featured eight yellow cards – three for Forest – and wasn’t without controversy. England opted not to send off Brentford’s Keane Lewis-Potter, who had already been booked, after a cynical foul on Ola Aina with the score still goalless.
Forest’s only red card under England came in a 2018 League Cup clash against Stoke City, when Diogo Goncalves was shown a straight red for a high challenge.