Arsenal and West Ham United face off in the Premier League this weekend, with John Brooks set to referee.
This is Brooks’ first Premier League game of the season, and his first since Newcastle United’s 2-0 win over Chelsea. That game saw Brooks come under fire from some for failing to send of Nicolas Jackson for a dangerous tackle, relying on VAR to advise him.
He has overseen three games so far this season across all competitions, with two in the Championship and one in the Carabao Cup. Brooks has also been regularly used as a VAR official, including Arsenal’s tip to Anfield to face Liverpool and West Ham’s home game against Tottenham.
Arsenal are looking to go into the international break on a high, currently on a three-game unbeaten. West Ham, meanwhile, will be hoping to build on the point won in their opening game under Nuno Espirito Santo.
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John Brooks’ Arsenal record
Brooks hasn’t taken charge of many Arsenal games during his refereeing career. This will be just his fifth Arsenal game as referee, and his first since the Gunners’ 2-1 win over Fulham in April. Brooks’ Arsenal games haven’t been too eventful, with the referee showing the Gunners just nine yellow cards. He has also given them one penalty, with none against. But, Arsenal have lost three of the five matches so far.
| Category | Total |
|---|---|
| Matches | 5 |
| Wins | 2 |
| Draws | 0 |
| Defeats | 3 |
| League points | 6 |
| Penalties per game | 0.2 |
| Yellow cards per game | 1.8 |
| Red cards per game | 0 |
What happened when John Brooks refereed Arsenal’s defeat to Newcastle?
We said that Brooks’ Arsenal games haven’t been too eventful. But almost half of the cards he has shown to Arsenal came in one game. It was a 1-0 away defeat to Newcastle — not that one — last season, with Alexander Isak scoring the only goal early on. Brooks booked four Arsenal players in total, with Kai Havertz shown a yellow in injury time for dissent. He was quick on the whistle in that game too, awarding 34 fouls in total, with 18 going against Arsenal.
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John Brooks’ West Ham record
This will be Hooper’s 22nd game in charge of Fulham, and they have a good record with him in charge. The Cottagers have won 13 games with Hooper in the middle, only losing four. But they aren’t safe from yellows, receiving 36 across 21 matches so far. Fulham have also been awarded three penalties by Hooper, with two against them. But this is Hooper’s first Fulham game since March 2024.
| Category | Total |
|---|---|
| Matches | 5 |
| Wins | 2 |
| Draws | 1 |
| Defeats | 2 |
| League points | 7 |
| Penalties per game | 0.2 |
| Yellow cards per game | 2 |
| Red cards per game | 0.2 |
What happened the last time John Brooks refereed West Ham?
Brooks was the referee for just one West Ham game last season, their 2-1 home win over Wolverhampton Wanderers. That game saw four Hammers booked, alongside three from Wolves. The four bookings were evenly split among fouls and time wasting, including one for Lukasz Fabianski for the latter as West Ham looked to wind down the clock. But a more eventful game as West Ham’s 3-1 home win over Chelsea in 2023-24. Here, Brooks showed West Ham three yellow cards and a red (for two yellows) as well as awarding a penalty against the Hammers.
What should we expect from John Brooks?
You never really know what you’re going to get from Brooks. Sometimes he produces a minimal number of cards, while in other games he hands them out like it’s Christmas. But one thing he doesn’t really do in games for Arsenal or West Ham is send players off. He doesn’t really award them penalties, either.