Manchester City host Arsenal in the biggest game of the 2025/26 Premier League season on Sunday, and Anthony Taylor will be the man in charge.
The two sides are separated by just six points at the top of the Premier League table, with City still holding a game in hand over the Gunners.
Given the magnitude of the match, it’s no surprise to see an experienced official like Taylor given the whistle, given he’s taken charge of a league-high 25 matches already this season.
Read more: Arsenal vs Manchester City: predictions, stats, tips & odds
Anthony Taylor’s Man City record
This will be Taylor’s 51st match in charge of Manchester City. Only Liverpool (72), Arsenal (58), Chelsea (58) and Manchester United (58) have been refereed by him more. The Cityzens have a pretty strong history in these games, winning 27 times and only losing on 13 occasions. However, they have fallen in some big games that Taylor has taken charge of recently, including losing 2-0 to Liverpool in February 2025, and to Man Utd by the same scoreline in January — their last match under Taylor. City have been awarded nine penalties by Taylor compared to 10 given against them,
| Category | Total |
|---|---|
| Matches | 50 |
| Wins | 27 |
| Draws | 10 |
| Defeats | 13 |
| League points | 93 |
| Penalties per game (for/against) | 0.18/0.20 |
| Yellow cards per game | 1.38 |
| Red cards per game | 0.08 |
What happened when Anthony Taylor last refereed Man City?
As mentioned, Taylor’s last game in charge of City was a 2-0 defeat in the Manchester derby. Bryan Mbeumo and Patrick Dorgu delivered the second-half goals for the Red Devils, while full-backs Luke Shaw and Diogo Dalot were booked. Rodri, Rico Lewis and Nico O’Reilly all saw yellow for City, though there were no red cards in the match.
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Anthony Taylor’s Arsenal record
As mentioned, Arsenal are one of the few sides to have encountered Taylor more than Man City. The Gunners have an excellent record under the 47-year-old, losing just eight of their 58 matches and picking up 96 points in the Premier League. Taylor has awarded 0.17 penalties per game to Arsenal, but has given 0.22 per game against them. Mikel Arteta’s men are unbeaten in their last 11 matches under Taylor, last losing 1-0 at Nottingham Forest back in May 2023.
| Category | Total |
|---|---|
| Matches | 58 |
| Wins | 32 |
| Draws | 18 |
| Defeats | 8 |
| League points | 96 |
| Penalties per game (for/against) | 0.17/0.22 |
| Yellow cards per game | 1.78 |
| Red cards per game | 0.12 |
What happened when Anthony Taylor last refereed Arsenal?
Taylor’s last game in charge of Arsenal was a 0-0 draw against Liverpool at the Emirates in January. Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Martinelli were booked for the hosts, while Ibrahima Konate and Alexis Mac Allister saw yellow for the visitors. However, it was a dull match, with Arsenal managing just four shots on target and Liverpool managing none.
What should we expect from Anthony Taylor?
Taylor has let games flow more than most in the Premier League this season, sitting 19th among top-flight officials for fouls per game (20.00), while he’s 16th for penalties awarded (0.16) and red cards (0.08). He is a little higher up for bookings at 10th (3.84), but he’s by no means keen to dish out punishments. With that in mind, we could be in for a fluid match, which bodes very well for any neutrals hoping to see the two title contenders go at it.