Liverpool host Chelsea in the Premier League on Saturday at 12:30pm, with Craig Pawson appointed as referee.
This will be Pawson’s 20th Premier League game of the season, one of the more used officials in the competition. But he isn’t among those used the most, which some people may be surprised about.
Pawson has refereed Liverpool three times already in the league this season, with an extra showing in the Carabao Cup. This will be just his second Chelsea match of the campaign. Pawson also also refereed this fixture in an FA Cup final, with Liverpool winning on that occasion in 2022 after a penalty shootout.
Liverpool are currently fourth in the league and on the verge of securing Champions League football for next season. Chelsea are embroiled in a battle for the European spots and a top-half finish.
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Craig Pawson’s Liverpool record
Pawson has refereed Liverpool 45 times during his career, more than he has any other club. The Reds have a strong record with him in the middle too, winning 30 matches. He has given Liverpool six penalties and sent off three opponents. But they haven’t always had it their way. Pawson has sent off two Liverpool players, while awarding three penalties against them.
| Category | Total |
|---|---|
| Matches | 45 |
| Wins | 30 |
| Draws | 7 |
| Defeats | 8 |
| League points | 79 |
| Penalties per game | 0.13 |
| Yellow cards per game | 1.13 |
| Red cards per game | 0.04 |
What happened when Craig Pawson last refereed Liverpool?
Pawson was the referee for Liverpool’s Premier League defeat to Manchester City in February. He had a very busy game, and an interesting call to make in the final stages. Erling Haaland thought he had scored a third for Man City, but it was cancelled after VAR review for a foul on Dominik Szoboszlai in the buildup. Szoboszlai was then sent off for denying an obvious goalscoring opportunity earlier in the move. Pawson had also previously awarded Man City a penalty.
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Craig Pawson’s Chelsea record
This will be Pawson’s 33rd Chelsea game as a referee, and Blues fans generally aren’t happy to see him. He has sent off five Chelsea players during his career, the joint-most of any club he has refereed. That includes three sendings off for two yellow cards. Chelsea have also lost 10 of their 32 games so far with Pawson in the middle. But, Pawson has also awarded Chelsea four penalties, and only given one against them.
| Category | Total |
|---|---|
| Matches | 32 |
| Wins | 19 |
| Draws | 3 |
| Defeats | 10 |
| League points | 48 |
| Penalties per game | 0.13 |
| Yellow cards per game | 1.66 |
| Red cards per game | 0.16 |
What happened when Craig Pawson last refereed Chelsea?
Pawson’s last Chelsea game was a pretty uneventful one as far as he was concerned. He only showed two yellow cards, one to each team. Chelsea won’t have fond memories of the match overall, though, as they were beaten 3-0 by Brighton and Hove Albion.
What should we expect from Craig Pawson?
Pawson remains the most lenient referee in the Premier League this season. Despite awarding six penalties, Pawson has only averaged 2.6 cards per game — the fewest of any Premier League referee. He also averages eight fouls per card, again the most-lenient in the division.