Arsenal host Chelsea in the Premier League on Sunday at 4:30pm, with Chris Kavanagh appointed as the referee.
Both sides go into this London derby perfect after two games of the new season. Arsenal are the defending champions and will be hoping to burst the early bubble of their London rivals. Games between these two sides have been very fiery in recent years, particularly with Chelsea’s discipline issues.
This will be Kavanagh’s second Premier League game this season, taking charge of Bournemouth‘s match against Everton last weekend. He has history in this game too. Kavanagh has taken charge of this fixture twice so far, most recent in the 2024/25 season, a 1-0 win for Arsenal.
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Chris Kavanagh’s Arsenal record
This will be Kavanagh’s 30th Arsenal game, with the official only overseeing two teams more during his career. Five of those came last season, with Arsenal winning four. The only failure was a 1-0 defeat to Liverpool at Anfield, though there were no controversies in the match. Arsenal have won 16 of their 29 matches under Kavanagh so far, with two red cards for them and two against. However, they have also seen two penalties awarded against them by Kavanagh, with none for.
| Category | Total |
|---|---|
| Matches | 29 |
| Wins | 16 |
| Draws | 17 |
| Defeats | 6 |
| League points | 52 |
| Penalties per game | 0 |
| Yellow cards per game | 1.93 |
| Red cards per game | 0.07 |
What happened when Chris Kavanagh last refereed Arsenal?
Kavanagh was the man in the middle for Arsenal’s crucial win over West Ham United towards the end of last season. He had awarded Callum Wilson’s late equaliser at the London Stadium, which would have been a huge blow for Arsenal in the title race. After a long VAR review, Kavanagh was sent to the monitor with the view of disallowing the goal for a foul on David Raya. That was the eventual decision, a big one for Kavanagh to make. Arsenal ended up winning the title, and West Ham were eventually relegated.
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Chris Kavanagh’s Chelsea record
Kavanagh has refereed Chelsea 26 times throughout his career so far, the fourth-most of any team. He oversaw four Chelsea games last season in the league and FA Cup, with the Blues winning two. One of Kavanagh’s most significant Chelsea games came in the 2023/24 Carabao Cup final, which Chelsea lost 1-0 to Liverpool after extra time. Kavanagh has awarded Chelsea six penalties during his career, with only two against them.
| Category | Total |
|---|---|
| Matches | 26 |
| Wins | 15 |
| Draws | 3 |
| Defeats | 8 |
| League points | 39 |
| Penalties per game | 0.23 |
| Yellow cards per game | 1.88 |
| Red cards per game | 0.08 |
What happened when Chris Kavanagh last refereed Chelsea?
Chelsea won’t have fond memories of their last game with Kavanagh. Four Chelsea players were booked and Wesley Fofana was sent off in the 2-1 defeat to Sunderland at the Stadium of Light. Fofana received his marching orders for two yellow cards in just eight minutes, both for fouls.
What should we expect from Stuart Attwell?
There could be another Battle of the Bridge on the cards, in terms of emotions and cards. Attwell is the harshest referee in the Premier League this season, averaging 4.6 cards per game — the most of any official with at least five matches refereed. He also only averages 4.5 fouls per card shown, letting very little go. Attwell has awarded a league-high eight penalties too.