The officials for Saturday night’s Premier League match between Arsenal and Newcastle United at the Emirates Stadium have been announced.
Paul Tierney will be the referee for the clash, as confirmed by the Premier League. Given the intense nature of their previous encounter at St James’ Park in November, where tensions ran high, another closely contested match is anticipated this weekend.
In their last meeting, Newcastle secured a victory over Arsenal, but controversy surrounded the winning goal, leading to Mikel Arteta criticizing the decision as a ‘disgrace’ post-match. Anthony Gordon’s goal underwent a lengthy VAR review to determine various factors, including whether the ball remained in play, if there was a foul committed, and if there was an offside position.
The contentious incidents from the first half of that match, including challenges involving Kai Havertz and Bruno Guimaraes, added fuel to the fire. The memories of this game are still fresh, and Tierney faces the daunting task of preventing tensions from boiling over this weekend.
Assisting Tierney will be Neil Davies and Nick Hopton, while Anthony Taylor will serve as the fourth official. VAR will be overseen by Peter Bankes, with Lee Betts supporting from Stockley Park.
This will be Tierney’s first time officiating a Newcastle United match this season, with his last involvement being at the City Ground last season. Notably, he was in charge of Newcastle United’s Carabao Cup semi-final second-leg victory over Southampton at St James’ Park last season, a match marred by Guimaraes receiving a straight red card in the closing minutes. Guimaraes will be eager to avoid a yellow card from Tierney this weekend, as he is on the brink of a two-game Premier League suspension.
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