Premier League appoint referee who left Mikel Arteta furious for Chelsea vs Arsenal

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The Premier League have confirmed that Anthony Taylor will be the man in charge of the clash between Chelsea and Arsenal at Stamford Bridge. The Gunners are set to face off against the Blues in a 4.30pm kick-off, hoping to extend their lead at the top of the table to seven points.

Chelsea, on the other hand, will be aiming to narrow the gap. Currently sitting in third place, the Blues trail their rivals by six points. In the run-up to the match, the refereeing team has been announced, with Taylor taking centre stage.

He'll be supported by Gary Beswick and Adam Nunn, while Sam Barrott will be the fourth official. John Brooks will be handling VAR duties, assisted by Eddie Smart.

Taylor's appointment comes after he made a contentious penalty decision against Arsenal earlier this year, a move that boss Mikel Arteta described as 'bizarre'. During a match against Brighton in January, Arsenal were leading 1-0 when Taylor awarded a penalty following a clash of heads between William Saliba and Brighton forward Joao Pedro.

After contemplating the incident for a few moments, Taylor pointed to the spot to award Brighton a penalty. Pedro himself stepped up to take the spot-kick and draw the Seagulls level.

The game ended in a 1-1 draw, causing Arsenal to lose ground in the title race with Liverpool . Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live post-match, Arteta said: "Bizarre. That means we have probably never seen it before. I haven't in my career. So it is a new one."

When discussing the decision on Match of the Day, he added: "We are really disappointed with the decision that leads to the goal because I have never seen something like this in my life. He touches the ball as well."

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He also spoke about the spot-kick with Sky Sports following the match. "We gave too many balls away in the second half and we're very disappointed with the penalty," he said.

"I've never seen that in my life – and Saliba touches the ball. [It wasn't a penalty] for me, no."

It's not only Arteta who might be familiar with the official overseeing the fixture. Back in October, it was Taylor who dismissed Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca after brandishing two yellow cards to the Italian during their clash with Liverpool .

Maresca received his first booking for dissent earlier in the game. He was then issued a second yellow for stepping outside his technical area to celebrate alongside his squad after Estevao's 96th-minute winner.

Maresca was later slapped with a one-match touchline suspension and was hit with an £8,000 fine.

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