- Everton’s rivalry with Liverpool regularly features crunching tackles and bookings.
- Last season’s 2-2 draw at Goodison Park saw two red cards after full time whistle.
- Chris Kavanagh has been named as the man in charge of Sunday’s match.
The Merseyside Derby has been a feisty affair in the modern footballing era.
This fixture has the most red cards in Premier League history. It saw two dismissals in last season’s match at Goodison Park.
On top of the gutsy nature, referee controversy is also a factor. Arne Slot notably lambasted the officials after James Tarkowski’s famous equaliser left him reeling.
Ahead of Sunday’s match against Liverpool, the Premier League has announced the officials who will take charge of the match. It might leave some Evertonians worried.
Chris Kavanagh will referee the 248th Merseyside Derby
They have appointed Chris Kavanagh, alongside assistants Dan Cook and James Mainwaring. Paul Howard is confirmed to be on VAR.
Kavanagh has refereed in four Everton matches this season and has dished out a penalty and two red cards.
He grabbed headlines after awarding Leeds United a controversial penalty at the start of the league campaign. He was also the man who reduced Everton to nine men in their 1-1 draw against Wolves.
However, since the loss at Elland Road, the Blues have not lost their last three matches where Kavanagh has officiated.
Everton’s record with Chris Kavanagh is poor
From Jack Rodwell’s dismissal in 2011 to Alan Hansen’s handball in 1984, Everton does not have a good history with referees in Merseyside Derbies.
They will hope that Sunday does not have any controversies that can be added to their list.
Out of the 20 matches Kavanagh has officiated for Everton, the Blues have only a meager win rate of 10%, according to Who’s that Ref.
And out of all of those matches, he has handed out 37 yellow cards and four red cards to the Toffees.
On the flipside, the 40-year-old has been in charge of 32 Liverpool matches, and the Reds have a much higher win rate of 47%, along with just two red cards.
Everton are in control of their own destiny, and it is on them to be on top form, but their supporters will hope their day is not tarnished by any refereeing controversy.
