Premier League confirm Liverpool vs Man City referee as Jurgen Klopp controversy remembered

Chris Kavanagh will referee Liverpool's Premier League showdown with Manchester City on Sunday. The Lancashire official will be in the middle for the clash as Arne Slot's side look to move 11 points clear at the top-flight summit.

The Reds extended their cushion to eight after their hard-earned win over Southampton, thanks to Mohamed Salah's brace in a 3-2 win. Manchester City suffered a fifth straight defeat, four consecutive in the league, after being brushed aside by Tottenham Hotspur at the Etihad Stadium.

All eyes are on this week for Liverpool when they face Real Madrid in the Champions League on Wednesday, before facing the reigning Premier League champions in one of the biggest meetings between the two in recent years.

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All eyes will be on the man in the middle, his assistants and those in the VAR hub at Stockley Park - which for the encounter will be Paul Tierney and Tim Wood. Lee Betts and Darren Cann will be on the sidelines with Anthony Taylor as the fourth official.

Kavanagh will be in charge of his first Liverpool game of the 2024/25 campaign and his first since Jurgen Klopp's farewell against Wolves in May. However, it won't be the first time that he has been in the middle for an encounter between Liverpool and City after he was in charge of the 1-1 draw at the Etihad Stadium last term with Trent Alexander-Arnold scoring the equaliser.

The Reds have won 15 of their 20 matches that the 39-year-old has been in charge for. But his officiating hasn't been without controversy after he left the former Liverpool boss unhappy following their famous win over Chelsea in the Carabao Cup in February, including the surprise decision to rule out Virgil van Dijk's header.

Ryan Gravenberch's final was cut short after a horror tackle from Moises Caicedo in the first-half, Liverpool would go on to win in extra-time thanks to another Van Dijk header but it didn't soften the blow for the Dutch midfielder. Klopp said: "There were two teams fighting very hard, and the referee didn't have the level of the game.

"It [Caicedo's challenge] was not even a foul? Then the fourth official explaining we cannot give a card... good idea. This situation was obvious for me, everything you need for a card. They did an x-ray [on Gravenberch]. It is not broken, but the ligaments got something."

Tierney will be in position at Stockley Park and it will be a high-pressurised situation for the official with every decision thrust under the microscope, as any wrong call could have a significant impact in the complexion of the Premier League title race.

The Wigan-born official has been in the VAR hub for one Liverpool game this season, coming in their 2-0 win over Aston Villa at the beginning of November.

Liverpool will be looking to assert further misery on Pep Guardiola's side and make a statement in the Premier League title race after a mere 13 matches. All eyes will be on Slot's side as they look to overcome their latest test in an impressive start from the Dutchman.