The Premier League have confirmed that Chris Kavanagh will referee Chelsea’s Friday night clash against Manchester United. Enzo Maresca’s side know a win is all that will keep Champions League qualification in their hands.
After losing to Newcastle United on Sunday, there is no room for error in the final two matches of the season. Ruben Amorim’s men are preparing for the Europa League showdown with Tottenham next week in a bid to qualify for the Champions League themselves.
With United standing to gain very little and everything at stake for Chelsea, Kavanagh has been chosen to officiate this key game in the top five battle. He has been in charge of Chelsea five times this season.
The Blues have only won one of those but it did come just two weeks ago against Everton at Stamford Bridge. They were beaten 1-0 by Arsenal the time before that and also suffered defeats to Brighton (3-0) and Newcastle (2-0 in the Carabao Cup).
Chelsea’s other games under Kavanagh came in December’s 0-0 draw at Goodison Park and the 1-1 with Nottingham Forest at SW6 in early October. Chelsea had previously kept a strong record under Kavanagh.
He oversaw the 2-1 loss at Old Trafford last season as well as the Carabao Cup final extra-time defeat to Liverpool. However, between March 2020 and October 2022, Chelsea won five games in a row with Kavanagh and extended an unbeaten run to six with a 2-2 draw to Arsenal.
They had also won all six of their first games with him in charge before a loss to Newcastle in January 2020 under Frank Lampard. As for United, they have lost both games with Kavanagh this season.
They were heavily beaten 4-1 at Newcastle in April under his watch and had also been comprehensively outplayed by Tottenham in September, when Kavanagh sent off Bruno Fernandes.
Kavanagh was born in Manchester but does not have a professional team he is known to support. Instead, he is believed to be a fan of non-league outfit Droylsden.
Earlier this season Kavanagh was heavily criticised by former Premier League referee Keith Hackett for decisions made in Chelsea’s 1-0 loss at Arsenal. “I hope that somebody in power reviews his performance, and that he as a referee, receives some operational advice,” Hackett said after looking at a challenge made by Wesley Fofana on Declan Rice.
“Reviewing those challenges by Fofana yesterday, you have to say ‘how did he stay on the field of play’,” Hackett added. “Those earlier two challenges that went unpunished by him is a worry, because this is not the standard of officiating that you expect at the highest level.”
Kavanagh has officiated 37 matches in all competitions this season, issuing 186 yellow cards and six red cards. He has awarded six penalties as well. He averages more than four bookings per Premier League game and was at Tottenham’s 2-0 loss to Crystal Palace over the weekend.
Craig Pawson will be on VAR duty at Stockley Park. Nick Hopton has been named as the VAR assistant.
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