The Premier League has prohibited three referees from taking charge of Sunday’s Merseyside derby between Everton and Liverpool
Three Premier League referees will be unavailable for Everton vs Liverpool this Sunday due to conflict-of-interest rules. Under league regulations, officials must declare any club affiliations to the PGMOL, ensuring they are not assigned to matches involving teams they support or have strong local ties to.
This policy is designed to preserve impartiality in high-profile fixtures. As a result, Peter Bankes, Rob Jones and Jarred Gillett will not be eligible to take charge of the game at Goodison Park.
Bankes hails from Merseyside, Jones is from the Wirral and Gillett is a declared Liverpool supporter, ruling all three out of contention for this weekend’s Merseyside derby. Instead, Chris Kavanagh – from Ashton-under-Lyne, Greater Manchester and a supporter of non-league Droylsden – will be the man in the middle.
Liverpool head into the tie looking to bounce back after being dumped out of the Champions League by PSG in midweek. A 2-0 defeat to the European champions at Anfield on Tuesday sealed a humbling 4-0 aggregate loss, effectively confirming a trophyless season for Arne Slot’s team.
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Their focus now shifts to securing qualification for next season’s Champions League. Liverpool currently sit fifth in the Premier League and with five English clubs set to qualify, their task is to hold off the chasing pack.
One of those challengers is Everton, who are five points behind in eighth. David Moyes’ team are in strong form, winning three of their last five league games, including a 3-0 hammering of Chelsea.
A win for the Toffees would cut the gap between the sides to just two points and could lift them as high as sixth, strengthening their push for Champions League qualification – 21 years after Moyes guided Everton to the brink of Europe’s elite competition in 2005, when they finished fourth but fell short in the qualifying rounds.
It would also mark just Everton’s second Merseyside derby win since February 2021. Liverpool have dominated the fixture in recent years, winning six of the last nine meetings.
Their most recent clash at Anfield in September ended in a 2-1 win for Liverpool, with goals from Ryan Gravenberch and Hugo Ekitike cancelling out Idrissa Gueye’s second half consolation goal for Everton.
Everton’s only win in the past five years came in April 2024, a 2-0 victory in what was Jurgen Klopp’s final Merseyside derby. Goals from Jarrad Branthwaite and Dominic Calvert-Lewin sealed the result, which also effectively ended Liverpool’s title hopes.
Three points for the Reds on Sunday could lift them into fourth place, depending on the result between Aston Villa and Sunderland. They will be without Hugo Ekitike, who has been ruled out until 2027 with a serious Achilles injury. However, Alexander Isak’s recent return from a lengthy lay-off should help ease the strain in attack.
With so much at stake, Sunday’s derby promises to be one of the most consequential in recent years with Liverpool fighting to secure their place in the top five and Everton sensing a rare opportunity to close the gap on their rivals and reignite their own European ambitions.
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