Arsenal fans have taken to social media to vent their fury over the appointment of Wythenshawe referee Anthony Taylor for their crunch title clash against Manchester City on Sunday.
Pep Guardiola’s side have closed the gap at the top of the Premier League to six points following Arsenal’s defeat at home to Bournemouth and City’s win at Chelsea in their most recent outings.
They could narrow that deficit to three points with a win at the Etihad in arguably the most eagerly-awaited match of the Premier League season. And City still have a game in hand.
Taylor, it should be noted, is an Altrincham supporter on his days off but the fact he is from the Manchester region is enough to upset Arsenal fans.
Liverpool supporters voiced similar concerns when Taylor officiated in their fixture against Manchester United in April 2024, a game that finished 2-2.
Anthony Taylor is one of England’s most experienced referees and will be at the World Cup
He has refereed three Arsenal games this season, including this draw with Liverpool
Taylor, 47, was born in Wythenshawe in south Manchester, where Marcus Rashford, Cole Palmer and Tyson Fury also hail from.
He has officiated the Gunners three times this season – for their draws against Chelsea and Liverpool and a win against Fulham.
Taylor has taken charge of 426 top-flight matches, and is one of only two referees from the division selected by FIFA for this summer’s World Cup.
Yet one angry fan posted: ‘The Premier League is actually a scripted reality show at this point. Appointing Anthony Taylor for a title decider at the Etihad is pure insanity.
‘Arsenal are playing against 12 men and everybody knows it. The integrity of the sport is in the bin. City have already won.’
Others followed, with comments ranging from ‘Taylor always stirs the pot’ to ‘It’s never been so over’.
Another added: ‘This one doesn’t like Arsenal one bit. They will be red card in this game if Arsenal players moves mad.’
Taylor will be assisted by Gary Beswick and Ian Hussin at the Etihad, with Paul Tierney the fourth official and John Brooks on VAR duty.
