Andy Madley will referee the Liverpool-Arsenal game at Anfield on Sunday — the experienced official's first Premier League big-six clash in two-and-a-half years

Referee Andy Madley is set to oversee his first Premier League big-six clash in two-and-a-half years as Liverpool prepares to face Arsenal this weekend.

The Reds welcome the Gunners to Anfield on Sunday, aiming to maintain their impressive run of form after securing five consecutive victories across all competitions. Andoni Iraola's players required a penalty shootout to eliminate Chelsea in the Carabao Cup during the week, yet they arrive on Merseyside in a confident mood.

Madley, now in his eighth year as a Premier League official, last officiated a big-six fixture in March 2024, when Manchester City triumphed 3-1 over United. The so-called "big six" refers to Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal, Tottenham and the two Manchester clubs.

Madley went on to take charge of the FA Cup Final that same year, making his appointment to this weekend's encounter something of an unexpected choice.

This will mark only the sixth occasion Madley has refereed an Arsenal match in the top flight, with his most recent involvement coming in March of this year, during a 2-0 victory over Everton.

The Gunners have claimed two wins and suffered one defeat in the five previous matches where Madley has officiated.

By comparison, he has overseen 17 Liverpool Premier League fixtures, with the Reds emerging victorious in nine of those, including the stunning 7-0 demolition of Manchester United in 2023.

Madley has found himself at the center of several contentious incidents, most notably one that left former Liverpool manager Arne Slot frustrated during a 3-3 draw with Newcastle in 2024.

The Dutchman was observed having words with the match official as they headed down the tunnel at the interval, before claims surfaced that he had gone into Madley's dressing room to challenge him.

Amazon Prime presenter Dan Walker remarked during the coverage: "We do know that Arne Slot went to see him at the break, after 45 minutes, and obviously, Eddie Howe wasn't best pleased about that.

"I'm sure there's going to be more said and more written and more spoken about that in the future."

Nevertheless, the Liverpool ECHO reported at the time that this did not occur, although Slot and Madley did have a conversation in the tunnel. It is further understood that nothing untoward was said by the Liverpool manager during their short discussion.

Amazon Prime later issued an apology to Slot, attributing the error to a production misunderstanding.

When Howe was pressed about the matter later that day, he replied: "I don't think I'll go there because I think that's a can of worms that I should not [open]."