Referee Andy Madley has not taken charge of a traditional 'big six' clash in over two years in the Premier League but will be the man in the middle at Anfield on Sunday

Referee Andy Madley will take charge of his first Premier League big-six clash in two-and-a-half years as Liverpool take on Arsenal this weekend. The Reds host the Gunners at Anfield on Sunday looking to continue their rich vein of form, having won five games on the bounce in all competitions.

Andoni Iraola's side needed penalties to get past Chelsea in the Carabao Cup midweek, but they're on a good run of form ahead of Arsenal's trip to Merseyside.

Madley, who is in his eighth year of being a Premier League official, last took charge of a big-six fixture back in March 2024, when Manchester City ran out 3-1 winners over United.

He would referee the FA Cup Final that year, but the appointment to this weekend's game has come as a surprise. It's only the sixth time Madley has officiated an Arsenal game in the top flight, with the last of those coming in March earlier this year, in a 2-0 win over Everton.

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The Gunners have won two and lost one of the previous five games with Madley in the middle. In contrast, he's taken charge of 17 Liverpool games in the Premier League, with the Reds winning 9 of them, including the emphatic 7-0 win over Manchester United in 2023.

Madley has been involved in several controversial incidents and one that angered former Liverpool boss Arne Slot in the 3-3 draw with Newcastle United in 2024.

The Dutchman was spotted exchanging words with the official as they made their way down the tunnel at half-time, before allegations emerged that he had entered Madley's dressing room to confront him.

Amazon Prime presenter Dan Walker commented during the broadcast: "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."

However, the ECHO reported at the time time that this did not occur, despite Slot and Madley having words in the tunnel. It is also understood that nothing inappropriate was said by the Liverpool boss during their brief exchange.

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

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