Brighton-Arsenal ref appointed 2 weeks after FA Cup horror show

The Premier League have confirmed their match officials for the next round of fixtures, including Arsenal’s trip away to Brighton on Wednesday.

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The Premier League have confirmed their next batch of match official appointments for the midweek fixtures, including Arsenal’s game against Brighton at the Amex Stadium on Wednesday night.

The match will be refereed by Chris Kavanagh, with Dan Cook and Ian Hussin assisting him. The fourth official will be David Webb.

Michael Salisbury will be on VAR, with Sian Massey-Ellis as the assistant VAR.

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Kavanagh was recently stood down from Premier League officiating after making a number of clear errors in Aston Villa’s FA Cup match against Newcastle United.

Tammy Abraham was offside for Villa’s opening goal (though admittedly that one was on the assistants), Lucas Digne should have seen red for a high tackle on Jacob Murphy, and Digne also clearly handled the ball inside the penalty area – only to see a free-kick awarded.

But Kavanagh returned to the Premier League with the match between Manchester United and Crystal Palace this weekend, and he’ll now referee Arsenal’s game in midweek.

Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images

Arsenal fans will be grateful VAR is in operation in midweek, and they’ll hope Salisbury and Massey-Ellis are ready to correct any further significant errors.