Manchester derby referee announced amid major Premier League VAR controversy

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The biggest show in town is the Manchester derby on Sunday with both teams under pressure following slow starts to the season.

Pep Guardiola’s side may have won four consecutive Premier League titles, but Manchester City’s demise this season has them fourth in the league table with 15 matches played.

City welcome United to the Etihad after winning just one of their last five league matches, after drawing with Crystal Palace last weekend.

The form guide doesn’t read much better for the Red side of Manchester. United lost last time out against Nottingham Forest and now sit 13^th in the table.

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
11	TottenhamTottenham	15	6	2	7	31	19	12	20
12	NewcastleNewcastle	15	5	5	5	19	21	-2	20
13	Man UtdManchester United	15	5	4	6	19	18	1	19
14	West HamWest Ham	15	5	3	7	20	28	-8	18
15	EvertonEverton	14	3	5	6	14	21	-7	14

So, without a new manager bounce under Ruben Amorim, United face a tricky task at the Etihad on Sunday – and it may get a little bit tougher knowing who the referee is.

Manchester United vs Manchester City referee

The Premier League has confirmed the officials for matchday 16 and United have got the following referees on duty for the derby:

This isn’t the first high-profile United game Taylor has received this season, after officiating in the 3-0 defeat against Liverpool, which is a result fans will want to clear from their mind.

However, that was under Erik ten Hag and United didn’t have the best of records against the bigger teams under his guidance.

Amorim hopes to build a better record against rivals such as Liverpool and Man City. Otherwise, United will likely be in the same boat they’re in currently.

Anthony Taylor involved in controversial VAR incident

After drawing controversy for his display in the Premier League meeting between Tottenham and Chelsea last week, Taylor has been given the biggest game for the upcoming game week regardless.

Taylor waved on Moises Caicedo’s foul on Pape Matar Sarr before a VAR check confirmed his on-field decision, with the Chelsea star avoiding a red card. Tottenham forward Dejan Kulusevski also got away with catching Romeo Lavia on the side of the head with a raised elbow.

For the Manchester derby, Stuart Attwell will be on VAR duty and there will be no love lost between the two teams.

While Taylor has officiated in derbies at the Etihad in the past, the referee has never been given a derby at Old Trafford.