Anthony Taylor has been appointed as the referee for next Tuesday's match between Chelsea and Liverpool at Stamford Bridge. This has led to Blues supporters expressing their anger at the decision after the official has been at the centre of various controversies involving Chelsea matches.
The match could be a pivotal one in both sides' efforts to reach a European berth come the end of the season, and the Premier League has been slammed over this potentially key decision. This will be the first time Taylor has officiated a Chelsea match since August last year, when Tottenham left west London with a point in a 2-2 draw.
The game was littered with divisive talking points, and the 44-year-old was criticised for failing to spot a foul on Kai Havertz in the build-up to Spurs' opener, as well as a potential sending-off for Christian Romero which would have ruled out their stoppage-time leveller. Things came to a head at the full-time whistle, when Thomas Tuchel and Antonio Conte shared an infamous handshake, encapsulating the bad-blooded nature of the affair.
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After the match, Tuchel claimed "the whole dressing room" believed Taylor was against them after the German was sent off for the managerial scrap. Having suggested that Taylor should no longer referee Chelsea games, the former Blues boss was fined £20,000 by the Football Association and warned of his conduct.
“Maybe it would be better, maybe it would be better," he said, before later adding: “I don’t think that just some of the fans think that; I can assure you that the whole dressing room of us, every person thinks that."
Chelsea supporters made their feelings known then, with a petition to stop Taylor refereeing Chelsea matches having passed 100,000 signatures. This came after Taylor was also involved in several high-profile decisions made in previous Blues outings.
His appointment for next week's match against Liverpool will see Taylor now referee three of the last four times the two clubs have played each other in the Premier League, with the last two both marred by controversy. Back in August 2021, Reece James was controversially dismissed for a handball inside the penalty box, with the Reds duly equalising from the penalty spot, adding to the ire over today's announcement.
Then, during the following year's 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea were angered once more when Sadio Mane was only shown a yellow card for an elbow on Cesar Azpilicueta in the opening 10 seconds of the match. Supporters took to Twitter to discuss their disbelief at Taylor's return.
@CFCErm: "Anthony Taylor to referee our match against Liverpool. What could go wrong?"
@tate11520: "Anthony Taylor back at Stamford Bridge since the game against Tottenham. How will he destroy this game like he has done every other game he has taken charge (or lack of charge)."
@JRT0809: "What a shocker, Anthony Taylor doing another high profile Chelsea game"
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