Anthony Taylor will return to the Premier League this weekend after his ‘demotion’ to the Championship for the last matchweek.
The referee was embroiled in a spate of controversy after awarding a divisive penalty against Wolves to Newcastle during their 2-2 draw.
Taylor came under fire from a range of different voices after handing the visitors the penalty at Molineux, which allowed Newcastle to go ahead in the first-half.
The referee pointed to the spot after Hwang Hee-chan brought down Fabian Schar whilst attempting to clear the ball, and had his decision rubber-stamped by VAR.
Jarred Gillett, the official on duty at Stockley Park, took his time but ultimately opted not to send Taylor to his monitor to look at the incident a second time.
Anthony Taylor will return to the Premier League to oversee a titanic Big Six clash on Sunday
His appointment comes just a week after the referee was ‘demoted’ to the Championship
But just one weekend after refereeing Preston North End’s clash with Coventry City in the second tier, Taylor is set to oversee Manchester City’s visit to Chelsea’s visit on Sunday.
Taylor’s trip down to the Championship was not without its controversy too, after the official awarded Preston a penalty that came under scrutiny.
During the first-half of the match, Kyle McFadzean was adjudged to have brought down Milutin Osmajic inside the box – with Taylor awarding a penalty.
However, replays showed that the defender made minimal contact, leading to fan uproar after Alan Browne went on to score the spot-kick, which helped seal the 3-2 home victory.
Supporters were quick to leap onto social media with some suggesting that Taylor was primed to drop down yet another division.
One user joked: ‘Anthony be on League One duty next week, feel sorry for League One.’
Another added: ‘Anthony Taylor gonna keep going until he hits the Northern Premier League Div 1,’ with a third chiming in: ‘Coming to a National league ground near you, very soon’.
Despite these glum predictions, Taylor will instead be spending the weekend overseeing arguably the jewel in the fixture list.
Taylor found himself at the centre of another penalty controversy in the second tier as he handed out a potential match-winning penalty to Preston North End
Taylor found himself at the centre of the debate when he awarded a contentious penalty to Newcastle against Wolves
Hot off the heels of a thrilling – and thrillingly refereed – 4-1 win against Spurs to end their London rival’s unbeaten run, Chelsea will host Manchester City looking to bloody the nose of the team at the top of the table.
Man City were able to cling onto their lead gained after a 6-1 rout against Bournemouth on Saturday after Liverpool, Arsenal, and Tottenham all dropped points.
But Chelsea will optimistically hope that their lack of European football may aid their attempt to record back-to-back victories against Big Six rivals.
Pep Guardiola’s side will welcome Young Boys to the Etihad on Tuesday evening for the fourth match of their Champions League trophy defence.