Confirmed Match Officials: Manchester City vs Everton (Premier League) | OneFootball

The Premier League have confirmed the team of match officials to oversee proceedings between Manchester City and Everton on Boxing Day.

Pep Guardiola and his players are firmly in the midst of a performance crisis, dropping to seventh in the Premier League table following defeat to Aston Villa on Saturday afternoon via goals from Jhon Duran and Morgan Rogers.

Phil Foden managed to get himself on the scoresheet late in the contest, but that strike came too late to have any impact on the overall outcome of the match and now sees City behind all of Nottingham Forest, Bournemouth, and Aston Villa in the league standings.

Manchester City now turn their focus towards the post-Christmas schedule, as Sean Dyche’s determined Everton side visit the home of the Champions in a match that is nothing other than a must-win for the hosts.

The injury picture was made even worse over the weekend too, with John Stones succumbing to yet another problem during the first-half and Matheus Nunes and Ederson missing out on the match entirely through new fitness issues.

They join Ruben Dias, Rodri, and Oscar Bobb on the sidelines receiving treatment, and Manchester City will be hoping to get the majority of their injured stars back in time for a mammoth January featuring a Champions League double-header.

But ahead of the meeting between Manchester City and Everton, the Premier League have now announced the list of match officials to oversee proceedings at the Etihad Stadium!

Match Referee

The Premier League have confirmed that Simon Hooper will lead proceedings for the officiating team at the Etihad Stadium this week for the clash between Manchester City and Everton on Boxing Day.

The clash between the two north-west clubs will be Hooper’s 11th Premier League game of the ongoing season, with the 42-year-old having issued a total of 49 yellow cards in his opening 10 matches, issuing two dismissals, and having yet to award a penalty.

Having officiated Manchester City matches on 12 previous occasions in his career, Hooper has overseen eight wins for Pep Guardiola’s side, four draws, and no defeats for the reigning Premier League champions.

The last match to be officiated by Hooper involving Manchester City came at the City Ground and a 0-2 win for Guardiola’s players away to Nottingham Forest, whilst the match official will most likely be recognised for the dramatic 3-3 draw against Tottenham last campaign.

Assistant Referees

Supporting Simon Hooper on the field at the Etihad Stadium on Thursday afternoon and taking on the roles of assistant referees will be Adrian Holmes and Simon Long, the Premier League have confirmed.

Video Assistant Referees

Moving on to those overlooking the contest from Stockley Park and at the VAR Hub, the Premier League have issued Video Assistant Referee duties to Alex Chilowicz, supported by Dan Cook in the role of Assistant Video Assistant Referee.

Chilowicz was confirmed as a VAR official for the Premier League in early November, as a statement from the PGMOL read, “As part of our ongoing commitment to enhancing VAR performance and developing future VARs, a cohort of our officials outside of the Premier League started a dedicated training programme earlier this year to explore their suitability for a future VAR role.

“A number of Premier League assistant referees are also part of the programme with the aim to widen the pool of skilled VAR officials, who all undergo regular training in the VAR Hub.

Fourth Official

Standing between the dugouts in the role of Fourth Official at the Etihad Stadium this week will be David Webb, manning the antics between Pep Guardiola and Sean Dyche in their respective technical areas.