It’s a familiar face appointed to referee the fixture between Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur next week.
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Chelsea return to Premier League action next week with the small matter of a London derby under the lights at Stamford Bridge with Tottenham Hotspur making the short trip down from north London.
The Blues are looking to bounce back from a 1-0 defeat at Arsenal before the international break while Spurs are also in need of a response having been defeat 2-0 by Fulham at Craven Cottage earlier this month. Enzo Maresca’s side sit in fourth, 10 places and 15 points ahead of Ange Postecoglou’s side.
The Premier League has confirmed who will be in charge of that fixture with Craig Pawson appointed to take charge at Stamford Bridge. It’s fair to say that Pawson’s name is not one that will bring about too many smiles from Chelsea supporters, who have felt hard done by with some of the referee’s decisions in recent years.
Premier League confirms referee for Chelsea v Tottenham Hotspur
Pawson was the official in charge for the unforgettable 2-2 draw with Aston Villa last April. Chelsea thought they had won that match when Axel Disasi nodded home from close range later on. However, VAR identified a foul in the lead-up to the goal and Pawson was sent to the screen to look at the clash between Diego Carlos and Benoit Badiashile before disallowing the goal.
That decision outraged former Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino who claimed VAR had ‘damaged English football’ after the match. Pochettino said: "Everyone that was watching the game will feel disappointed. Two different things the referee said it was a foul and disallowed the goal and then going to the VAR to confirm.
"The referee is unbelievable and it's ridiculous. It is difficult to accept, these type of things in the semi-final [FA Cup against Man City] two weeks ago it was handball and it was no penalty, the referee he didn't check it.
"It is painful as it has damaged English football and I think Villa players and their fans didn't understand why the goal was disallowed. They said it was foul and if you see the challenge what happened if we go into every single challenge like this it is going to be a foul and we wouldn't finish the game with 11 [players]. We can talk about the performance or the decision - it is damaging the game."
Mark Halsey criticises Craig Pawson
Former Premier League referee Mark Halsey also criticised the decision. He told The Sun: "I was baffled why VAR got involved because it wasn't a clear and obvious error.
"Referee Craig Pawson had a great view of the incident, he was looking directly at both players and allowed play to continue. If Pawson thought it was a foul by Benoit Badiashile on Diego Carlos then why didn't he award a free-kick straight away? I felt it was a foul but Pawson had to give it in real-time and then there wouldn't have been a fuss afterwards. My big problem with this incident is it's a classic case of technology re-refereeing a game and not what VAR is there for.
"VAR official Chris Kavanagh recommended an on-field review and Pawson changed his mind. I've watched Pawson for a long time and he does not seem to make the big decisions and uses VAR as a back-up. Although we got the right decision, the process of how we got there is not how we should be operating VAR in the Premier League.”
In other news, Tottenham are 'considering' selling a key player amid fresh interest and £33m claim.