Anthony Taylor made history during a Premier League game between Chelsea and Bournemouth last weekend, but not a good one. Taylor dished out 14 yellow cards at the Vitality Stadium as Chelsea won with a late goal. Those 14 cautions set a Premier League record for players on the pitch. Additionally, Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca picked up a booking from the bench.
Taylor has faced a wave of criticism for his performance at the weekend as an official. It comes on the back of several controversial moments that Taylor has been at the center of. For example, he failed to award a penalty for a handball during the Euro 2024 semifinals between Germany and Spain. The Professional Game Match Officials Ltd, or PGMOL, is responsible for assigning referees and answering for their mistakes. The PGMOL admitted that Anthony Taylor made mistakes last season, but it still assigned him to key fixtures.
That is not the case for this coming weekend. After his 14 yellow cards in the Chelsea-Bournemouth game, the Premier League prevented Anthony Taylor from officiating in the coming weekend of fixtures. That does not mean he has a full suspension, though. He will be the fourth official for two games this weekend. On Saturday, Taylor will man the sidelines when Ipswich Town faces Southampton. Then, on Sunday, Taylor will once again be the fourth official when Brighton faces Nottingham Forest.
No Premier League referee will work every matchday. The PGMOL alternates and rotates officials to make sure they are fit and ready to perform in different venues. Also, that prevents officials from developing any kind of emotion with fans. Supporters have lambasted Taylor for his performance this past weekend, and this move to give Taylor a week off the pitch can settle things.
Even though the 14 yellow cards broke the single-game record for the Premier League, officiating was not just a concern for Taylor. In the North London derby between Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur, for example, Jarred Gillett brandished seven yellow cards in the first half alone. Gillett tapered down the bookings in the second half with just one player receiving a yellow card. Generally speaking, fans prefer it when referees stay out of the way of the game. In the case of both Taylor and Gillett, many of the yellow cards were warranted. There was a scrap between Arsenal and Spurs in the first half that deserved yellow cards.
That said, general officiating concerns remain a problem. Whether it be improper use of VAR or controversial decisions plaguing games, referees have been an unfortunate centerpiece of the story in the Premier League for multiple years. That was no different for Anthony Taylor at the weekend, and he is regularly working major fixtures in England and Europe. In all likelihood, he will be back on the pitch on the last matchday of September. Fans will hope yellow cards and VAR will not be the major talking point of the game that he is refereeing.
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