Who is the referee for Tottenham vs Arsenal in the North London derby?

It’s shaping up to be a memorable season for Arsenal. Without a Premier League title for almost 20 years – the last time they finished top of the tree was in 2003-2004 – they current sit five points clear of second-placed Manchester City with a game in hand; what better way for Mikel Arteta and his mean to extend their lead by posting a North London derby victory against Tottenham Hotspur?

Few had expected the Gunners to challenge for the title this term after they failed to even make the top four in 2021-22 but they have dropped points in only three of their 17 Premier League matches so far, which has fans dreaming of a return to the big time.

Bitter rivals Spurs, in fact, would probably have been considered by most to have been the more likely of the two to mount a title challenge, even if Manchester City and the desperately disappointing Liverpool were by far and away the favourites.

After a more than decent start, which included five wins and two draws in their first seven Premier League games, Antonio Conte’s men have become plagued by inconsistency, having failed to record back-to-back league victories since mid-October. Indeed, they’ve had more defeats (four) than wins (three) in their last eight outings and have dropped down to fifth spot in the table as a result. Three points on Sunday would move them to within eight points of Arsenal having played a game more; a loss doesn’t bear thinking about.

Who is the referee for Tottenham vs Arsenal in the North London derby?

The referee for Sunday’s game will be Craig Pawson, who will be taking charge of his second North London derby. The 43-year-old was the man in the middle when Arsenal comfortably beat Spurs 3-1 at the Emirates in September 2021.

Pawson, who began refereeing at the age in 1993 at the age of 14, made his first appearance in the Premier League in the 2012-13 season, taking charge of Swansea City’s victory over Newcastle United. He quickly became a FIFA-listed referee in 2015, the year in which he acted as fourth official in both the Football League Cup Final (Chelsea 2-0 Spurs) and the FA Cup Final (Arsenal 4-0 Aston Villa).

Pawson has taken charge of 10 Premier League games this season and is sixth out of 21 referees in terms of yellow cards shown per game (4.1), although he has yet to send anyone off. Given the levels of dislike between the teams, could today the day?

What did Tottenham manager Antonio Conte say about referee Craig Pawson before the North London derby?

In the lead-up to the match, Spurs boss Conte stressed that he wants to see both sets of players respect the referee and each other:

“I like in an important game like this, (to see) the respect is always at the top, OK? You have to show respect in every situation and especially also with the referee because I know very well the difficulty to be a referee, to take decisions. I think to intimidate or to create a bad atmosphere is not fair. I don’t like this. I hate the people that try to do it. Don’t forget that we are talking always about a game of football.”

Pawson will be assisted by Marc Perry and Scott Ledger, with Darren England acting as fourth official. Paul Tierney will head up the VAR team, with Constantine Hatzidakis the additional VAR.