The Premier League have confrimed who will officiate the Manchester derby as Rúben Amorim’s Reds travel to face Manchester City on Sunday afternoon.
Rúben Amorim’s early weeks in charge of Manchester United have brought a mixed start, with just one win, one draw, and two defeats from their first four matches of the 2025/26 season.
United opened with a 1-0 defeat to Arsenal, a result softened slightly by a positive display. A trip to Fulham ended in a flat 1-1 draw before a major setback came in the Carabao Cup, where League Two Grimsby Town knocked them out on penalties after a 2-2 draw.
Their first victory eventually came against Burnley, with Bruno Fernandes converting a last-minute penalty to seal a 3-2 win.
Next up is the short journey to the Etihad to face Manchester City after the international break, where Amorim will be looking for a significant improvement.
Manchester derby referee confirmed
Anthony Taylor (pictured above) will be the referee on Sunday afternoon in Manchester. Taylor officiated 31 Premier League fixtures last season, ten in UEFA matches, and three in the FIFA Club World Cup, among others.
Taylor officiated United five times last season, most notibly including Amorim’s first game in charge of United – a 1-1 draw against Ipswich Town. He also refereed the exact same fixture last season, United’s 2-1 win over City at the Etihad Stadium.
Last season, Taylor issued 92 yellow cards in the Premier League and 174 across all competitions. He issued 12 red cards last season, seven via two yellow cards and five straight. He has awarded 14 penalties, nine of which came in the Premier League.
During the game, Gary Beswick and Adam Nunn will serve as Taylor’s assistant referees. Simon Hooper will be the fourth official on Sunday afternoon, separating Amorim and Pep Guardiola.
John Brooks has been appointed as the Video Assistant Referee. Neil Davies will act as assistant VAR.
Amorim must at least recreate City win
As mentioned above, Taylor refereed United when late heroics from star winger Amad secured a one-two blow in the dying moments at the Etihad Stadium in late December 2024.
This time around, Amorim must look to at least recreate this performance. Statistivs tell a story of an away side who went very toe to toe with their opponents, and with United in dire need of fresh optimisin, recreating this scenario will do just that.
Despite United’s poor start, City have had it worse – they’ve collected three points from three games, losing to Tottenham and Brighton after defeating Wolverhampton Wanderers 4-0.
Amorim must look to take advantage of Guardiola’s current misfortunes. A win away against the club’s bitter rivals would do United a well of good to boost morale after a two week break, as well as helping hammer down City’s poor start.
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