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ARSENAL and Everton are at the forefront of the Premier League’s red card statistics, showcasing their inclination for strong players who relish physical play.
Since the Premier League’s launch in 1992, Everton has accumulated 108 red cards, while Arsenal follows closely with 107, having recorded three this season — an astonishing 14 more than third-place Newcastle.
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Supporters at Goodison Park relish intense, hard-fought matches filled with action.
They have historically placed pressure on both their rivals and officials — my own experiences at Everton presented a different narrative — highlighting the necessity of fostering an intimidating environment.
Although contests between Arsenal and Everton haven’t typically been unpleasant, a notable match I officiated in 2003 resulted in TWO red cards — for Sol Campbell and Li Tie — at Highbury.
This marked the second time I had shown Sol a red card within a span of five months.
The initial occasion occurred when he elbowed Ole Gunnar Solskjaer during a critical title match against Manchester United in April of the 2002-03 season, which ended in a 2-2 tie.
Sol swung his arm back directly in front of my assistant Nigel Miller, who confirmed the intentional contact.
Despite his protests, his appeal against the sending-off was denied.
Arsene Wenger‘s assistant Pat Rice and Sol visited the dressing room post-match, but I remained firm in my belief that I had witnessed a deliberate elbow. We amicably disagreed.
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Consequently, Sol was unable to participate in the 2003 FA Cup final due to a four-match suspension.
However, his absence did not hinder Wenger’s squad, as they achieved a 1-0 triumph over Southampton in Cardiff, even though United secured the league title.
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I officiated the rematch between Arsenal and Everton at Highbury at the beginning of the next season — a game that the Gunners won as Invincibles — where I sent Sol off again.
This occurred while he was under scrutiny from the FA for a kick on Manchester United’s Eric Djemba-Djemba during the Community Shield.
During that match, I remarked that it would be hard to get through it without discussing things… he remained silent.
After 25 minutes, Everton’s Thomas Gravesen made a run toward goal, and Sol fouled him, clearly denying a goal-scoring opportunity.
He expected the red card and left quietly — no words exchanged between us that day. It’s fair to say I wasn’t on his Christmas card list that year.
I also issued a second yellow card to Li Tie later in that match. This was one of the few encounters in Premier League history between these teams in which two players were dismissed.
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Patrick Vieira and Duncan Ferguson stand out as two of the top three players in both clubs’ red card history in the Premier League — with eight red cards each.
Refereeing Patrick proved challenging due to his aggressive tackling approach.
Big Dunc epitomized the traditional No 9 role, taking and giving hits with equal fervor. Constant dialogue was crucial to keep him compliant with the rules.
Managers like David Moyes, with whom I enjoyed a positive relationship, valued the toughness represented by players like Big Dunc.
I once sent off Toffees defender Joseph Yobo during a 2-1 defeat at Newcastle, just before Alan Shearer’s significant goal.
A few days later, David called to affirm that my decision regarding Yobo was warranted.
He aimed to instill a sense of fear in opponents at Everton, and he certainly succeeded.
Refereeing there demanded immense focus — the atmosphere was intense.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta, formerly one of Moyes’ players, was recognized for his complaints on the field, but we maintained a good rapport.
Some argue that many red cards issued to Arsenal under Mikel might have been debatable, but the passion of the manager undeniably affects his players.
The current squad’s physical playing style shares similarities with both Moyes’ Everton teams and Arsenal’s 2003 lineup featuring Campbell.
How to stop Arsenal at corners
Arsenal has emerged as a dominant force in exploiting set pieces.
Since the previous season, they have scored 22 goals from corners — seven more than their nearest rivals, Manchester City, and eight ahead of league leaders Liverpool.
In a decisive victory over Manchester United, both Jurrien Timber and William Saliba found the net in the second half, thanks to outstanding deliveries from Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka, each contributing seven assists from set pieces this season — the highest of any player.
Former United star Dimitar Berbatov humorously noted that Arsenal has become the new Stoke City of the league — a team that, under Tony Pulis, excelled in set pieces against larger opponents.
