Premier League rule stops 3 referees from taking charge of Everton vs Liverpool derby

PGMOL conflict-of-interest rules mean Peter Bankes, Rob Jones and Jarred Gillett are unavailable for Sunday's crucial Merseyside derby atHill Dickinson Stadium

Arne Slot speaks to Chris Kavanagh(Image: Getty Images)

Three Premier League match officials are not allowed to take charge of Sunday's Everton vs Liverpool clash owing to conflict-of-interest regulations. Under league guidelines, officials are required to declare any club affiliations to the PGMOL, guaranteeing they are not appointed to fixtures involving sides they support or have strong local connections to.

This policy exists to safeguard impartiality in high-profile encounters. Consequently, Peter Bankes, Rob Jones and Jarred Gillett will all be ineligible to oversee proceedings at Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Bankes is a Merseyside native, Jones hails from the Wirral, and Gillett is a declared Liverpool supporter — ruling all three out of consideration for this weekend's Merseyside derby. In their place, Chris Kavanagh — who comes from Ashton-under-Lyne in Greater Manchester and supports non-league side Droylsden — will take charge as referee.

Liverpool go into the fixture looking to bounce back following their Champions League exit at the hands of PSG in midweek. A 2-0 defeat to the European champions at Anfield on Tuesday confirmed a chastening 4-0 aggregate loss, all but rubber-stamping a trophyless campaign for Arne Slot's side.

Attention now turns to securing a place in next season's Champions League. Liverpool currently occupy fifth spot in the Premier League and, with five English clubs set to qualify, the Reds must fend off their rivals in the closing stages of the season. Among those challengers are Everton, who sit five points behind in eighth place. David Moyes' side are in fine fettle, having won three of their last five league outings, including a commanding 3-0 thrashing of Chelsea.

A victory for the Toffees would narrow the gap between the two sides to just two points and could propel them as high as sixth, bolstering their push for Champions League qualification — 21 years after Moyes steered Everton to the cusp of Europe's premier competition in 2005, when they finished fourth but fell at the qualifying hurdle.

It would also represent only Everton's second Merseyside derby triumph since February 2021. Liverpool have held sway over the fixture in recent years, claiming six of the last nine encounters.

Everton and Liverpool will resume rivalries(Image: Liverpool FC via Getty Images)

Their most recent meeting at Anfield in September ended in a 2-1 victory for Liverpool, with goals from Ryan Gravenberch and Hugo Ekitike cancelling out Idrissa Gueye's second-half consolation for Everton.

Everton's solitary win in the past five years came in April 2024, a 2-0 victory in what proved to be Jurgen Klopp's final Merseyside derby. Goals from Jarrad Branthwaite and Dominic Calvert-Lewin secured the result, which also effectively extinguished Liverpool's title aspirations.

A victory for the Reds on Sunday could see them climb into fourth place, subject to the outcome of the match between Aston Villa and Sunderland. They will be missing Hugo Ekitike, who has been sidelined until 2027 following a serious Achilles injury. Nevertheless, Alexander Isak's recent comeback from an extended spell on the sidelines should help relieve the pressure in attack.

With so much riding on the outcome, Sunday's derby looks set to be one of the most significant in recent memory, with Liverpool battling to secure a top-five finish and Everton eyeing a rare chance to narrow the gap on their rivals and breathe new life into their own European aspirations.