Referee Chris Kavanagh has been appointed to take charge of West Ham United’s clash with Fulham at the London Stadium this weekend.
The east London side have had a good week after beating Wolverhampton Wanderers 2-0 in the Premier League last weekend, before a 1-0 victory at Anderlecht in the UEFA Europa Conference League means that they have a perfect record in Europe so far this season.
Last weekend’s result pulled the Irons out of the Premier League relegation zone and up to 15th having earned their second victory of the season.
Dan Cook and Dan Robathan will run the line with Robert Jones acting as the fourth official, whilst Michael Salisbury and Steve Meredith will act as VAR and assistant VAR.
What do the stats say?
According to Transfermarkt, Kavanagh has taken charge of six games this season across the UEFA Nations League, UEFA Europa League, Premier League and Championship, issuing 20 yellow cards and handing out no dismissals as of yet.
The same stats provider suggests that the last time the 37-year-old refereed a game involving David Moyes’ side was in last season’s 1-1 draw with Newcastle United at the London Stadium.
But the Irons will be concerned about Kavanagh’s presence as the match official, with the Hammers receiving two dismissals across the 16 times he has been the man in the centre, which is as many dismissals for one club the Manchester-born referee has dished out.
The most high-profile of these red cards is likely that of Fabián Balbuena’s straight red card against Chelsea back in April 2021, when the centre-back cleared the ball before following through on Ben Chilwell, in what seemed like a harsh decision at the time. This later went on to get overturned.
In terms of results, the Irons have won six games and lost six games in the 16 Kavanagh has taken charge of, suggesting that his presence is unlikely to have a direct influence on the result.
TIF Verdict…
We think that West Ham fans will be concerned by Kavanagh’s presence this weekend, and will be hoping that he doesn’t brandish any more red cards for Moyes’ side this weekend.
The Irons are in a position where they can’t afford to be losing players to suspension, as they need to make full use of their squad and have as many options available during a European campaign.
The Hammers will be hoping to replicate their 1-0 victory when the sides last met at the London Stadium back in November 2020, as they look to hurl themselves up the Premier League table.