Taylor is set to officiate the upcoming match between Chelsea and Manchester City this Sunday, marking his return to the Premier League. This decision comes in spite of a controversial call made in a recent Championship match between Preston and Coventry the previous Saturday.
During that Championship fixture, Taylor awarded a first-half penalty to Preston when Milutin Osmajic appeared to have been brought down by Coventry defender Kyle McFadzean, although the contact appeared minimal and Osmajic seemed unaffected when taking his shot. This contentious decision led to calls from fans for Taylor to be demoted to League One.
Nevertheless, Taylor will make his return to the top tier by officiating the highly anticipated match between Chelsea and Manchester City on Sunday.
Taylor’s previous demotion to the Championship stemmed from a mistake he made during the Newcastle and Wolves game. In that match, he awarded a penalty to Newcastle in their 2-2 draw at Molineux, but the Premier League’s Independent Key Match Incidents Panel later determined that the decision was incorrect upon review.
For the upcoming Chelsea vs. Manchester City game, Taylor will be assisted by Gary Beswick and Adam Nunn, with Craig Pawson serving as the fourth official. The VAR duties will be handled by Jarred Gillett, with Darren Cann as the VAR assistant.
It’s worth noting that Taylor has had a strained relationship with Chelsea fans due to past decisions against the team, leading to some fans even petitioning to ban him from their games last season. However, earlier this season, he did not award a penalty to Chelsea for an alleged handball in a match against Liverpool.