The Match officials for matchweek 5 of the 2026/27 Premier League season have been confirmed, with referees and Video Assistant Referees appointed for all 10 fixtures scheduled across the weekend.
The fifth round of the campaign begins on Friday, September 18, when Brentford host Chelsea, before a busy Saturday featuring Tottenham Hotspur against Aston Villa, Brighton against Arsenal, Everton against Ipswich, Newcastle United against Hull City and Nottingham Forest against Coventry City.
The weekend then continues on Sunday, September 20, with Bournemouth facing Liverpool, Leeds United taking on Crystal Palace, Manchester City welcoming Sunderland and Fulham hosting Manchester United.
Match officials for matchweek 5 confirmed
Andy Madley will take charge of the opening fixture between Brentford and Chelsea on Friday night, with Nick Hopton and Craig Taylor appointed as his assistants. Lewis Smith will serve as the fourth official, while Jarred Gillett will operate as VAR alongside assistant VAR Edward Smart.
Saturday’s early kick-off between Tottenham and Aston Villa will be refereed by Sam Barrott, who will be supported by Adam Nunn and Lee Betts. Tom Bramall has been appointed fourth official, while John Brooks will oversee VAR duties with Ian Hussin assisting.
Darren England will be the referee for Brighton’s meeting with Arsenal at the Amex Stadium. Scott Ledger and Alistair Nelson will work as assistants, with Michael Salisbury serving as fourth official. Tim Wood has been appointed VAR and James Mainwaring will be the assistant VAR.
Stuart Attwell will officiate Everton’s home fixture against Ipswich, with Wade Smith and Steve Meredith serving as assistants. Ruebyn Ricardo will be the fourth official, while Andrew Kitchen and Josh Smith will form the VAR team.
Referee appointments continue across Saturday
Newcastle United’s clash with Hull City will have Tony Harrington as the referee, assisted by Adrian Holmes and Mat Wilkes. Tom Reeves will be the fourth official, while Peter Bankes takes charge of VAR and Constantine Hatzidakis serves as assistant VAR.
At the City Ground, Jarred Gillett will move from his VAR assignment in the Brentford versus Chelsea game to referee Nottingham Forest against Coventry City. Neil Davies and Nick Greenhalgh will assist him, with Bobby Madley appointed fourth official.
Paul Howard will operate as VAR, while Craig Taylor will serve as assistant VAR for the evening fixture.
The appointments mean Gillett will have duties across two Matchweek 5 fixtures, first as VAR on Friday before taking on an on-field refereeing role on Saturday.
Michael Oliver leads Sunday’s appointments
Sunday’s action begins with Bournemouth hosting Liverpool, with Michael Oliver appointed as the referee. Stuart Burt and James Mainwaring will serve as assistants, while Simon Hooper has been named fourth official.
Craig Pawson will be VAR, assisted by Lee Betts.
At Elland Road, Adam Herczeg will referee Leeds United against Crystal Palace, supported by Tim Wood and Simon Long. Farai Hallam will be the fourth official, with Paul Tierney appointed VAR and Wade Smith as assistant VAR.
Manchester City will welcome Sunderland in another Sunday fixture, with Rob Jones selected as the referee. Gary Beswick and Constantine Hatzidakis will serve as assistants, while Andy Madley has been appointed fourth official.
Michael Salisbury will take up VAR duties, with Neil Davies as assistant VAR.
The final match of the weekend sees Fulham host Manchester United at Craven Cottage. Peter Bankes will take charge, assisted by Dan Cook and Alex James, while Chris Kavanagh serves as fourth official.
Nick Hopton will be VAR and Adam Nunn will assist.
Full list of Premier League officials for the weekend
The Matchweek 5 appointments feature a mixture of experienced referees and officials taking on different roles across the weekend, with several familiar names appearing in either on-field or VAR positions.
The Brentford versus Chelsea fixture will have Madley in charge, while Barrott oversees Tottenham’s meeting with Aston Villa. England will referee Brighton against Arsenal, Attwell takes Everton versus Ipswich and Harrington will officiate Newcastle against Hull.
Gillett is responsible for Nottingham Forest against Coventry, while Oliver takes charge of Bournemouth versus Liverpool. Herczeg will oversee Leeds against Crystal Palace, Jones handles Manchester City versus Sunderland and Bankes will referee Fulham against Manchester United.
The VAR appointments are equally important given the increasing influence of video reviews in Premier League matches. Gillett, Brooks, Wood, Kitchen, Bankes, Howard, Pawson, Tierney, Salisbury and Hopton have all been assigned VAR duties across the 10 fixtures.
With another round of important league matches ahead, attention will now turn to the referee performances as clubs look to build momentum during the early stages of the 2026/27 campaign. The appointments also provide another opportunity for Premier League officials to demonstrate consistency across both on-field decisions and VAR reviews.
