Premier League confirm Leeds United vs West Ham referee for possible relegation decider
Leeds United round off their impressive 2025/26 Premier League campaign at West Ham on Sunday.
The Premier League have confirmed their final round of referee appointments with Anthony Taylor to take charge of West Ham vs Leeds United.
The Whites head to West Ham on Sunday afternoon to round off what has been an excellent season back in the top-flight. Daniel Farke’s side have been safe for almost two weeks and are unbeaten in eight, following last weekend’s brilliant 1-0 win at home to Brighton and Hove Albion.
Their final-day hosts are in no such form, losing three on the bounce to leave them in serious relegation trouble. The 18th-placed Hammers are two points behind Tottenham Hotspur with a far inferior goal difference, needing a near-miracle to leapfrog their London rivals and avoid the drop.
While Sunday’s game carries little meaning for Leeds in terms of survival, everything is on the line for their hosts and the Premier League have matched that importance with a top-level appointment. Experienced referee Taylor will take charge of things at the London Stadium.
Taylor has refereed 30 Premier League games this season, more than any of his peers, blowing for 20.33 fouls and brandishing 3.97 yellow cards per game on average. He will be assisted by Gary Beswick and Adam Nunn in East London, with Steve Martin as fourth official and John Brooks on VAR duties.
The Manchester-born official has often been picked for the big occasions this season, officiating high-profile clashes like the Manchester derby, Chelsea vs Arsenal and multiple fixtures across the Champions League and Europa League. He’s been in charge of three Leeds matches so far, an FA Cup win over Derby County plus September’s 3-1 win at Wolves and the dramatic 3-3 draw at home to Liverpool in December.
Anthony Taylor history involving Leeds United
Taylor was at the heart of a game-changing decision that went Leeds’ way in that six-goal thriller, with substitute Willy Gnonto winning a penalty at 2-0 down. The on-field referee initially awarded a corner but was recommended to review the incident, with Liverpool centre-back Ibrahima Konate shown to have caught the Italian winger just before the ball rolled out of play.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin buried the subsequent spot-kick with Anton Stach rifling in a second not long after. Dominik Szoboszlai then made it 3-2 but Ao Tanaka got Leeds back level in added-time to earn a big point.
Taylor’s other games involving Leeds passed without much issue. Leeds cruised to an FA Cup third-round win over Derby after going 1-0 down and also went behind at Wolves back in October before winning by the same scoreline.
Leeds look set to have a big say in the relegation fight despite securing their own safety earlier this month. Their final-day hosts West Ham are currently heavy favourites to drop into the Championship and must win against Farke’s side while Tottenham need to lose against Everton for the Hammers to survive.