The Premier League is about to witness fireworks like never before, as public enemy number one, Manchester City, are set to return to action for the first time since an official guilty verdict was made for breaches of financial regulations.
The Cityzens have the honour of visiting Anfield, where they will take on Liverpool in a battle of two unbeaten sides on Sunday, October 11th.
Enzo Maresca's City surged ahead of reigning champions Arsenal with their 5-3 defeat of Sunderland just before the international break, their fifth win from five in the league this term.
Andoni Iraola's side are unbeaten, having won two and drawn three of their games so far this season, and will be ready for their toughest test so far.
They will have the support of a packed Anfield, which Gary Neville warns will not be a great occasion for the visiting side, particularly given the backdrop of what has become clear over the last fortnight.
Anfield is always a difficult place to officiate for a referee, and the circumstances surrounding the game necessitates the appointment of a top-level, experienced referee such as Chris Kavanagh.
Meet Liverpool vs Manchester City Referee Chris Kavanagh
One of only two members of the elite list of UEFA referees in the Premier League, Chris Kavanagh will take charge of the meeting between Liverpool and Manchester City on Sunday.
The Greater Manchester native has been a referee since he was 13 years old, and made his Premier League debut aged 32 in April 2017.
He has since officiated 197 games in the league, handing out 728 bookings and 16 red cards. This season, he has taken charge of three games, showing 15 yellow cards and a red card.
Kavanagh is well-known to both teams and has officiated this exact fixture in each of the last three calendar years.
In November 2023, he was present at the Etihad Stadium as both sides played out a 1-1 draw, before taking charge of the game at Anfield 13 months later in December 2024, which ended 2-0 to Liverpool. In November 2025, he was in charge at the Etihad once more, as Manchester City claimed a 3-0 victory.
In total, Kavanagh has refereed 29 games involving Liverpool, with the Reds winning 18 and losing just six of the games.
With Manchester City, he has been in charge for 15 games, and the Cityzens have won ten and lost two of those games.
Who is Assisting Chris Kavanagh?
Kavanagh will be joined from the touchline by assistants Dan Cook and Nick Greenhalgh for the encounter at Anfield.
Andy Madley will be the game's fourth official, while Paul Howard will be at Stockley Park as the VAR, and he will be assisted by Nick Hopton.
