Mike Dean will officiate the Manchester City against Chelsea match on Sunday and that was met with the usual grumblings from both sets of supporters. The league’s longest serving referee can also break a record on Sunday and become the first to dish out 100 Premier League red cards.
Blues fans, though, should not be too disappointed with the choice as they have a pretty good record in the Premier League with games he’s taken charge of. Dean can set his own milestone and dish out a record 100th red card during the match. What makes this all the more likely is that he has given out nine to each team during his 19-year career.
It is also the Premier League fixture where he has given more players their marching orders (four) than any other. Chelsea fans should not fear, though, as they have only lost 10 Premier League games in Mike Dean fixtures compared to 17 from Manchester City. The Blues have four more wins (36) than any other team under the league’s longest serving referee.
In all other departments it seems to be fairly even but the London club seem to perform better than City when Dean is in charge. When he eventually sends someone off, he will be the first referee in history to have reached triple figures of reds in England’s top-flight.
The last time Dean brandished a red card to a City or Chelsea player was during the busy Christmas period – where he sent off Fabian Delph as Pep Guardiola’s side were defeated by Leicester – his 98th dismissal. This season, he has sent off a whopping nine players and four more than the next nearest referee. He has also dished out 81 yellow cards in 19 games.
Here is how both teams stack up when Mike Dean is in charge.
Since his appointment as a Select Group referee in 2000, Dean has officiated a number of notable matches, including the FA Community Shield and the finals of the FA Cup, Football League Cup and FA Trophy. Dean took control of the 2004 FA Community Shield match between Arsenal and Manchester United at the Millennium Stadium, a game which Arsenal won 3–1. He also refereed the FA Trophy final of that year.