Craig Pawson is set to referee Arsenal’s match against West Ham United on Sunday, the Premier League have confirmed.

The Premier League have announced their official appointments for the next round of matches, with Craig Pawson set to referee Arsenal’s match away to West Ham United.

Marc Perry and Steve Meredith will assist Pawson, with Graham Scott acting as the fourth official. John Brooks is on VAR, with Lee Betts assisting.

Over the course of his career, Arsenal have a relatively average record with Craig Pawson as referee, having won 16 and lost 10 of 29 games.

Pawson’s reputation among Gunners supporters hit an all-time low in Feburary 2021, when he sent off David Luiz and Bernd Leno in an infamous defeat to Wolves.

But Pawson has largely avoided controversy in the seasons officiating Arsenal since then, despite taking charge of some big games.

Two North London derbies (both wins for Arsenal) went by largely without incident – relatively speaking.

There were two penalties awarded in Arsenal’s 3-1 win over Manchester United in April 2022, one for either side, but both were deserved.

The most contentious incident in Pawson’s last game refereeing Arsenal, the 1-0 win against Leicester City last February, was when Leandro Trossard’s goal was ruled out after a VAR intervention.

But Pawson wasn’t in charge of VAR that day, he was the on-field referee. When you see a close-up of the slow-motion replay, you’re always likely to give a foul if a goalkeeper’s arm is being held.

Arsenal have actually won seven of their eight games with Pawson as referee since the start of the 2021/22 campaign, only losing once in the FA Cup against Nottingham Forest.

It’s hard to point the finger at the referee for that abject cup performance.

Let’s keep our fingers crossed that this is another match without significant controversy.