Being a referee in the Premier League is arguably one of the toughest jobs in football, with a select group of officials regularly entrusted to take charge of top flight fixtures.
Even though VAR is still causing plenty of controversy week in, week out, decisions on the field are now more important than ever, with technology doing its best to try and not get involved unless it is āclear and obviousā.
The game is also arguably faster than itās ever been, so referees need to be extremely fit and quick to react. But who is the best referee in the Premier League right now?
Rank
Ref
1
Anthony Taylor
2
Michael Oliver
3
Stuart Attwell
4
Craig Pawson
5
Jarred Gillett
6
Darren England
7
Chris Kavanagh
8
Simon Hooper
9
Andy Madley
10
Peter Bankes
11
Robert Jones
12
Michael Salisbury
13
Tony Harrington
14
Samuel Barrott
15
Thomas Bramall
15 Thomas Bramall
One of the least experienced referees in the Premier League, Thomas Bramall was the man in the middle that made a huge mistake by disallowing Aston Vilaās goal against Man Utd on the final day of the 2024/25 season.
That arguably cost Villa a place in the Champions League, but the PGMOL have stuck with Bramall, who, at 35 years of age, appears to be a referee in the early stages of his top flight career.
14 Samuel Barrott
One of the card happiest referees in the Premier League, Samuel Barrott is one of the most inexperienced officials in the top flight after making his debut in 2023/24.
He took charge of 23 games in 2024/25, apologising for one mistake he made in Crystal Palaceās defeat to Brentford after wrongly ruling out Eberechi Ezeās free-kick.
13 Tony Harrington
Tony Harrington is among the referees to average the least amount of fouls awarded per 90, but that doesnāt make him a bad official.
He made his Premier League debut in 2021/22 but just hasnāt been given a regular run of games in the top flight. Harringtonās best tally of games came in the 2024/25 season where he officiated 18 fixtures.
12 Michael Salisbury
Michael Salisbury has never been a regular in the Premier League after taking charge of his first game in the 2021/22 season.
He was on VAR duty and instructed referee Robert Jones to look at Josh Kingās goal against Chelsea which was incorrectly ruled out. Salisbury was dropped by the PGMOL shortly after.
11 Robert Jones
Nottingham Forest arenāt the biggest fans of Robert Jones, with Evangelos Marinakisā side lodging an official complaint against the 38-year-old after a series of decisions against the Reds.
He was the first Premier League referee to ever perform a red-card rejection, however, some of Jonesā decisions are controversial and he averages awarding a penalty every three games.
10 Peter Bankes
Peter Bankes has now reffed more than 100 games in the Premier League since 2019, however, the Merseyside-born official has regularly come in for criticism from fans.
Former referee Keith Hackett even said Bankes looked āout of his depthā in 2025 after a decision he made in Man Utdās clash with Bournemouth.
9 Andy Madley
A FIFA licensed referee who has taken charge of the FA Cup final, Andy Madley has taken charge of more than 100 Premier League games since 2017/18.
More recently, he has made some controversial decisions, including one between Everton and Man Utd which resulted in Toffees fan Tony Bellew calling him a ācheatā.
8 Simon Hooper
Often blowing early instead of allowing advantage, Simon Hooper has enraged Premier League players and managers in recent years.
An experienced top flight official after making his debut in 2015, Hooper has often come in for criticism and was actually injured at the end of October in Liverpoolās defeat to Brentford, while he was also the man in the middle during the Reds’ controversial defeat at Tottenham in 2023.
7 Chris Kavanagh
Chris Kavanagh has been a hot topic of conversation in recent years, whether it be for sending off Declan Rice for kicking the ball away or leaving Bruno Fernandes upset after he missed his penalty.
The Greater Manchester official has been on FIFAās books since 2019 and is closing in on 200 Premier League matches at the age of 40.
6 Darren England
Another FIFA referee, Darren England caught the eye of the international governing body after two years as a Premier League official.
He was a part of the VAR team that somehow incorrectly ruled out Luis Diazās goal for offside in Liverpoolās defeat to Tottenham, but in recent years on the pitch, has been consistent.
