Darren England will referee the FA Cup final between Chelsea and Manchester City at Wembley on May 16, and he is no stranger to taking charge of controversial games involving the west Londoners

The FA Cup final between Manchester City and Chelsea will be officiated by Darren England. The Premier League referee has taken charge of numerous City and Chelsea fixtures over the years, whether as the main official, as an assistant referee or in the VAR booth.

His appointment at the blockbuster encounter at Wembley Stadium, which takes place on May 16, was announced by the Football Association in a press release.

Pep Guardiola’s side secured their place in the final with a 2-1 win over Southampton in the semi-finals. Meanwhile, Chelsea secured their spot with a 1-0 win against Leeds United, setting up an all-blue clash in London in May.

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England has been involved in several refereeing controversies when officiating Chelsea, however, with rulings going both for and against them.

Here, Manchester Evening News examines a few from recent times, ahead of the final on May 16.

Arsenal vs Chelsea: 2025/26

Liam Rosenior’s unbeaten Premier League streak was stopped at the Emirates Stadium, when Arsenal narrowly beat Chelsea 2-1. However, one of the most disputed incidents of the encounter occurred when Declan Rice appeared to knock one of Reece James’ corners away with his elbow.

England was the referee at the time. His original ruling was no penalty, despite Rice appearing to shift his elbow towards the ball as it started to drop downwards.

It’s understood England judged the contact was within normal physical engagement and that any contact with the ball from Rice’s arm was unintentional. VAR also opted to uphold the on-field decision.

However, former Premier League official Dermot Gallagher suggested Chelsea had been harshly treated. He said: “I thought it was a penalty. I think he moves his arm to the ball and his arm shouldn’t be up that high.

“I get told it’s because he’s engaging with an opponent but in my opinion you shouldn’t be engaged with an opponent that high up, he shouldn’t have his arms around his shoulder.”

Crystal Palace vs Chelsea: 2025/26

This was a ruling that had fans and VAR officials frantically consulting the rulebook. Shortly after Estevao and Joao Pedro had handed Chelsea a 2-0 advantage against Crystal Palace, Pedro saw a goal-bound effort blocked by the arm of Palace defender Jaydee Canvot.

England needed VAR to confirm that the ball had struck the defender’s arm and, as he returned to the pitch, many anticipated a penalty and a red card. While the penalty was awarded, the red card remained in his pocket, as England announced: “After review, the ball hits Crystal Palace 23.

“It is an accidental handball, not deliberate. Therefore it is a penalty kick, however, because it is accidental, this is only a yellow card.”

Given the nature of the offence, many supporters felt the decision was a straightforward choice between a red card and penalty or neither. England settled on a compromise, which split opinion across the football world and left both sets of fans dissatisfied.

Wolves vs Chelsea: 2024/25

When the 2024/25 season got underway, Enzo Maresca marked his first Premier League triumph as Chelsea boss with a stunning 6-2 thrashing of Wolverhampton Wanderers.

One of the most talked-about moments of the match arrived when Robert Sanchez played a rapid goal kick beyond the Wolves defensive line to Nicolas Jackson, who laid the ball off to Cole Palmer for the England star to chip Jose Sa and hand Chelsea a 2-1 lead.

The quality of the finish was beyond dispute, yet the same couldn’t be said for its validity. A number of onlookers were convinced Sanchez had struck the ball while it was still moving, and that the goal should therefore have been ruled out.

England was the referee on the day, but neither he nor VAR were satisfied that the ball remained in motion at the point of play. The goal was allowed to stand, and Noni Madueke went on to complete a hat-trick, before Joao Felix wrapped things up with a superb strike to seal a commanding 6-2 win.

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