Arsenal get same referee for 3rd League Cup game in a row

Arsenal get same referee for 3rd League Cup game in a row The EFL have confirmed their team of officials for Arsenal’s League Cup match against Ipswich Town on Tuesday, with the notable absence of any VAR appointments. Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images The EFL have confirmed all the match officials for the third round of the League Cup, including Arsenal’s debut in this year’s competition away to Ipswich Town . Peter Bankes is set to referee the match, assisted by Constantine Hatzidakis and Alex James , with Josh Smith as the fourth official. There will be no VAR in use for the match, so there are no VAR appointments to comment on. Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images The EFL previously decided only to use VAR in rounds of the League Cup when every single stadium to host a match during that round has access to the technology. Effectively, that means the final is the only round guaranteed to use VAR, as Wembley has access to the system and the Wembley final is the only match of that round. Last season, VAR didn’t come into play until the semi-finals, as Championship side Cardiff City hosted one of the quarter-finals. This ended up being pivotal, as eventual competition winners Manchester City avoided a 16th-minute red card in the quarter-finals due to the lack of a review process. Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images Tuesday’s referee Peter Bankes notably also refereed Arsenal during the Chelsea semi-final second leg and the Manchester City final last season, so this is an unusual situation where the Gunners have had the same referee for three consecutive games in one competition. Bankes’ refereeing in Arsenal matches has largely been relatively uncontroversial, with the biggest error being the crucial offside missed in Brentford’s draw with Arsenal in 2023. In Bankes’ defence, the assistant referee made the initial error that day, and the VAR official confirmed the incorrect decision by ‘forgetting’ to draw the lines, so there wasn’t much he could have done there. Screenshot via BBC Sport