Michael Oliver's refereeing record in Arsenal and Man City games as Premier League make decision

Michael Oliver took plenty of flack following his performance during Manchester City's 2-2 draw with Arsenal last month, with both sets of supporters convinced they'd be hard done by

Michael Oliver isn't all that popular in Arsenal circles at the moment, and the stats suggest there's a pretty good reason for that.

The Premier League referee came under fire following his controversial performance during the nail-biting 2-2 draw between Arsenal and Manchester City last month. John Stones' 98th-minute equaliser denied the Gunners their first win at the Etihad Stadium for nearly a decade, as well as one heck of a confidence boost ahead of what's shaping up to be the third successive title race involving the two clubs.

Arsenal were left particularly aggrieved as they'd spent half the game with 10 men following Leandro Trossard's contentious red card. The Belgian was dismissed by Oliver for kicking the ball away in an alleged attempt to delay the restart, warranting a second yellow card on the stroke of half time.

City weren't happy either, namely due to the fact Arsenal's first goal was scored after Oliver called captain Kyle Walker over for a chat, only to restart play before the defender had returned to his initial position. But as far as statistics go, it's Arsenal who have more to complain about when it comes to Oliver's officiating.

According to data compiled by Bonus Code Bets prior to the most recent round of matches, Oliver gives more red cards to Arsenal per game than any other team in the Premier League. In 53 matches, the Northumberland-born referee has dismissed seven Gunners stars, meaning that an Arsenal player has been sent off in 13% of the matches he's taken charge of.

Furthermore, Oliver gives yellow cards to Arsenal players at a higher-than-average rate, with the Gunners receiving 1.77 bookings per game compared to the 1.63 average of all top-flight matches the official has managed.

By contrast, Oliver has never sent off a Manchester City player, despite refereeing matches involving the club 47 times. The Citizens are also on the receiving end of just 1.36 yellow cards per game when Oliver is in charge.

When it comes to straight-up fouls it's the same story. On average, City commit 9.45 fouls in Oliver fixtures, while Arsenal commit 11.02, with the league average standing at 10.85. The 39-year-old has also pointed to the spot more against Arsenal (0.25 penalties per game) than he has against City (0.17).

"Arsenal fans are well known for complaining about refereeing decisions not going their way, but our research suggests they may have a point here," a spokesperson for Bonus Code Bets said. ‌"If no one remembered your birthday, make sure to show up at an Arsenal game that Michael Oliver is in charge of - there will be plenty of cards there!"

It comes following news that Oliver has been taken off refereeing duty ahead of this weekend's action. Instead, he's been picked as the VAR for Brentford's clash with Wolves on Saturday.

After the fallout from the City-Arsenal game, Oliver was selected as the VAR for Chelsea's win over Brighton at the weekend. He did, however, return as in a refereeing capacity for Bournemouth's win over Southampton on Monday.

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