Referee revealed ahead of Liverpool visit | OneFootball

The Magpies welcome the champions to St. James' Park at the close of the Bank Holiday weekend, with Hooper handed the task of keeping order in what will be Eddie Howe's side's first home outing of the campaign following last weekend's goalless draw at Aston Villa.

The 43-year-old was the man in the middle of Arsenal's 1-0 win at Manchester United last Sunday, dishing out five yellow cards, while last term his final game involved the Magpies - a 1-0 loss at Arsenal in May, in which Emil Krafth, Dan Burn and Joe Willock were booked along with three Gunners players.

That encounter was one of five United games Hooper took charge of last term, in which Howe's men suffered mixed fortunes. He refereed the 2-1 loss at Chelsea and the 4-2 defeat at Brentford, but also oversaw 2-0 wins over Manchester United at Old Trafford and the Carabao Cup semi-final second leg triumph over Arsenal on Tyneside by the same scoreline.

A top flight official since 2018, Hooper was restrained in his use of his red card last term, issuing just two dismissals in 30 matches across all competitions. He is yet to send a player off in 2025.

2024/25 stats

Games (all competitions): 30

Yellow cards issued: 137

Red cards issued: 2

Assistants

Assistant referees: Adrian Holmes and Simon Long

Fourth official: Tony Harrington

VAR: John Brooks

Assistant VAR: Steve Meredith