Next week’s Merseyside derby will have an incredibly local feel to it after Mike Dean was named referee for the Goodison Park clash.
Dean has been handed the 227th meeting between Everton and Liverpool in the Premier League’s latest round of appointments on Monday afternoon.
The Wirral-based official is a Tranmere Rovers fan and only previously oversasw two Blues games, with the last coming in a 1-1 draw against Wigan in 2006.
He has never presided over a game at Goodison and his record against Jurgen Klopp’s side is even more sparse, with only one prior meeting with the club.
That was in the first leg of the 2003 League Cup semi final, when the Reds suffered a 2-1 defeat to Sheffield United before overturning it in the return.
He was also due to take charge of the 2006 FA Cup final between Liverpool and West Ham but later taken off duty after the Football Association worried that he may be compromised in overseeing a game involving one of his local teams.
Dean’s current disciplinary record is likely to make for an enticing derby clash with six cards meted out between Chelsea and West Brom on Sunday afternoon.
He holds the distinction of awarding nine penalties and three red cards – more than any other referee in the Premier League to date this season.