Paul Tierney will be hoping to avoid the limelight as he takes charge of a historic FA Cup Final showdown between Manchester City and Manchester United. So, ahead of the match, let’s look at some of the key stats defining one of the Premier League's most well-known referees.
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Paul Tierney’s notable matches
Paul Tierney has been a Premier League referee since 2014 and has the joint-highest appearances in the league this season (30). This will be the first time Paul Tierney has been the referee for an FA Cup Final. However, he has featured as the assistant referee for the 2010 FA Cup Final between Chelsea and Portsmouth.
Paul Tierney was in charge of the 2009 FA Cup Semi-Final, a fourth official for the 2014 FA Vase Final, a referee for the 2019 EFL Championship play-off final, and the 2021 EFL Cup Final. This will be the first time he has featured in the FA Cup this season, having appeared once in the League Cup.
Tierney card stats: Reds in your pocket
One standout from Tierney’s time in the 2022/2023 season is that Tierney isn’t one to show a card. In fact, Tierney ranks as almost the average for both yellow cards per game and red cards per game. In his 30 Premier League refereeing outings this season (join first with Anthony Taylor and Michael Oliver), he’s given out just two red cards.
As for yellow cards, Tierney has given out 114 in total, once again, putting him at around the middle point in the table for average per game. He has, however, given our nine yellow cards to Man United players this season in just four appearances. At the same time, Manchester City have just the 2, in 3 appearances, which might be food for thought.
Play on: low fouls per game ratio
One reason Tierney finds himself in the centre of the pitch for the FA Cup Final is his statistically low number of fouls per game. At 20 per game, he ranks as the 15th lowest among Premier League referees. And in a match that’s best played with the “spirit of football” in mind, this stat might be the most crucial.
Penalties hard to come by with Tierney in charge
At just 0.17 penalty kicks per game, Tierney isn’t one to point to the spot, either. Again, stats that, on the surface, make him a good pick for a significant derby FA Cup Final
Who does Paul Tierney Support?
Born in Wigan, Greater Manchester, Tierney is a fan of his hometown League One side Wigan Athletic.
Paul Tierney controversy
Paul Tierney's feud with Jurgen Klopp came to blows in 2023 when Liverpool won against Tottenham. The Liverpool manager celebrated his side's dramatic last-second winner and was sent off by Tierney. The resulting audio saw Klopp finned £75,000 by the Premier League and given a two-game touchline ban.
Emirates FA Cup Final 2023 match officials
Referee: Paul Tierney
Assistant Referees: Neil Davies and Scott Ledger
Fourth Official: Peter Bankes
Reserve Assistant Referee: Adrian Holmes
Video Assistant Referee: David Coote
Assistant VAR: Simon Long
