Familiar face with good Leeds United record back after absence as officials for Everton clash are picked

A familiar face returns after a year-and-a-half gap to be the man in the middle for Leeds United’s Monday night clash at Everton.

Wiltshire-based official Simon Hooper has taken charge of 20 games involving Leeds so far during his career and eight of those contests have resulted in Whites victories.

Six others have produced draws, Leeds defeated six times with Hooper as the man in the middle.

Hooper, though, has not refereed a Leeds game since taking charge of the Championship clash at Sheffield Wednesday of August 2024 in which goals from Brenden Aaronson and Dan James gave the Whites a 2-0 success.

Seventeen months on, the 43-year-old will be back in the middle for Monday night’s Premier League clash against Everton at the club’s new Hill Dickinson Stadium, overseeing his first Leeds Premier League game since the home clash against Newcastle United of May 2023 which produced a thrilling 2-2 draw.

One Leeds player in 20 games sent off

The draw against the Magpies came just one month after the 5-1 defeat at home to Crystal Palace of April 2023 which represents the last defeat Leeds suffered with Hooper in charge.

Select Group official Hooper has sent off just one Leeds player in his 20 games covering the Whites, Junior Firpo given his marching orders in the aforementioned 2-2 draw against Newcastle.

Hooper has refereed 18 games involving Everton which have produced eight defeats for the Toffees, four draws and six wins for them, including September’s goalless draw at home to Aston Villa.

Hooper has never awarded Everton a penalty but has pointed twice to the spot for the Whites.

Adrian Holmes and Richard West will be Hooper’s assistants for Monday night’s contest for which Stuart Attwell is fourth official. James Bell is on VAR, assisted by Eddie Smart.