Arsenal meets 'lucky charm' in English Super Cup, Man City clearly inferior

Ahead of the 2026 English Super Cup match between Arsenal and Man City at 9:00 PM on August 16, the name Sam Barrott unexpectedly becomes the focus as past statistics show that the Gunners possess an outstanding record whenever this referee is in charge.

Sam Barrott brings a "dreamlike" statistic for Arsenal

The English Football Association has chosen Sam Barrott as the main referee for the 2026 Community Shield match between Arsenal and Manchester City. Craig Taylor and Blake Antrobus will serve as assistants, Farai Hallam is the fourth official, while James Bell is in charge of VAR.

The appointment of Sam Barrott immediately attracted attention due to Arsenal's extremely impressive record in matches officiated by this referee. According to statistics before the Super Cup match, Barrott has officiated 10 matches involving Arsenal in all competitions. The result gives many Arsenal fans reason to be optimistic as the London club has won as many as 9 matches and suffered only one defeat.

That means Arsenal's win rate when Sam Barrott officiates reaches 90%. More notably, in the 10 matches mentioned above, Arsenal players received a total of 11 yellow cards, equivalent to an average of about 1.1 cards per match. The Gunners have also never received a red card in matches officiated by Barrott. These numbers are becoming a particularly noteworthy detail ahead of the clash with Manchester City.

Man City clearly inferior in win rate

While Arsenal has nearly perfect statistics, Manchester City has a significantly more modest record under Sam Barrott's officiating. The English referee has officiated 6 matches of Man City, in which the Etihad Stadium side has won 4 victories and suffered 2 defeats, achieving a win rate of about 66.7%.

Man City's two defeats both ended with a 1-2 scoreline, against Brighton and Newcastle respectively. Not only does Man City have a lower win rate than Arsenal, but they also receive cards more frequently. In the 6 matches under Barrott's officiating, the Manchester blue team's players have received 10 yellow cards, equivalent to about 1.67 cards per match.

Thus, if we only look at past statistics, Arsenal clearly has the advantage over Man City. However, these are just numbers for reference, not reflecting any favoritism or bias from the referee. Nevertheless, as Arsenal and Manchester City prepare to enter a title-deciding match, every detail related to the referee can become a topic of special interest.

Both Arsenal and Man City have argued with this referee

Although Arsenal wins up to 90% of matches officiated by Barrott, the relationship between the Gunners and this referee has not always been completely "smooth". Arsenal's only defeat under Barrott was a 1-2 loss to Southampton in the FA Cup. Later, in the match against Newcastle, Arsenal was unhappy when goalkeeper Nick Pope was not shown a red card after a controversial collision outside the penalty area.

Manchester City also has unpleasant memories with Barrott. In the 1-2 defeat to Newcastle, the Manchester club requested penalties in several situations but were not granted. After the match, the referee team's decisions became a much-discussed topic.

On the other hand, there have also been situations where a Man City player was considered lucky to avoid a red card in a match officiated by Barrott. This shows that this referee is not easy to predict and often faces great pressure in highly competitive matches.

Special focus before the Arsenal - Man City showdown

Sam Barrott belongs to the group of referees who are not afraid to show cards. In the 2025/26 Premier League season, he officiated 24 matches, showing a total of 90 yellow cards, equivalent to nearly 4 cards per match. Therefore, the clash between Arsenal and Manchester City at the Community Shield is highly likely to be intense, especially as both teams want to claim a trophy just before the new season begins.

Arsenal has a big statistical advantage, having won 9/10 matches under Barrott's officiating, while Manchester City has won only 4/6 matches. Of course, past numbers cannot decide the outcome of the Super Cup match. However, with the increasingly fierce competition between Arsenal and Man City, the fact that the referee has a statistic heavily favoring the Gunners will surely make every decision on the pitch more noteworthy than ever.