Life of Riley
Friday 17 April 2009 16:13, UK
Opta break down the referee Mike Riley's officiating record in 'Big Four' matches over recent years.
Mike Riley has been appointed to officiate the FA Cup semi-final between Everton and Manchester United at Wembley on Sunday. Red Devils supporters may be pleased to learn that their team has a better record with Riley as the man in the middle than any of the other 'Big Four' sides.United on top
This investigation of the past five seasons shows that United have won 71 per cent of their Premier League matches under Riley, the most recent of which was the last-gasp 3-2 win against Aston Villa when Federico Macheda scored on his debut. United lead the way in the 'Big Four' race winning 71 per cent of games in which Riley has refereed. Chelsea come in second with a high 65 win percentage with Liverpool in third and Arsenal fourth.Big Four under Mike Riley
| Win % | Arsenal | Chelsea | Liverpool | Man Utd |
| 2004-05 | 67% | 83% | 0% | 50% |
| 2005-06 | 67% | 75% | 50% | 100% |
| 2006-07 | 33% | 100% | 67% | 100% |
| 2007-08 | 100% | 50% | 50% | 67% |
| 2008-09 | 0% | 25% | 100% | 33% |
| Total | 58% | 65% | 60% | 71% |
Riley has often been associated with controversial penalty decisions but he has not given one in a Red Devils game since 2006-07. Indeed, despite him famously awarding the spot-kick that helped end Arsenal's record unbeaten run at 49 games, it is The Gunners who have benefited most from Riley penalty awards since 2004, with four.
Big Four Penalties under Mike Riley
| Arsenal | Chelsea | Liverpool | Man Utd | |||||
| Season | F | A | F | A | F | A | F | A |
| 2004-05 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2005-06 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2006-07 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 2007-08 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2008-09 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
Mike Riley has only awarded fewer penalties per match once in the last 11 seasons than he has in the current campaign - in 2000/01. Since the 2001/02 season, prior to this season Riley had awarded on average one penalty every 3.5 seasons. However in the current campaign he has averaged only one penalty every 9.5 matches - nearly three times less frequently.
Riley's last 11 Premier League seasons
| Season | Matches | Penalties Awarded | Matches/Penalty Awarded |
| 2008/09 | 19 | 2 | 9.5 |
| 2007/08 | 29 | 7 | 4.1 |
| 2006/07 | 22 | 6 | 3.7 |
| 2005/06 | 28 | 8 | 3.5 |
| 2004/05 | 27 | 4 | 6.8 |
| 2003/04 | 22 | 6 | 3.7 |
| 2002/03 | 18 | 7 | 2.6 |
| 2001/02 | 17 | 8 | 2.1 |
| 2000/01 | 19 | 1 | 19.0 |
| 1999/00 | 16 | 3 | 5.3 |
| 1998/99 | 20 | 5 | 4.0 |
