Strip Out Every VAR Blunder From 2025–26 and Arsenal Suffer the Most

Former Premier League referees' chief Keith Hackett was never particularly receptive to criticism directed at match officials.

"It's a bit like me telling Lionel Messi how to improve his game and where he made mistakes," Hackett once remarked dismissively.

However, since Howard Webb assumed control of English referees in 2022, a Key Match Incidents (KMI) panel has been established to do precisely what Hackett could never accept: scrutinize the referees. Three former players and coaches, a Premier League representative, and a member of the officials' governing body gather at the conclusion of each round of fixtures to identify where referees and VAR have made mistakes.

This process is shrouded in secrecy, with no official outlet offering a glimpse into the panel's conclusions during the season. BBC Sport, however, has been given a rare look behind the scenes and catalogued every incorrect call made throughout the 2025–26 campaign.

According to the KMI panel, VAR has made 25 mistakes (seven more than the previous season). Crucially, these exclude decisions by on-pitch referees deemed to be "errors" but falling short of the "clear and obvious" threshold required for VAR intervention. The incidents in question are so glaring that the officials at Stockley Park should have caught them.

Operating under the admittedly imperfect assumption that every penalty that should have been awarded would have been scored, the Premier League title race could have unfolded very differently in an ideal world.

2025–26 Premier League Table If Every Error Corrected by KMI Panel

It's often said that refereeing errors balance out over the course of a season, but that hasn't been the case for Arsenal. Mikel Arteta's Premier League champions gained four points as a direct result of VAR errors. Manchester City's points total, by contrast, was left untouched.

While the Gunners would still have theoretically claimed the title in an alternate universe of perfect officiating, the race would have gone to the final day, with both clubs level on points and City ahead on goal difference. In that scenario, it's difficult to envision Pep Guardiola's farewell match against Aston Villa ending in a loss.

Their final points tally may have remained unchanged, but Manchester City were not entirely immune to the unpredictable nature of VAR. Phil Foden was denied a blatant penalty in a 2–1 defeat to Newcastle United in November, which Guardiola would later publicly complain about. The Catalan manager was justified in his frustration on that occasion according to the KMI panel; however, City also benefitted from poor officiating against Everton in May when Bernardo Silva somehow avoided conceding a penalty for manhandling Merlin Röhl in wrestling-like fashion.

Manchester United owe two points of their final total to a favorable officiating call that allowed Bryan Mbeumo's handball to go unpunished before Matheus Cunha scored in a 3–2 victory over Nottingham Forest late in the season.

Arne Slot spent a significant portion of the campaign voicing frustration over Liverpool's perceived bad luck with the officials at Stockley Park. "If there's a VAR intervention or something that could go either way, the decision always goes against us," the Dutch manager complained following Benjamin Šeško's contentious goal for United being allowed to stand in May. "That's been the story all season, every single time without fail."

Interestingly, the KMI panel did not classify Šeško's goal — which he poked over the line after the ball appeared to graze his fingertips — as an error. The reasoning was that no definitive video evidence could be found during the match to overturn the decision.

In fact, the only Liverpool-related incident the panel considered a genuine mistake occurred on the opening day of the season, when Marcos Senesi was not dismissed for Bournemouth after handling the ball. Liverpool went on to win that match 4–2 regardless.

Every VAR Error Arsenal Have Benefitted From

The second-most frequent scoreline in the 2025–26 Premier League season was a 1–0 Arsenal victory. Yet three of those eight slender wins were assisted by a VAR blunder.

Viktor Gyökeres's lone penalty proved to be the only margin between Arsenal and Everton in a tightly contested match at Hill Dickinson Stadium in December. However, the Toffees should have been awarded a spot kick of their own for William Saliba's clumsy foul on Thierno Barry. Everton manager David Moyes engaged in a prolonged exchange with referee Sam Barrott after the final whistle but declined to reveal what was said. "I'd love to," Moyes admitted, "but I'd probably end up being fined."

Fabian Hürzeler made no attempt to hide his displeasure before, during, and after Brighton & Hove Albion's frustrating defeat to the Gunners on the south coast in March. While much of the attention centered on the German coach's complaints about Arsenal's time-wasting, he may have had stronger grounds arguing for a penalty. Gabriel Martinelli inexplicably avoided punishment for an unnecessary grab on Mats Wieffer in the box, somehow clutching his opponent's arm while not even tracking the ball and still going unpunished.

It's more difficult to gauge the impact a red card for Kai Havertz would have had in what turned out to be Arsenal's most commanding win of the season. The elusive striker had already headed the anxious hosts into a first-half lead against Burnley on the final Monday of the campaign before driving his studs into the calf of Lesley Ugochukwu. The panel ruled that Havertz should have been dismissed in the 67th minute, which could have caused significant chaos as Arsenal desperately clung on for the victory that would ultimately clinch the title.

Given how much the Gunners gained from the handful of clear-cut VAR mistakes, it wouldn't be surprising if Arteta adopted the same position as Hackett when it comes to questioning referees.