VAR Controversy Explodes: Man Utd and Chelsea Find Themselves on Opposite Sides of Premier League's Justice Divide
The Premier League has now completed six seasons utilizing video assistant referee technology, yet weekly debates about significant officiating mistakes continue to dominate headlines.
Disputes and theories about bias endure as match officials face ongoing criticism for their judgment calls and technology implementation. Referees find themselves in an uphill battle, and although VAR has provided assistance, it hasn't been able to fundamentally change the narrative.
Errors keep occurring and the 2025–26 season follows this pattern. Based on the Premier League's Key Match Incidents (KMI) panel data, reported by BBC Sport, the situation has deteriorated slightly, with more VAR mistakes recorded at the season's halfway point compared to the previous campaign.
But which clubs have felt the greatest impact from VAR blunders—both positive and negative? Let's examine this more closely.
How Many VAR Errors Have There Been This Season?
What's the Total Count of VAR Mistakes This Campaign?
The KMI panel documented 13 confirmed VAR mistakes in the Premier League this season following 19 completed fixtures. This represents an increase of three compared to the same stage last season, though considerably lower than 2022–23 (23) and 2023–24 (20).
The KMI panel comprises three former players and managers plus one delegate from the Premier League and Professional Game Match Officials. They evaluate incidents strictly according to regulations, explaining their more stringent assessments compared to typical fan perspectives.
The panel reviews both referee decisions and VAR responses, but since VAR intervention requires "clear and obvious" errors, there are cases where they've determined a referee erred without meeting VAR's intervention criteria.
These 13 errors resulted from VAR either wrongly reversing a referee's call or failing to correct an on-field officiating blunder.
Which Teams Have Been Most Affected by VAR Errors?
Which Clubs Have Experienced the Greatest VAR Impact?
Chelsea have gained the most from VAR mistakes this campaign. They've benefited from three officiating errors in their favor, according to the KMI panel, starting with Josh King's wrongly disallowed goal during their 2–0 victory over Fulham in August. The match was scoreless when this occurred.
Malo Gusto featured in the other two incidents, avoiding sanctions for a dangerous challenge on Yankuba Minteh in the penalty box during the 3–1 loss to Brighton & Hove Albion, then escaping another penalty call in the 2–2 tie with Bournemouth for a handball offense. The KMI panel determined VAR should have stepped in for both situations.
Newcastle United have also gained from two mistakes, including an unpunished foul on Phil Foden in the penalty area during their 2–1 triumph over Manchester City in November, an incident that continued to frustrate Pep Guardiola months later. Dan Burn also should have given away a penalty in their 3–1 loss at Brentford.
Bournemouth is the only other club to benefit from multiple VAR errors, both involving Marcos Senesi avoiding red cards, though the Cherries have also suffered from two mistakes against them. One involves the previously mentioned Gusto non-penalty, while the other occurred when Max Kilman escaped a red card for preventing a scoring chance in their 2–2 draw with West Ham United.
2025–26 Premier League VAR Error Table
2025–26 Premier League VAR Mistake Rankings
Team | VAR Errors For | VAR Errors Against | Overall |
|---|---|---|---|
Chelsea | 3 | 0 | +3 |
Newcastle | 2 | 0 | +2 |
Arsenal | 1 | 0 | +1 |
Tottenham | 1 | 0 | +1 |
West Ham | 1 | 0 | +1 |
Bournemouth | 2 | 2 | 0 |
Everton | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Wolves | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Aston Villa | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Burnley | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Leeds | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Nottingham Forest | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Sunderland | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Brentford | 1 | 2 | -1 |
Brighton | 0 | 1 | -1 |
Crystal Palace | 0 | 1 | -1 |
Fulham | 0 | 1 | -1 |
Liverpool | 0 | 1 | -1 |
Man City | 0 | 1 | -1 |
Man Utd | 0 | 2 | -2 |
Should the Premier League championship come down to narrow margins, Arsenal can appreciate their luck in beating Everton. William Saliba mysteriously avoided conceding a penalty for his challenge on Thierno Barry in a match the Gunners won by just 1–0.
Liverpool and Manchester City have both suffered from VAR decisions this season. Senesi should have received a red card in the champions' season opener 4–2 victory over Bournemouth for handball, and Foden deserved a penalty, as previously noted, in the loss at St. James' Park.
Nevertheless, it's their cross-town rivals Manchester United who have suffered most from VAR blunders. During their 3–1 loss to Brentford with just one goal difference, United were incensed when Nathan Collins escaped a red card for hauling down Bryan Mbeumo in a scoring position—their anger was justified according to the KMI panel.
The second mistake had less consequence but remained an error. Wolverhampton Wanderers defender Emmanuel Agbadou should have given away a penalty in the 4–1 loss to United at Molineux in early December.