There has been an alarming 30 percent rise in VAR mistakes over the first half of the Premier League season.
Fans wound up by video assistant referee mistakes, or non-interventions, will feel vindicated by the latest data that shows a rise from 10 to 13 blunders from the same time frame last season.
The Key Match Incidents (KMI) panel convene over every game to judge how it was officiated and whether any mistakes were made.
Those fall into various categories, the most common of which is missed interventions when the VAR should have alerted the on-pitch referee to an incident.
Those are up from seven to 11, while the VAR incorrectly intervening is down from three to two.
Decisions that have been overturned compared to last season have dropped 17 percent from 57 to 47, while incidents that should not have met the ‘clear and obvious’ threshold for VAR intervention have gone from 12 to 15.
So, how has your team been affected by VAR this season? Here Daily Mail Sport runs through the 13 mistakes cited by the KMI panel, which is comprised of five members, three former players and coaches, a representative from the Premier League and another from Professional Game Match Officials (PGMO). The vote for each decision in data provided to the BBC is shown below.
1. Senesi shocker
In the first game of the season, there was the first major VAR mistake.
With Liverpool breaking, the ball bounced up and grazed Bournemouth defender Marcos Senesi’s arm, before he then batted it away, out of the path of Hugo Ekitike who would have been clean through on goal.
VAR that night was Michael Oliver and he only looked at the initial accidental handball before somehow missing the deliberate one a split second later.
On-field vote: 1-4
VAR vote: 1-4
Score: Liverpool 4-2 Bournemouth
Marcos Senesi (right) swatted the ball away when Hugo Ekitike would have been clean through
2. Fulham fume at King calamity
Fulham’s 19-year-old rising star, Josh King, was denied what would have been the best moment of his young career.
He thought he’d scored a sensational goal at Stamford Bridge to give his side the lead over Chelsea before the VAR intervened for a tackle by Rodrigo Muniz in the build up.
The panel were unanimous in deciding this was the wrong call.
On-field vote: 5-0
VAR vote: 0-5
Score: Chelsea 2-0 Fulham
3. Bueno blunder
During Wolves’ home defeat by Everton Hugo Bueno cut inside and was chopped down by Iliman Ndiaye.
Michael Oliver waved play on and VAR opted not to correct him despite the careless contact on the player, missing the ball entirely.
On-field vote: 1-4
VAR vote: 2-3
Score: Wolves 2-3 Everton
4. Collins escapes red
Another decision that the panel unanimously agreed was wrong.
Bryan Mbeumo was through on goal for Man United before being pulled back by Brentford defender Nathan Collins.
Collins was given a yellow card and the penalty was awarded but should have been given his marching orders at a crucial time in the game with the hosts 2-1 up.
On-field vote: 0-5
VAR vote: 0-5
Score: Brentford 3-1 Man United
Bryan Mbeumo was pulled down by Nathan Collins but the Brentford defender was only cautioned and should have been shown a red card
5. Blues get away with another one
Malo Gusto was the beneficiary here, lifting his boot to make a clearance but making contact with Yankuba Minteh’s head.
Referee Simon Hooper allowed play to go on, believing there had been no contact and the VAR was not convinced there was enough evidence to send him to the monitor.
The panel unanimously disagreed and thought there was ‘clear contact’. Ultimately it mattered little for the Seagulls who went on to win 3-1.
On-field vote: 0-5
VAR vote: 0-5
Score: Chelsea 1-3 Brighton
6. Senesi survives AGAIN
This one was a closer call that divided the panel.
The Bournemouth defender, who was lucky to stay on the pitch earlier in the season against Liverpool, should have seen red for denial of a clear goalscoring opportunity.
He fouled Ismaila Sarr but was only given a yellow. Referee Jarred Gillett went over to the monitor after being correctly told to check.
But he stuck with his original decision and Senesi was allowed to play on.
On-field vote: 3-2
VAR vote: 3-2
Score: Crystal Palace 3-3 Bournemouth
7. Brentford get Burned
Dan Burn fouled Brentford forward Dango Ouattara in the box and the panel unanimously agreed it should have been a penalty.
They were more divided over whether VAR should have intervened as the contact was not a heavy one.
Fortunately for Keith Andrews’ men, they went on to win the game anyway.
On-field vote: 0-5
VAR vote: 2-3
Score: Brentford 3-1 Newcastle
Dan Burn fouled Dango Ouattara in the box but no penalty was given for Brentford
8: Kilman’s lucky swipe
Bournemouth were given a penalty against West Ham when defender Max Kilman was deemed to have handled the ball in the box.
He was given a yellow card but the panel thought his deliberate action to swipe the ball away from the feet of Evanilson should have resulted in a red.
On-field vote: 0-5
VAR vote: 1-4
Score: West Ham 2-2 Bournemouth
9. Schar splits panel
This incident perhaps surprisingly was only voted 3-2 on both counts by the KMI group.
Fabian Schar came across to block a Phil Foden shot in Man City’s clash with Newcastle, which Pep Guardiola’s side went on to lose, and his studs connected with the Englishman’s boot.
It looked a reckless tackle even if part of an attempted block and sent Foden to the ground in agony. Schar got away with it after the referee waved play on and VAR opted not to jump in.
On-field vote: 2-3
VAR vote: 2-3
Score: Newcastle 2-1 Man City
Fabian Schar took out Phil Foden during Newcastle’s clash with Man City in November
10. Advantageous Agbadou
This one was fairly clear-cut. The Wolves defender stuck his hand out, angled away from his body when a Man United shot was heading towards goal.
The panel were unanimous in voting that the referee Michael Salisbury made a mistake and four of the five thought VAR should have intervened.
On-field vote: 0-5
VAR vote: 1-4
Score: Wolves 1-4 Man United
11. Saliba’s slice of fortune
How important could this decision later prove to be in the title race?
Arsenal ground out a 1-0 win on the road against Everton but the Toffees should have been awarded a penalty after William Saliba fouled Thierno Barry when going for a 50-50 in the box.
The panel were divided but voted marginally against the correct decision being made.
On-field vote: 2-3
VAR vote: 2-3
Score: Everton 0-1 Arsenal
William Saliba escaped without punishment despite fouling Thierno Barry in the box
12. Gusto’s second reprieve
The Chelsea defender joins Bournemouth’s Senesi with two calls on this list falling in his favour.
In going for a header he missed the ball and it struck his arm in the box. The panel felt it was in an unnatural position, while VAR Craig Pawson incorrectly ruled the contact point to be too high for handball.
The score was 2-2 at the time, which is how it finished up, but the Cherries would have been given a chance to go ahead from the spot if the decision was reversed.
On-field vote: 1-4
VAR vote: 2-3
Score: Chelsea 2-2 Bournemouth
13. Romero’s wild tackle
Tottenham defender Cristiano Ronaldo is no stranger to a red card and should have been given another when he took out Brentford striker Igor Thiago.
During the recent 0-0, the in-form striker was running onto a ball played over the top of the Spurs defence before Romero took him out while attempting an interception.
There were no covering defenders and Thiago would have been through.
On-field vote: 2-3
VAR vote: 2-3
Score: Brentford 0-0 Tottenham
Cristian Romero took out Igor Thiago but was not sent off in the stalemate this month
Chelsea have gained the most of any side from VAR errors, with three incidents incorrectly favouring the Blues and none negatively impacting them.
Bournemouth have suffered two mistakes but also gained from two, with Senesi the man to escape sanctioning on both occasions.
Newcastle have gained from two mistakes and not suffered from any against them – with the opposite true for Man United.
Liverpool have not gained from any VAR mistakes in their favour but suffered from one incorrect call, as have Fulham, Man City, Crystal Palace and Brighton. Brentford have also, on balance, fallen into this negative category.
Tottenham, West Ham and Arsenal are all on plus one, while clubs not mentioned have a neutral balance in terms of mistakes against them or in their favour.
Any other errors by officials are deemed ‘secondary’ and not deemed by the KMI panel to be enough to require intervention. There have been 15 of those this term in comparison with 12 over the same time frame in the 2024-25 campaign.
