Video Assistant Referee (VAR) was introduced to support officials in spotting and potentially amending “clear and obvious errors” across four critical match situations: goals, penalties, red cards, and mistaken identity.
Since its introduction, a designated VAR official has overseen every Premier League fixture. Despite ongoing debates surrounding its impact in England, it’s highly unlikely that the system will be scrapped in the near future.
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As the 2025/26 season progresses, the question arises: which clubs have gained the most from VAR-related mistakes? And conversely, which sides have been most negatively affected? ..Continue Reading
Based on insights from Squawka, who conducted polls among their X (formerly Twitter) audience, several Premier League teams have been on the receiving end of what fans perceived as poor decisions since the season began.
Here’s a breakdown of the clubs that have either gained or lost due to errors involving VAR in 2025/26.
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It’s worth mentioning that their rankings assume that any unawarded penalties would have been successfully converted.
Relegation Zone
Wolverhampton Wanderers were the beneficiaries of a single VAR mistake this season — Yerson Mosquera escaping a red card during their 1-0 defeat to Newcastle United — but this did not alter their position at the bottom of the table. They remain on two points from two draws.
Leeds United, currently in 19th, have dropped three spots and lost two points.
The mistake that favored Daniel Farke’s men is the reason they’re not deeper in the relegation zone, indirectly helping the teams above them.
Nottingham Forest secured a crucial win against Leeds just before the international break, ending a long stretch without a victory — their first since defeating Brentford in August. Although they’ve climbed one place, they still sit within the bottom three.
To be fair to Forest, they are one of only two clubs that have experienced neither positive nor negative VAR decisions. The other is Burnley, who are marginally ahead, with West Ham United positioned between them.
West Ham have earned valuable points from back-to-back wins, and without Leeds’ stroke of luck, the Hammers would be outside the relegation zone.
Fulham, meanwhile, remain in 15th place. However, they arguably deserve two more points after 11 matches.
Marco Silva’s squad benefited from one favorable call, but suffered three adverse decisions — notably the disallowed goal by Josh King in their 2-0 defeat to Chelsea, due to a wrongly penalized foul by Rodrigo Muniz near the halfway line.
Position: 20
Change in Position: N/A
Club: Wolverhampton Wanderers
Points: 2
Position: 19
Change in Position: -3
Club: Leeds United
Points: 9
Position: 18
Change in Position: +1
Club: Nottingham Forest
Points: 9
Position: 17
Change in Position: +1
Club: West Ham United
Points: 10
Position: 16
Change in Position: +1
Club: Burnley
Points: 10
Position: 15
Change in Position: 0
Club: Fulham
Points: 13
Bottom Half
Even without the influence of VAR errors this season, Newcastle United would remain in 14th place. Eddie Howe’s squad has struggled to build momentum recently, suffering back-to-back defeats.
Adding to their woes, three VAR errors have gone against them, the most significant being when Nick Woltemade was denied a penalty during their scoreless match with Bournemouth — a moment that cost them two valuable points.
Everton, led by David Moyes, sit just above Newcastle in 13th in both the actual standings and the adjusted one.
They too have been unlucky with video decisions, with two calls going against them that fans believe were incorrect.
Brentford occupy 12th, and although their position remains unchanged, they are one point lighter due to VAR involvement. Rounding out the bottom half is Brighton & Hove Albion, who have experienced one VAR error in their favor and one against — neither of which affected their standing.
Bottom Half Table
Position: 14
Change in Position: N/A
Club: Newcastle United
Points: 14
Position: 13
Change in Position: N/A
Club: Everton
Points: 15
Position: 12
Change in Position: N/A
Club: Brentford
Points: 15
Position: 11
Change in Position: N/A
Club: Brighton & Hove Albion
Points: 16
Top Half
From 10th to 5th, there’s been notable reshuffling — largely due to one club. Bournemouth slip one place and lose a point without VAR, stemming from the earlier penalty decision involving Woltemade.
Aston Villa, under Unai Emery, appear to have moved past their early-season struggles. Three decisions going in their favor, according to fans, have significantly helped their campaign.
Although their points remain unchanged, those calls have influenced their goal difference. Without that stroke of luck, Villa drop three places, behind several teams all sitting on 18 points.
Liverpool, managed by Arne Slot, are currently in a rough patch. After a promising win over Villa, they fell to Manchester City and have now lost four of their last five league matches.
Still, their position and points remain unaffected. However, they’ve suffered four VAR errors — more than any other side, according to supporters.
The most controversial incident came in the clash with City, when Virgil van Dijk’s equaliser was ruled out for offside.
Manchester United’s resurgence under Ruben Amorim has propelled them to seventh. Remarkably, they’ve achieved this despite three supposed VAR errors against them, including the non-award of a penalty to Amad Diallo versus Brighton.
Tottenham Hotspur, currently fifth, would be one spot lower without VAR, even though they’ve had two VAR errors go against them and just one in their favor.
That’s because Crystal Palace have surged up the table. Despite having the same VAR fortune as Spurs, the disallowed goal by Eberechi Eze against Chelsea back in gameweek one cost them two crucial points. Had that goal stood, they’d be fifth instead of 10th.
Top Half Table
Position: 10
Change in Position: -1
Club: Bournemouth
Points: 17
Position: 9
Change in Position: -3
Club: Aston Villa
Points: 18
Position: 8
Change in Position: N/A
Club: Liverpool
Points: 18
Position: 7
Change in Position: N/A
Club: Manchester United
Points: 18
Position: 6
Change in Position: -1
Club: Tottenham Hotspur
Points: 18
Position: 5
Change in Position: +5
Club: Crystal Palace
Points: 19
Top Four
Under the guidance of Regis Le Bris, Sunderland have made an impressive return to the Premier League. Even accounting for the single VAR error against them, the Black Cats would still occupy fourth place — though they’d be two points better off if the decision to award a penalty against Everton had gone their way.
Chelsea have experienced a fair share of favorable outcomes in 2025/26 — Eze’s disallowed goal versus Palace is just one of three decisions that have worked in their favor. However, without VAR, Enzo Maresca’s men would actually have one more point. Manchester City would still be ahead of them, with Pep Guardiola’s team unaffected in both points and position.
Arsenal, led by Mikel Arteta, continue to sit atop the standings, though they’d be two points lighter without VAR involvement. William Saliba was fortunate not to concede a penalty on Matheus Cunha during their opening match — a narrow 1-0 victory over Manchester United. Had they dropped points in that fixture, their current cushion at the top would be far slimmer.
Top Four Table
Position: 4
Change in Position: N/A
Club: Sunderland
Points: 21
Position: 3
Change in Position: N/A
Club: Chelsea
Points: 21
Position: 2
Change in Position: N/A
Club: Manchester City
Points: 22
Position: 1
Change in Position: N/A
Club: Arsenal
Points: 24
All information courtesy of Squawka — correct as of 10/11/2025.
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