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2025/26 Premier League Table Without ‘VAR Errors’ Referee Jarred Gillett looks at a VAR screen
Remember a world when VAR (Video Assistant Referee) wasn’t available for referees in the Premier League? The game flowed and there was far less controversy surrounding the standard of officiating in England’s top flight – but that is no longer the case after the technology was unanimously voted for and, therefore, introduced in the 2019/20 season following a successful test in the campaign prior.
VAR was implemented as a means of giving referees an edge when identifying, and possibly correcting, “clear and obvious errors” in four key areas: goals, penalties, red cards and mistaken identity.
A dedicated VAR figure has, since, monitored every single game in the Premier League – and, despite the constant murmurs over its effectiveness in England, there is little chance that league chiefs will be getting rid of it any time soon. So, as we settle into the 2025/26 campaign, which teams have benefitted the most from VAR errors? And which teams, in comparison, have suffered the most?
Using data from Squawka, who had their X (formerly Twitter) followers vote in polls, there have been a handful of Premier League clubs that were on the receiving end of what supporters felt were bad calls since the current season started. Let’s take a closer look at the winners and losers of errors which have been committed with the use of VAR, from 2025/26.
It’s important to note that their table has been compiled on the basis that penalties, should they have been awarded, would have been converted.
Relegation Zone
West Ham United manager Nuno Espirito Santo
Wolverhampton Wanderers have benefited from one VAR-led error this term – Yerson Mosquera avoiding a red card in their 1-0 loss to Newcastle United – but their standing (rock bottom of the top flight) would not have changed. They’d still be on two points from their duo of draws.
However, in 19th place we have Leeds United, who drop down three places and lose two points. The error in favour of Daniel Farke’s side is keeping them out of the real drop zone, with teams above them consequently benefitting.
Nottingham Forest got an important result against Leeds before the end of the international break to end their dismal run of form — it was their first league victory since beating Brentford way back in August. But despite them rising up one spot, they still find themselves in the relegation places.
In fairness to the Tricky Trees, they are one of two sides who have had no VAR errors go for or against them. The other team in that position, Burnley, are just fractionally ahead of Forest, with West Ham United separating the two clubs. Two consecutive wins have seen the Hammers pick up important points, and if Leeds didn’t have some good fortune on their side, then they wouldn’t be in the relegation places at all.
Although Fulham still find themselves in 15th place in this table, the Cottagers should seemingly have two additional points to their name after 11 games. Marco Silva’s team have had one error in their favour, but an incredible three mistakes go against them, including the decision to disallow Josh King’s goal in their 2-0 loss to Chelsea for a wrongly-accused challenge from Rodrigo Muniz on the half-way line.
Position
Change in Position
Club
Points
20.
N/A
Wolverhampton Wanderers
2
19.
-3
Leeds United
9
18.
+1
Nottingham Forest
9
17.
+1
West Ham United
10
16.
+1
Burnley
10
15.
0
Fulham
13
Bottom Half
everton jack grealish
Without the errors from VAR this season, Newcastle United would still find themselves where they are presently — 14th. Eddie Howe’s side haven’t managed to put a consistent run of form together lately and have now lost two consecutive games. To make matters worse, they’ve had three VAR errors go against them so far, most notably when Nick Woltemade was denied a penalty in their goalless draw against Bournemouth, which cost them two points.
David Moyes’ Everton sit just above the Magpies in 13th in both the real table and the no-VAR one. They also have not had the rub of the green when it comes to video officiating, with two decisions going against them so far which officials got wrong in the eyes of fans.
Brentford are in 12th here, and while there’s no change in league position, the Bees do have one less point thanks to VAR. And completing the bottom half is Brighton & Hove Albion, who have had an error go for and against them so far this season — although neither have impacted their league position.
GIVEMESPORT Key Statistic: Fabian Hurzeler, who was apointed by Brighton & Hove Albion at the age of 31, became the the youngest-ever permanent manager in the history of the Premier League.
Position
Change in Position
Club
Points
14.
N/A
Newcastle United
14
13.
N/A
Everton
15
12.
N/A
Brentford
15
11.
N/A
Brighton & Hove Albion
16
Top Half
Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah before the match vs Manchester United
There’s a lot of change from 10th to fifth, and most of that is down to one team in particular. Bournemouth drop one spot and one point without VAR, thanks to the aforementioned decision on Woltemade’s penalty call.
While Unai Emery’s Aston Villa have seemingly overcome their early-season funk, three mistakes going in their favour, according to fans, have done them a world of good. There’s no actual change in their points tally, but the decisions have impacted their goal difference. Without that fortune, Villa drop three places, behind a host of teams who are all on 18 points.
Arne Slot’s Liverpool are in a real rut presently. It seemed as though they had turned a corner after a win against Villa, but after their defeat against Manchester City, they’ve lost four of their last five matches in the league. That being said, while there is no change to their position or points tally, the Reds have had four VAR errors go against them, more than any other team according to fans. The most egregious arguably came against City, when Virgil van Dijk saw an equaliser chalked off for offside.
Manchester United’s new-found form under Ruben Amorim, meanwhile, has seen them shoot up to seventh in recent weeks. Impressively, they’ve also managed that despite three alleged errors going against them, including the decision not to award Amad Diallo a penalty against Brighton.
Although they find themselves in fifth place currently, Tottenham Hotspur would be a position worse off if VAR was not in place, even though two errors have gone against them compared to just one for them. The reason for that is because of Crystal Palace’s surge here. While the Eagles have had the same fortune from VAR as Spurs, the decision to rule Eberechi Eze’s goal out against Chelsea all the way back in gameweek one cost them a precious two points. A win at Stamford Bridge would have resulted in them being fifth currently instead of 10th.
Position
Change in Position
Club
Points
10.
-1
Bournemouth
17
9.
-3
Aston Villa
18
8.
N/A
Liverpool
18
7.
N/A
Manchester United
18
6.
-1
Tottenham Hotspur
18
5.
+5
Crystal Palace
19
Top Four
arsenal bukayo saka
Regis Le Bris-led Sunderland, in their first season back in England’s top flight, have enjoyed a fantastic start. Even without the sole VAR error against them, the Black Cats would still be fourth in the table — although they would have two extra points had the decision to award them a penalty against Everton been given.
Chelsea have had plenty of good fortune so far in 2025/26 — Eze’s disallowed goal when they faced Palace is just one of three calls that have benefitted them. But without VAR, Enzo Maresca’s side would have an extra point to their name. Manchester City would still lead the Blues, though, with no change to points or position for Pep Guardiola’s side.
But it’s Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal who remain top of the league, albeit on two fewer points than they have in reality. William Saliba could’ve counted himself lucky to not give a penalty away on Matheus Cunha during the Gunners’ season opener, a 1-0 win against Manchester United. Had the north London side dropped points in that game, then they wouldn’t have as much breathing space at the summit as they do right now.
Position
Change in Position
Club
Points
4.
N/A
Sunderland
21
3.
N/A
Chelsea
21
2.
N/A
Manchester City
22
1.
N/A
Arsenal
24
EZE AGAIN! IT’S SOME FINISH FOR HIS SECOND! The man who nearly joined Spurs in the summer shows what they could’ve had as he guides a lovely finish into the bottom corner.
This 198th north London derby feels over.
What a disastrous start to the second half for Spurs as a dismal display deepens.
Arsenal vs Tottenham LIVE! Premier League match updates, news, score, stream and highlights
Sunday 23 November 2025 17:38, UK
Second Half: Arsenal 3-0 Tottenham – Live on
Liverpool 0-1 Forest
The goal has been ruled out!
That’s a very controversial call…
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Liverpool 0-1 Nott’m Forest
Mike Dean on Soccer Saturday:
“I can’t see a handball. This should stand.”
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Liverpool 0-1 Nott’m Forest
36: The Forest fans are incensed here and you can see why – the contact with Jesus’ arm is minimal…
Ian Woan, the Forest assistant, is carded for his protests.
GOAL! Liverpool 0-1 Nott’m Forest (Murillo, 32)
FOREST MAKE THEM PAY!
The corner is brilliant and Liverpool can’t deal with it – the second ball is latched onto by Murillo, who blasts into the bottom corner!
There were questions about whether Ndoye was in the eyeline of the keeper… BUT THE GOAL STANDS!
Liverpool head coach Arne Slot provided a comprehensive update on the fitness of his squad ahead of this weekend’s meeting with Nottingham Forest.
The Reds welcome Sean Dyche’s men to Anfield in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon (3pm GMT kick-off) as club football resumes following the November international break.
Speaking during a pre-match press conference on Friday morning at the AXA Training Centre, Slot revealed the latest injury news to reporters.
Read what the boss had to say below…
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On the latest injury update in his squad…
Robbo [Andy Robertson] didn’t train [on Thursday] for private reasons, but he will be with us today. Alisson [Becker] trained last week and this week so he will be able to play tomorrow if things work out well today again.
But we do have some issues after the international break unfortunately. Conor Bradley is unable to play [and] Florian Wirtz is unable to play. That’s far from ideal.
On whether Alisson will start in goal this weekend…
If he’s ready to play, he will start.
On the fixture schedule, fitness of new signings and alternating his squad…
A variation of form is not only with new signings. That’s also with the new players we have. That’s always in a season that it’s not always the same, you’re not always in the same form. The biggest issue we’ve faced until now, and [are] still facing, is the match fitness of the players and the time they’ve missed in pre-season. Alex [Isak], now we were hoping [for] him to play a little bit more for the Swedish national team.
Unfortunately, he was one yellow away from being suspended so for obvious reasons they didn’t play him the second time. But for us it would’ve been better if he had some minutes in the second game. I just told you about Conor and Florian. Jeremie [Frimpong] is out and Giovanni [Leoni] so we have at this moment in time five natural defenders – five players who have always played as a defender – available for seven games in 22 days and I don’t see anyone coming back before that.
That is something we almost… I wouldn’t say expected, but we knew that it was hard when you bring players in a little bit later into the season. It’s harder to keep them fit and there’s more emphasis on the ones that have to play a little bit more in terms of what you ask from them. That was one of the reasons why I played the team I played against [Crystal] Palace in the League Cup.
On what injuries Bradley and Wirtz have sustained…
Both muscle issues.
On how long the pair will be sidelined…
I don’t expect Conor to be part of the upcoming 22 days. Maybe in the end, but not in the [next] 22 days unless something like a miracle happens, which I don’t expect. Florian should be able to play after [Forest], it depends on what happens after, but that shouldn’t be that long. Jeremie is out just as long. He’s not probably going to be available in the upcoming two or three weeks as well. It’s going to be interesting who all of you want to see as a right full-back.
On Dominik Szoboszlai as a right-back option and Joe Gomez’s fitness…
He [Szoboszlai] is doing so well in every position. That’s true. He’s played really well as a full-back and played really well as a midfielder. Curtis Jones played there last season. Joe Gomez can play there but Joe Gomez has played, I think if I’m correct, two times 90 minutes throughout the whole 2025 year. So, if we want to keep him available longer it’s maybe a bit of a risk to play him seven times in 22 days. He missed out on a training session yesterday by the way as well but we are expecting him to train today. [It’s] challenging but the good thing is we have still enough good players available and maybe one of them or two of them have to play in positions they usually don’t do. That’s what we have to accept.
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LFC fitness update: Alisson, Wirtz, Isak, Bradley, Frimpong, Gomez and more
Published 3 hours ago
By Joe Urquhart at the AXA Training Centre
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Liverpool head coach Arne Slot provided a comprehensive update on the fitness of his squad ahead of this weekend’s meeting with Nottingham Forest.
The Reds welcome Sean Dyche’s men to Anfield in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon (3pm GMT kick-off) as club football resumes following the November international break.
Speaking during a pre-match press conference on Friday morning at the AXA Training Centre, Slot revealed the latest injury news to reporters.
Read what the boss had to say below…
You have to accept cookies in order to view this content on our site.
Manage Settings
Watch on YouTube
On the latest injury update in his squad…
Robbo [Andy Robertson] didn’t train [on Thursday] for private reasons, but he will be with us today. Alisson [Becker] trained last week and this week so he will be able to play tomorrow if things work out well today again.
But we do have some issues after the international break unfortunately. Conor Bradley is unable to play [and] Florian Wirtz is unable to play. That’s far from ideal.
On whether Alisson will start in goal this weekend…
If he’s ready to play, he will start.
On the fixture schedule, fitness of new signings and alternating his squad…
A variation of form is not only with new signings. That’s also with the new players we have. That’s always in a season that it’s not always the same, you’re not always in the same form. The biggest issue we’ve faced until now, and [are] still facing, is the match fitness of the players and the time they’ve missed in pre-season. Alex [Isak], now we were hoping [for] him to play a little bit more for the Swedish national team.
Unfortunately, he was one yellow away from being suspended so for obvious reasons they didn’t play him the second time. But for us it would’ve been better if he had some minutes in the second game. I just told you about Conor and Florian. Jeremie [Frimpong] is out and Giovanni [Leoni] so we have at this moment in time five natural defenders – five players who have always played as a defender – available for seven games in 22 days and I don’t see anyone coming back before that.
That is something we almost… I wouldn’t say expected, but we knew that it was hard when you bring players in a little bit later into the season. It’s harder to keep them fit and there’s more emphasis on the ones that have to play a little bit more in terms of what you ask from them. That was one of the reasons why I played the team I played against [Crystal] Palace in the League Cup.
On what injuries Bradley and Wirtz have sustained…
Both muscle issues.
On how long the pair will be sidelined…
I don’t expect Conor to be part of the upcoming 22 days. Maybe in the end, but not in the [next] 22 days unless something like a miracle happens, which I don’t expect. Florian should be able to play after [Forest], it depends on what happens after, but that shouldn’t be that long. Jeremie is out just as long. He’s not probably going to be available in the upcoming two or three weeks as well. It’s going to be interesting who all of you want to see as a right full-back.
On Dominik Szoboszlai as a right-back option and Joe Gomez’s fitness…
He [Szoboszlai] is doing so well in every position. That’s true. He’s played really well as a full-back and played really well as a midfielder. Curtis Jones played there last season. Joe Gomez can play there but Joe Gomez has played, I think if I’m correct, two times 90 minutes throughout the whole 2025 year. So, if we want to keep him available longer it’s maybe a bit of a risk to play him seven times in 22 days. He missed out on a training session yesterday by the way as well but we are expecting him to train today. [It’s] challenging but the good thing is we have still enough good players available and maybe one of them or two of them have to play in positions they usually don’t do. That’s what we have to access
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