Four more Premier League referee errors identified as Chelsea & Arsenal matches impacted

In Arsenal's recent outing against Everton, the panel determined that the Gunners should have been awarded a spot-kick when Michael Keane fouled Kai Havertz. Meanwhile, in a meeting between Chelsea and Newcastle at Stamford Bridge, the visitors were denied a clear opening when Blues defender Reece James pulled back Malick Thiaw inside the penalty area, but no spot-kick was given. In both instances, the panel noted that while the on-field decision was wrong, the VAR was technically correct not to intervene based on the current threshold for overturning decisions.

Another error identified in the recent round of matches involved Leeds United’s Gabriel Gudmundsson, who was incorrectly shown a second yellow card during a clash with Crystal Palace. Under current Premier League rules, VAR is unable to intervene in second-yellow-card scenarios, leaving Leeds without recourse during the match. However, this is a protocol set to change from next season to ensure such game-changing errors can be rectified.

A missed penalty call was also flagged from the Brentford versus Wolverhampton Wanderers match, where Kevin Schade was held by Wolves’ Andre. As the independent five-person panel continues to assess every incident from each round of matches, the pressure remains on PGMOL to translate improved review times into better accuracy, as on-field reliability has remained stagnant at roughly 86% since the start of the previous campaign.

The confirmation of these four new errors brings the total number of officiating mistakes this season to 54. This represents a notable increase from the same stage last year, when 44 incidents were recorded. The figure includes a mix of incorrect or missed VAR interventions, as well as on-field errors that did not meet the specific criteria for a video review.

While the Professional Game Match Officials (PGMOL) maintain that the overall trend is positive compared to the 70 mistakes seen after 30 games in the 2023-24 campaign, the current numbers are cause for concern. Specifically, there have already been 18 VAR errors this season, matching the total for the entirety of last year with a significant portion of the schedule still to be played.

Despite the rise in total errors, the PGMOL has highlighted some areas of progress, particularly regarding the speed and application of technology. Delays caused by VAR reviews have improved by approximately 25% over the last three seasons. Average stoppage times have dropped from 64 seconds in 2023-24 to just 48 seconds this term, a figure that includes the time taken for stadium announcements.

The panel also observed that incorrect VAR reviews have decreased slightly, falling from four to three. Furthermore, total VAR interventions have dipped from 89 to 83, which the PGMOL suggests is an indicator of better initial decision-making on the field and a stricter adherence to the "high bar" required for the technology to step in and change an original call.