VAR was supposed to reduce refereeing errors. Yet since its introduction in the Premier League, some of its most controversial decisions have become defining moments in the competition’s history. And the latest Manchester derby has once again highlighted just how easily the technology itself can become a source of controversy.
On Sunday, Manchester City beat Manchester United 1-0 at Old Trafford thanks to an Erling Haaland goal that will be remembered for a long time. Not simply because it gave the Citizens three points, but because Pro Ref, the body responsible for refereeing in the Premier League, ultimately acknowledged an error of judgment on the play. Initially ruled offside, Haaland saw his goal stand after a VAR intervention, with the technology determining that the striker was kept onside by Patrick Dorgu. However, Enzo Fernández, who was in an offside position, had also attempted to play the ball and could potentially have influenced the play. Pro Ref acknowledged that VAR had not sufficiently considered the impact of his position and should have recommended an on-field review. The body even contacted Manchester United directly to acknowledge its mistake.
It is the latest controversy to be added to a long list. Since VAR arrived in the Premier League, certain errors have cost teams points, altered title races and sometimes even led to consequences for the referees involved. Here are the five that have left the biggest mark on the recent history of the league.
The Diaz goal against Tottenham in 2023
It is difficult to start anywhere else. On September 30, 2023, Liverpool traveled to Tottenham in a match that would become one of the defining examples of VAR’s limitations.
With the score still level, Luis Díaz thought he had opened the scoring after perfectly finishing a counterattack. The assistant referee immediately raised his flag, however, to signal offside. So far, nothing unusual: this is precisely the kind of situation VAR exists for.
Except Díaz was clearly onside.
VAR intervened. And that is where everything went wrong.
Darren England, the video assistant referee, believed the on-field decision had been to award the goal. He then delivered the famous confirmation that the check was complete. In reality, the referee had disallowed the goal. Play resumed, and Liverpool could no longer challenge the decision.
The error was so significant that PGMOL, the body then responsible for professional refereeing in English soccer, acknowledged a “significant human error.” The audio of the conversation between the officials was subsequently released. It showed, among other things, that the replay operator was the first person to realize that a mistake had been made. But by then, it was already too late: play had restarted.
Liverpool eventually lost 2-1 in an especially chaotic match, which also saw Curtis Jones and then Diogo Jota sent off.
The controversy therefore became much bigger than simply a disallowed goal. Howard Webb acknowledged that VAR had “fallen short” and announced the introduction of new procedures to prevent such a failure from happening again.
Why is this error so significant? Because it was not even the result of a misinterpretation of a complicated rule. Díaz was not offside. The technology had all the images necessary to establish that. The problem came from a misunderstanding between the officials.
VAR therefore did not fail because of the technology. It failed because of the people responsible for using it.
The Toney’s goal against Arsenal in 2023
A few months earlier, Arsenal had already been the victim of an error that would take on major significance in the title race.
On February 11, 2023, the Gunners hosted Brentford at the Emirates while sitting top of the Premier League. Arsenal opened the scoring, but Ivan Toney equalized in the second half.
The problem: Christian Nørgaard, who provided the assist, was in an offside position.
VAR should have reviewed the play and drawn the necessary lines. But Lee Mason, the video assistant referee, failed to do so. The goal therefore stood.
The mistake was acknowledged by PGMOL, which apologized to Arsenal. Howard Webb even contacted the club directly to acknowledge the seriousness of the error. But for Mikel Arteta, an apology was obviously not enough.
The Spanish manager believed the mistake had cost his team two points in an extremely tight title race. A few days later, Arsenal lost to Manchester City and surrendered first place to the Citizens.
“Two points”: that is precisely what makes this controversy so significant. A VAR error is not merely a statistical anomaly when it occurs during a season in which every point can determine the champion.
The incident even had an unusual consequence: Lee Mason left PGMOL a few days later by mutual consent.
What was supposed to be a tool allowing referees to correct their mistakes had instead become the source of an avoidable error.
And unlike Díaz-Tottenham, this was not a communication problem between several officials: VAR had simply failed to carry out one of the essential checks on the play.
Gordon’s goal against Arsenal and fouls forgotten
On November 4, 2023, Arsenal traveled to Newcastle looking to continue its excellent start to the season. The Gunners would leave St James’ Park with a 1-0 defeat and enormous frustration.
Anthony Gordon scored the only goal of the game after a particularly chaotic sequence.
Joe Willock first prevented the ball from going out of play while trying to retrieve a cross. The ball then reached Joelinton, who headed it toward Gordon. The Newcastle forward finished the move.
VAR then checked three different elements: had the ball gone out of play before Willock’s cross? Had Joelinton committed a foul? Was Gordon offside? All three checks reached the same conclusion: the goal stood.
For Mikel Arteta, it was incomprehensible. After the match, the Arsenal manager described the decision as “embarrassing” and a “disgrace.”
The particularity of this controversy, however, is that it did not lead to an admission of error. Quite the opposite: a few days later, Howard Webb defended the decisions made by VAR and stated that all three checks had been correctly carried out.
That is what makes this case particularly interesting.
Because not every VAR controversy is a recognized mistake. Some arise from differences in the interpretation of the rules. Newcastle-Arsenal perfectly illustrates this problem: the more technology allows officials to examine every detail of a play, the more supporters expect absolute certainty.
But VAR does not eliminate subjectivity.
It can determine with precision whether a player is offside. It can review a foul. But when officials have to determine whether contact constitutes a foul, whether a player has interfered with play or whether a position actually influenced an action, the decision remains human.
The latest Haaland-Fernández incident once again highlights exactly this limitation.
A penalty forgotten by VAR for Wolves at Old Trafford
Some controversies are particularly difficult to understand because the technology appears to have been created precisely to prevent this kind of situation.
That was the case in the opening game of the 2023-24 season between Manchester United and Wolverhampton Wanderers.
In the final minutes of the match, Sasa Kalajdžić found himself inside the Manchester United penalty area and attempted to play the ball. André Onana came off his line and collided with the Wolves forward without actually making contact with the ball.
Wolverhampton’s players immediately appealed for a penalty.
It was not awarded.
Even more surprisingly, VAR did not ask the referee to review the incident. Manchester United kept their lead and won 1-0.
After the match, Howard Webb acknowledged that Wolverhampton should have been awarded a penalty and apologized to the club. The officials involved were not appointed for the following Premier League matchday.
The decision became one of the first major controversies of the 2023-24 season, and it perfectly summed up one of VAR’s fundamental problems: it can only correct a mistake if the official sitting in the video room decides that it is worth correcting.
In other words, the existence of VAR does not guarantee that an error will be reviewed.
It simply adds another layer of decision-making.
And that is precisely what English refereeing has been criticized for over the past several years: why install multiple screens, multiple officials and multiple camera angles if a potentially decisive situation can still go unreviewed?
Rodri’s penalty forgotten that impacted the title race
The final controversy on this list, but certainly not the least important, is Everton-Manchester City in February 2022.
Manchester City traveled to Goodison Park during a season in which every point mattered in the title race. The Citizens quickly took the lead through Phil Foden.
Then came the incident that would spark controversy.
Inside the Manchester City penalty area, the ball clearly struck Rodri’s arm. Everton appealed for a penalty. Referee Paul Tierney did not award one, and VAR did not recommend an on-field review.
For Frank Lampard, then Everton’s manager, the decision was incomprehensible. The former midfielder even said that his young son would have been able to identify the foul.
Manchester City held onto their lead and won 1-0.
At first glance, this controversy may seem less spectacular than the Luis Díaz incident. But it takes on another dimension when placed in the context of the season: Manchester City would ultimately win the title ahead of Liverpool.
Once again, it is impossible to say that a single penalty would have changed who became champion. But that is precisely what makes these errors so sensitive: when a title race is decided by just a few points, every refereeing decision takes on disproportionate importance.
And VAR, which was specifically introduced to eliminate these decisive errors, finds itself at the center of the debate.