Breakdown of the 20 VAR errors in the Premier League in 2023/24 | OneFootball

Highlights

VAR has become a massive talking point in the Premier League and around the world of football, with many errors occurring and costing teams points that could be vital by the time the end of the season rolls around.

Two of England's biggest clubs - Arsenal and Liverpool - have even written public statements in the aftermath of VAR errors going against them in matches. Liverpool's complaint came when Luis Diaz saw a perfectly well-executed goal disallowed during his side's 2-1 defeat against Tottenham earlier in the campaign. The decision made by the on-field officials on that occasion was that the Colombian winger was offside, and the officials in control of VAR on the day wrongly agreed with that call despite Diaz clearly being played onside.

Since that day in September 2023, there appears to have been a knock-on effect, with the time taken by officials to review the footage provided by VAR increasing to try and combat the chances of 'significant human error' happening again.

VAR errors in the Premier League

Less mistakes have occurred compared to 2022/23

Tony Scholes - the Premier League's chief of football - has said, per ESPN: "The reviews are taking too long and it's affecting the flow of the game, and we're extremely aware of that and the need to improve that speed whilst always maintaining the accuracy." This points to the fact care is being taken when the officials are reviewing the footage and this could help the end outcome, but the flow of the game is being impacted as a result.

There have been 20 VAR errors in the Premier League to date, and this is a decreased number from the same stage of the previous campaign. Almost all of the 20 mistakes have come about from opportunities to intervene being missed. This accounted for 17 of the costly blunders, with two on-field decisions wrongly changed and one instance of an overturn being rejected at the pitchside monitor.

As a result of these inaccuracies, some teams have benefitted and others have suffered. In a low-scoring sport, one mistake can count for a lot and can be the difference in teams winning the league and missing out narrowly. Teams fighting relegation cannot afford too many errors going in the favour of their competition either, as every point is essential.

Teams that have suffered the most

Clubs: Liverpool, Brighton and Wolves

According to ESPN, Liverpool have had four VAR calls go against them wrongly, which is the most of any club in the division to date. Jurgen Klopp's side sit at the top of the table despite having these decisions go against them. The aforementioned Diaz goal that never was, is the biggest instance of VAR gone wrong. With the Reds being embroiled in a Premier League title race with Manchester City, Liverpool will be devastated if these errors cost them the perfect farewell to their departing German boss.

Brighton and Wolves have had three mistakes go against them each throughout the campaign so far. Wolves were famously denied a penalty on the opening day of the 2023/24 season as Andre Onana of Manchester United was given a reprieve despite clattering an opposition player inside the 18-yard box.

Roberto De Zerbi's side have also been on the receiving end of some poor VAR decisions, and this hasn't helped the Seagulls' bid to gain qualification for European football for a second successive campaign.

Arsenal - also involved in the title race - have had two errors go against them. Mikel Arteta and his players are looking to go one step further than they managed during the 2022/23 season, by lifting their first league title in two decades. These mistakes made by the officials reviewing the video footage could prove costly by the time the final whistle blows. Eight other teams have been on the receiving end of a single VAR error to date.

Teams that have benefitted the most

Clubs: Aston Villa, Manchester United, Newcastle United, Nottingham Forest

Manchester United have benefitted from two faults of the VAR system, with one being the previously mentioned penalty that wasn't awarded to Wolves in the season's curtain raiser. Newcastle United and Nottingham Forest have had the same number of errors go their way, but there is one team that has been handed an even bigger advantage.

Aston Villa are on a charge towards Champions League football and, while Unai Emery's men have been unbelievably good, the Villans have been the beneficiaries of three VAR mistakes in total. Without the extra points earned by these wrong decisions, the club may have found themselves fighting an uphill battle in the race to qualify for Europe's premier competition.

Football tends to have a way of evening itself out, although it is yet to be seen whether this applies to the sport with video technology now in use. Will Aston Villa, Man United, Newcastle, and Nottingham Forest eventually see calls go against them as the season wears on?

Premier League chief on VAR errors

Tony Scholes has vowed improvements in the future

Scholes acknowledged the severe nature of one error in the world of Premier League football, saying: "Further improvement is always required. I know myself from my club background that one mistake can be incredibly costly to a club and can be incredibly costly to individuals.

When speaking about the in-stadium experience for fans while a VAR review is ongoing, the Premier League chief claimed: "It's nowhere near good enough. We know it's not, it affects supporters' enjoyment of the game, and we know it needs to change." This will give hope that spectators will be given an enhanced experience in the future so that they are left with fewer questions in the aftermath of a VAR decision.

It will be a process that takes time to improve, and Scholes hinted at the action that could be taken going forward: "We cannot use the audio, we cannot play the audio [live]. My personal view is we're on a journey, and we'll get to a point where both the video and the audio are played live and then played afterwards to explain the decision. How far away from that? I don't know. That's not in our hands.

"One development that we are expecting to come in imminently, of course, is that the referee will announce their decision, post-VAR review, to the crowd on the pitch side. We need to ensure that our match officials are trained up to a level to enable them to communicate things effectively to the crowd," Scholes continued to say.

It is said that tests are constantly ongoing to try and increase the speed at which decisions are made as well as being able to communicate those decisions with fans and everyone else involved in the football match.