Worst VAR calls in Premier League history - ranked

When first introduced, there were no three letters in the English language more divisive than VAR.

There were plenty of reasons for its introduction in the Premier League back in 2019, with idealistic hopes that it could eliminate the bulk of refereeing errors in the English top-flight. However, fast forward four years and there seems to be very few people in favour of VAR in the Premier League. It's basically the football equivalent of Brexit.

The 2023/24 season has started on similarly rocky ground when it comes to VAR, with some incredibly high-profile errors just weeks into the new campaign.

Here are the ten worst VAR decisions in Premier League history.

10. Ben Godfrey avoids punishment for Takehiro Tomiyasu incident

Matches between Arsenal and Everton at Goodison Park are invariably spicy affairs and the 2021/22 clash between the two didn't disappoint.

However, the Gunners faithful were left aggrieved when Toffees defender Ben Godfrey appeared to land a boot on Takehiro Tomiyasu's face with the Japanese player prone on the turf.

Referee Mike Dean was ordered to pay a visit to the pitchside monitor, but no further action was taken on a night where Mikel Arteta's side suffered a late defeat.

9. Joao Moutinho armpit gate

Wolves midfielder Joao Moutinho was left stunned when he was penalised for a handball in his side's narrow 1-0 defeat to Man City at the Etihad Stadium two seasons ago.

With his arms raised, Bernardo Silva's cross struck the Portuguese, although replays showed that the ball had hit the midfielder's armpit area.

Wolves boss Bruno Lage was less than impressed with the decision in his interview after the game.

8. Kaoru Mitoma felled by Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg

It really wasn't Brighton's day at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in 2022/23. Not only did the Seagulls lose 2-1 to Spurs, they saw two goals ruled out for marginal handballs and weren't awarded a blatant penalty when Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg tripped Kaoru Mitoma in the box.

The Japanese winger was felled by the defensive midfielder, but his penalty appeals were ignored. Luckily for Brighton, they received an apology after the match - thank goodness for that.

7. Jordan Pickford ends Virgil van Dijk's season

Liverpool's title defence in 2020/21 was effectively ended when Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford collided with Virgil van Dijk at Goodison Park in a goalless Merseyside derby.

It was a clear-cut red card offence given the height and angle the Toffees stopper caught Van Dijk, but he escaped punishment given the Dutchman was flagged offside.

The Liverpool defender didn't play again that season as a result of the challenge, while referee Michael Oliver later admitted Pickford should have walked for the tackle.

6. Harry Kane escapes red for Andy Robertson lunge

In a game fraught with controversy several seasons ago, Harry Kane was bizarrely spared a straight red card for a wild lunge on Andy Robertson.

Jurgen Klopp certainly took umbrage with the decision as he approached referee Paul Tierney at full-time after an entertaining 2-2 draw, with the German fuming that Robertson was later given his marching orders following a VAR review for a kick on Emerson Royal.

The Liverpool boss was also furious Diogo Jota wasn't awarded a penalty for what appeared a blatant push in the back, but it was another call that fell on deaf ears.

5. Andre Onana comes in like a wrecking ball

Andre Onana has made a rocky start to life at Manchester United, but it could have been a lot worse for the goalkeeper on his Premier League debut against Wolverhampton Wanderers.

With Man Utd leading 1-0 with seconds remaining, Onana came to collect a floated cross but missed the ball entirely and clattered Wolves striker Sasa Kalajdzic in the process.

Despite looking like a fairly obvious penalty, VAR refused to direct the referee to the monitor and the possibility of a well-earned point at Old Trafford went down the drain for Wolves.

4. No Rodri penalty at Goodison Park

"A three-year-old could tell you that is a penalty," bemoaned Everton boss Frank Lampard after his side were denied a penalty in their 1-0 defeat to Man City last season.

Attempting to control a loose ball in the penalty area, Rodri appeared to strike the ball with his arm outside of his natural silhouette, although Everton appeals were waved away. It was one of the most blatant handballs you're likely to see and the Toffees were left dumbfounded by VAR's lack of intervention.

The decision was magnified given Liverpool finished just a point behind City in the Premier League title race, with a potentially pivotal call going in the Cityzens' direction at a crucial stage in the season.

3. Pervis Estupinan robbed of derby day goal

Brighton left-back Pervis Estupinan thought he had given his side the lead on derby day against Crystal Palace, only for his goal to be unjustly ruled out for offside.

While VAR had gone through the usual checks for offside, they drew the lines from the wrong Crystal Palace defender, meaning Estupinan was actually onside.

The game finished 1-1 and the decision left Roberto De Zerbi justifiably furious after the final whistle.

2. Arsenal denied crucial points in title race

Offside should be one of the simpler calls for VAR to make, but they seem to make glaring errors regardless. One of their top gaffes came at the Emirates when Brentford scored an equaliser against Arsenal that should have been disallowed.

Having checked an initial contact in the box, Lee Mason in the VAR studio forgot to 'fully investigate' whether or not Christian Norgaard was offside when he assisted Ivan Toney with 15 minutes remaining in north London.

Norgaard was in an offside position and the goal should have been ruled out, but instead Arsenal were robbed of two points in the midst of their title fight.

1. Luis Diaz's ghost goal against Tottenham

Categorically the biggest error made by VAR since its arrival in English football came at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium earlier this season. Just in case you've been lucky enough to avoid the subsequent rage and conspiracy theory discourse, let's recap.

Luis Diaz thought he had given Liverpool the lead after 34 minutes against Tottenham, drilling the ball beyond Guglielmo Vicario only to turn and see the assistant's flag. TV replays showed quite clearly that the Colombian was onside, but the game resumed with the on-field decision of offside standing.

A breakdown in communication meant VAR Darren England, who somehow thought the goal had been given on the pitch, simply said 'check complete' to referee Simon Hooper, unaware that the on-field call had been offside.

The PGMOL apologised for disallowing Diaz's perfectly legitimate goal after the game, with Jurgen Klopp calling for a potential replay after the match. No matter what you think of the Liverpool manager's comments, it remains one hell of a clanger.

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