Video Assistant Referee (VAR) decisions have again drawn criticism following incidents in recent Premier League fixtures. Aston Villa manager Unai Emery expressed frustration after a Tammy Abraham goal was disallowed against Brentford on Saturday. The decision, which followed a nearly four-minute review for a ball out of play 19 seconds earlier, was labelled "not fair" by Emery. Brentford secured a 1-0 victory in the match.
On the same day, Manchester United had a penalty overturned by VAR against Fulham, with the decision changed to a free-kick outside the area. United subsequently scored from the resulting set-piece. Fulham manager Marco Silva received a booking for his protests.
Data from BBC Sport indicates a 30 percent increase in VAR errors during the first half of the 2025-26 Premier League season, with 13 mistakes identified by the Key Match Incidents Panel. The Premier League had aimed for efficient VAR interventions this season to maintain game flow.
