Incident-by-incident: Was it a bad weekend for VAR?

Manchester United’s last-gasp equaliser against Aston Villa survived a VAR review in the Premier League this weekend, and a string of contentious decisions across the top flight has prompted renewed scrutiny of video assistant referee interventions.

The Key Match Incidents (KMI) Panel had recorded just two VAR errors after eight rounds of matches this season, compared with six mistakes at the same stage last season, but several high-profile calls over the weekend have tested that record and are assessed here incident by incident.

In the Manchester United v Aston Villa game a penalty was awarded to Manchester United in the 16th minute for a foul by Boubacar Kamara on Matheus Cunha; replays showed the first contact was on the Brazilian’s foot and that spot-kick is likely to be judged correct by the KMI Panel. Later there was a possible foul by Senne Lammens on United goalkeeper Zion Suzuki before Patrick Dorgu’s 96th-minute equaliser; with minimal contact and the Premier League’s higher threshold for VAR intervention, it is unlikely the panel would classify the decision not to disallow the goal as an error.

In Arsenal’s match against Hull, Kai Havertz was pulled down inside the area by Nobel Mendy and the VAR, Michael Oliver, sent referee Farai Hallam to the pitchside monitor, but no penalty was awarded because Havertz was flagged offside; BBC Sport concluded the foul occurred before any offside position and that the penalty should have been given, a call the KMI Panel is likely to mark as a mistake.

Omar Bogle’s challenge on Mathys Tel in the Leeds v Tottenham fixture resulted in only a free-kick from referee John Brooks, with VAR Tony Harrington electing not to send Brooks to the monitor; the tackle—causing significant pain but made with Bogle’s supporting foot—divides opinion among former players and the KMI Panel vote may depend on which ex-pros are present.

Three incidents from Everton v Coventry were examined: Caleb Yirenkyi appeared to have his hair pulled by James Tarkowski inside the area but no penalty was given; despite a relaxed interpretation of hair pulling this season, BBC Sport saw a yank and expects the KMI Panel to call that incorrect and award a penalty. A separate claim when Everton’s Vitalii Mykolenko clipped Taiwo Awoniyi was ruled to be just outside the box on replays, a decision the panel would likely support. Thierno Barry’s 61st-minute goal for Coventry underwent a handball check; the VAR found no conclusive evidence to overturn, though BBC Sport judged there appears to be a deviation and that the goal probably should have been ruled out — the KMI vote could split because super-zoom is not instantly available.

Igor Thiago was sent off after a VAR review for catching Chema Andres with his forearm to the head, and Igor Thiago will be suspended for three Premier League games after his VAR red card for violent conduct. Dublin commented on the decision with the remark "Yellow card for me"; the KMI Panel may still support the VAR intervention because the laws require a red card for a strike to the head unless force is negligible.

Other incidents assessed include Crystal Palace’s stoppage-time penalty awarded for Milos Kerkez fouling Dario Osorio — compared by BBC Sport to a previous Saliba incident but described as more 50-50 and possibly an on-field error that does not reach the VAR threshold — and Cole Palmer’s appeal after contact from Luke O'Nien and Jules Ahoka on the edge of the area, where referee Jarred Gillett’s decision not to award a foul is unlikely to be overturned given there is no conclusive evidence the initial contact occurred inside the box. Newcastle’s disallowed goal for an alleged foul by Yoane Wissa on Timothy Castagne is viewed as likely to be voted correct by the KMI Panel.

BBC Sport estimates two decisions are very likely to be recorded by the KMI Panel as VAR errors — the non-awarded penalties to Arsenal and Coventry — while two further calls, Barry’s goal and the potential red card for Bogle, may be deemed errors depending on the panel’s composition; the remaining incidents are expected to be judged correct, leaving a probable total of two to four VAR errors over the weekend, which the report concludes "is not a good weekend."