Arsenal, Chelsea among biggest beneficiaries of VAR decisions, new data shows

Newly released data from the Premier League’s Key Match Incidents (KMI) Panel has revealed that Arsenal F.C. and Chelsea F.C. were among the clubs that benefited the most from Video Assistant Referee (VAR) decisions during the recently concluded English football season.

The findings, compiled by BT4Y Data Lab and based on official panel reviews of controversial incidents, also identified Manchester United F.C. as the club most negatively affected by officiating errors linked to VAR and on-field decisions.

According to the report, Chelsea recorded the most favorable “net balance” from verified officiating mistakes, benefiting from several major decisions that reportedly went in the club’s favor without any significant errors counted against them.

Among the incidents highlighted was a controversial decision during Chelsea’s match against Fulham F.C., where a Fulham goal was ruled out following VAR intervention for an alleged foul that was later deemed incorrect by reviewers.

Chelsea defender Malo Gusto was also involved in two separate incidents referenced in the report, including an unpunished high challenge and a disputed handball decision that did not result in a penalty.

Arsenal were similarly identified as beneficiaries of key VAR moments during the campaign. One of the examples cited involved defender William Saliba during a league match against Everton F.C., where a penalty appeal against the French defender was not awarded despite later being classified by the KMI panel as a missed decision.

In contrast, Manchester United reportedly suffered the highest number of significant officiating errors against them. One major incident referenced involved a denied penalty appeal during a match against Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. after a suspected handball in the penalty area was not reviewed by VAR.

The data also raised broader concerns about the efficiency of VAR implementation in English football.

According to the report, the Premier League recorded the slowest average VAR review time among Europe’s top leagues, with decisions taking more than four minutes on average longer than comparable reviews in Serie A, La Liga, Bundesliga, and Ligue 1.

Analysts noted that despite the longer review durations, the number of major officiating mistakes identified by the panel increased compared to the previous season, fueling renewed debate over the consistency and effectiveness of the technology.

The findings are expected to intensify discussions around refereeing standards and VAR reforms ahead of the new Premier League season, particularly as clubs continue to question the transparency and accuracy of key match-changing decisions.