Liverpool have been on the wrong end of four VAR errors this season, with the most high-profile of those coming in the 2-2 draw with Tottenham back in September
The three biggest mistakes made by VAR this season have been revealed, with Liverpool being the most affected and Aston Villa reaping the benefits. The most glaring error was when Luis Diaz’s goal for Liverpool against Tottenham was wrongly disallowed for offside in September.
Two years ago, the Premier League set up an independent panel to review key match incidents. They believe that VAR has made 57 correct decisions this season, but there have also been 20 errors. Most of these were due to VAR not getting involved when it should have.
The panel believes that VAR has made three incorrect decisions when it did get involved. The most famous of these was Diaz’s disallowed goal, which led Liverpool to suggest that the match should be replayed.
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The other two mistakes were made when VAR intervened when the panel felt it should have let the referee’s decision stand. One of these incidents occurred when Sander Berge’s goal for Burnley against Nottingham Forest was wrongly disallowed for handball after a VAR check.
During Arsenal’s win against Manchester United, a controversial incident occurred where referee Anthony Taylor initially awarded a penalty for a foul on Kai Havertz by Aaron Wan-Bissaka. However, after VAR intervention, Taylor reversed his decision, causing some to question whether VAR should’ve intervened in the first place.
Contrary to accusations that Liverpool benefit most from VAR, stats actually show that Liverpool has been harshly treated by VAR this season, with four errors going against them. Meanwhile, Wolves and Brighton also haven’t had much luck.
On the other hand, Aston Villa seem to be the team gaining the most from VAR mistakes, with three in their favour. Other teams such as Arsenal, Manchester United, Newcastle United, and Nottingham Forest have had two recorded errors in their favour.
However, despite these criticisms, Howard Webb, the chief refereeing officer of PGMOL, staunchly defended the use of VAR. He stated: “It would be foolish to take away a tool that can remove clear errors from the game – almost 40 this season. Usually we have seen around 100 situations rectified through the use of VAR. Why would you want to take that away and leave those errors in the game?”
