From the Brighton penalty after full time to the Luis Diaz offside disaster, here are five of the most bizarre VAR decisions in Premier League history.
VAR was introduced to make Premier League decisions clearer, but some incidents have done the exact opposite. From a penalty awarded after the referee had already blown for full time to a goal ruled out because of a completely mishandled review, there have been moments when the technology created more confusion than clarity.
This ranking considers three things: how unusual the incident was, how seriously the VAR process broke down, and how much the decision affected the match. The list is not simply about controversial calls. It is about decisions that remain especially difficult to explain even after the replays and official reviews become available.
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5. Brighton vs. Manchester United: The Penalty After Full Time
Manchester United’s 3 to 2 victory over Brighton in September 2020 produced one of the strangest VAR moments in Premier League history. Brighton thought they had earned a point when Solly March headed in a stoppage-time equaliser, but the drama was not over.
Referee Chris Kavanagh had already blown the final whistle when VAR identified a possible handball by Neal Maupay. The referee was instructed to review the incident, awarded Manchester United a penalty, and Bruno Fernandes converted it with virtually the last kick of the match. The decision was unusual because play had already ended. The Premier League later explained that the handball could still be reviewed because the relevant attacking phase had occurred before the final whistle.
4. Crystal Palace vs. Brighton: The Estupinan Offside Error
Brighton’s 2023 trip to Crystal Palace produced another VAR controversy after Pervis Estupinan had a goal ruled out for offside despite the replay appearing to show him level. The incident became particularly bizarre because the offside lines used during the review were drawn incorrectly. PGMOL later acknowledged that the technology had been calibrated incorrectly, meaning the visual evidence shown during the review did not accurately represent the positions of the players.
It was a striking example of how even technically precise technology can produce the wrong conclusion when the process behind it breaks down.
3. Arsenal vs. Brentford: The Toney Goal That VAR Missed
Arsenal’s title challenge was affected by one of the most infamous VAR errors of the 2022/23 season during their 1-1 draw with Brentford. Ivan Toney scored Brentford’s equalizer, but Brentford midfielder Christian Norgaard appeared to be in an offside position during the buildup. VAR checked the goal but failed to draw the necessary lines to properly establish whether Norgaard was offside.
The goal stood, Arsenal dropped two points, and PGMOL later acknowledged that the VAR team had made a significant error. The incident became a perfect example of a review failing not because the technology lacked the ability to answer the question, but because the relevant check was not completed properly.
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2. Wolves vs. West Ham: The Goal Ruled Out for Blocking the Keeper
In April 2024, Wolverhampton Wanderers appeared to have rescued a point against West Ham when Max Kilman headed in a ninth-minute stoppage-time equaliser. VAR intervened after identifying Wolves substitute Tawanda Chirewa in an offside position near goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski. The referee was sent to the monitor and ruled that Chirewa’s position obstructed the goalkeeper’s line of vision, resulting in the goal being overturned.
The decision caused major debate because Chirewa did not touch the ball and was some distance from the actual header. The incident was bizarre not because VAR failed to review it, but because a subjective interpretation of interference ended up deciding a dramatic late goal.
1. Tottenham vs. Liverpool: The Luis Diaz Goal Disaster
Few VAR incidents have exposed the dangers of the system more clearly than Luis Diaz’s disallowed goal against Tottenham in September 2023. Diaz put Liverpool ahead in the first half, only for the assistant referee to flag him offside. VAR Darren England checked the incident and correctly determined that Diaz was onside. But he failed to recognise that the original on-field decision had been offside and said, “Check complete.”
Play restarted with a Tottenham free kick, and Liverpool’s goal was never awarded. PGMOL later acknowledged the incident as a significant human error and confirmed that the goal should have stood. A subsequent review found that the VAR process had broken down through a communication and concentration failure rather than a technological limitation. That is what makes the incident so extraordinary. The technology had actually reached the correct answer. The failure came when the officials failed to connect that answer with the decision on the pitch.
Why Do These VAR Decisions Still Stand Out?
VAR has made many Premier League decisions more accurate, but these incidents demonstrate that technology cannot completely remove human error. The system still depends on officials identifying the correct incident, communicating clearly, and following the review process correctly. That is why the most bizarre VAR decisions are not necessarily the most controversial calls. They are the moments when the technology was available, the evidence was visible, and yet something went wrong between seeing the incident and reaching the final decision. Which Premier League VAR decision do you think belongs on this list?
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