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The big VAR debrief – did it deny Bournemouth Champions League spot?Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Antoine Semenyo had a goal disallowed for offside by the VAR in a 0-0 draw with ChelseaByDale Johnson
Bournemouth in the Champions League? It was still an outside possibility as the final day of the Premier League season began.
The Cherries will enter Europe for the first time next season via the Europa League as Liverpool clung on to fifth place by three points.
Yet there was another way the south-coast club could have finished in the Champions League places – if there was no video assistant referee (VAR).
Bournemouth could have been four points better off but for VAR – and therefore would have finished above Liverpool.
BBC Sport has assessed how VAR interventions may have impacted games at key moments, and looked at how some teams have benefited from the system more than others.
The number of VAR interventions only tells part of the story. What really matters is when they happen, and the state of the game.
Assessing impact is subjective, but BBC Sport has identified 29 games where VAR almost certainly influenced the final result.
For instance, a VAR advising a red card in the final seconds is not likely to affect a scoreline.
In contrast, Manchester United’s stoppage time 3-2 win against Burnley can be put down to a VAR penalty.
These are the games that were affected by VAR and had the most impact on the season.
The title goes down to the final day
Arsenal won the title by seven points, but they gained four through VAR – in the Gunners’ win at West Ham and their victory at Everton. Both could have been draws but for VAR.
Take those four off, and heading into the final day of the season Arsenal and Manchester City would have been level on 78 points – with Pep Guardiola’s team top on goal difference.
The championship may have been decided on Sunday, rather than via City’s 1-1 draw at Bournemouth in midweek.
Villa might still have won at Etihad Stadium and thus Arsenal clinched the title, but the game would have taken on different significance. It would not have been largely a goodbye to departing legends like Bernardo Silva, John Stones and Guardiola himself.
Bournemouth in the Champions League
Bournemouth, Burnley and Tottenham were the clubs most affected by VAR, each four points worse off as a result of decisions.
Andoni Iraola’s men had a goal ruled out for offside in a 0-0 draw with Chelsea. They also had an Evanilson effort disallowed against Leeds – with the Cherries leading 2-1 at the time, and it finished 2-2.
It might have made a clear difference to Bournemouth’s season, as with those four points added on they would end the season with 61 points – one more than Liverpool and in the final Champions League position.
It is impossible to know, of course, how Liverpool would have performed against Villa and Brentford in their final two matches if they were chasing the Cherries rather than leading them.
Other European positions change too
Brighton, who were three points worse off, would move up into a Europa League position.
Even though the numbers show that Chelsea enjoyed many positive VAR decisions, they lost two points because of VAR interventions against them at key times.
Add those back on and Xabi Alonso’s new team would have got into the Conference League position.
Sunderland would drop out of the European places having gained two points through VAR. Without those, they would drop into 10th.
Outside of key positional changes, Brentford’s five points gained was the biggest in the table. Three points came from two VAR interventions which gave the Bees a 4-3 win over Burnley, plus Villa’s disallowed goal in a match Brentford won 1-0.
Keith Andrews’ side would drop from ninth to 13th without those points.
After Brentford, Manchester United and Arsenal also gained four points as one of the big winners.
Tottenham suffered three result-changing VAR calls against Liverpool, Sunderland and Leeds – without these their end of season would have been far less traumatic.
The alternative table has Spurs finishing in 15th with Forest and Palace just above the drop zone.
The net score is created by taking the total number of VAR interventions in a club’s favour, and subtracting those that have gone against them.
At one stage Chelsea were way out in front in pretty much every VAR metric.
Chelsea finished with a net score of +6 decisions, but until the final few weeks of the season they were on +9.
Chelsea received the most VAR interventions in a club’s favour, with their 11 two more than Crystal Palace, Fulham and Manchester United.
At the other end of the scale with -5 are Everton, who were the only team not to get a single VAR decision. The only other clubs with fewer than four are Brighton (two) and Burnley (three).
It is the first time in all seven seasons of VAR that a club has failed to get one overturn in their favour.
Everton were also not awarded a penalty all season, so it will annoy David Moyes even more that the key match incidents panel ruled they should have been given VAR spot-kicks against Arsenal, West Ham and Manchester City.
The most impacted were Fulham, who had the highest interventions (19) and the decisions against (10).
Arsenal, Nottingham Forest and Wolves had the fewest against, on three each.
You will have guessed that Everton will not feature positively in any category of this VAR analysis.
Moyes’ side and Brighton were the only teams not to receive a goal, while Newcastle United gained the most goals with five.
Chelsea came out on top on goals disallowed for the opposition, with six chalked off. Brentford are second in the table with five.
Everton are unsurprisingly bottom of the chart for opposition goals ruled out – with zero, along with Bournemouth.
When it comes to disallowed goals scored, Fulham have the most with five, followed by West Ham on four.
Brentford and Brighton, both on four, conceded the most goals through VAR. Arsenal and Manchester United were the only teams not to give away any.
Then it’s the net goal score – taking the goals in favour, and subtracting the goals against.
Chelsea are way out in front with +7, the next best being Nottingham Forest on +4.
Bournemouth, Brighton and Everton were most impacted, with -4.
The subjective calls, those which require interpretation and opinion, are naturally the most controversial. Penalties and red cards, primarily.
Chelsea, Manchester United and Wolves, with six, received the most in their favour, followed by Newcastle on five.
Aston Villa and Everton were the only clubs not to get one.
Fulham, with six, suffered the most negative subjective interventions, followed by Sunderland and Tottenham on five.
Leeds had the fewest, with just one.
Manchester United and Wolves finished in front on the net subjective score, on +4, with Tottenham the outright losers on -4.
When it came to penalties, it was Chelsea, Manchester United and Newcastle who received the most, with three each.
Brighton, Burnley and Liverpool conceded the most, also with three.
Only a handful of clubs were impacted by multiple red cards.
Despite Chelsea’s numbers generally being positive, along with Sunderland they were the only club to get two red cards in this way.
Manchester City, Liverpool and Wolves were the only clubs to benefit from having an opposition player sent off twice.
While perception may suggest otherwise, there were fewer VAR interventions this season than in any previous campaign.
The most controversy remains with the interventions which are missed; penalties which should have been awarded or red cards that were not shown.
The number of disallowed goals fell to 43, just above the lowest season tally of 42 in 2020-21.
But only one season has seen VAR lead to fewer goals than this campaign’s 33.
In general, what stands out is how stable most of the numbers are.
The number of goals ruled out for offside has been between 32 and 35 across all seven seasons.
Handball penalties showed a notable rise when the Premier League tried to be more strict, before coming back down again.
The spike in overturned penalties in 2020-21 was mainly caused by factual offside and positional situations rather than incorrect foul or handball decisions.
Wolves were relegated from the Premier League this season and their supporters will be likely to be glad to see the back of VAR.
Two seasons ago, the Molineux club tabled a motion which would have seen video review scrapped in the Premier League.
It was defeated by 19 votes to one – no other club supported them.
Maybe it was fitting that Wolves’ last goal in the top flight, for now, was a VAR penalty.
Even when it was awarded, the fans chanted against technology.
It was the first goal they had scored with the intervention of VAR since May 2024 and their first VAR penalty since November 2022.
Across the seven seasons of VAR, for those clubs ever-present, Wolves have been the most affected – just ahead of Arsenal.
At the other end, Newcastle have enjoyed by far the greatest number of VAR interventions in their favour:
That list is as follows: Newcastle +15; Crystal Palace +8; Brighton +7; Aston Villa +6; Man City +6; Man United +6; Chelsea +3; Liverpool +1; Tottenham -4; West Ham -4; Everton -5; Arsenal -10; Wolves -15.
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