Premier League Panel Confirms Major Var Error in Title Race

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The Premier League’s Independent Key Match Incidents (KMI) panel has confirmed a massive VAR error that has directly altered the dynamics of the intense 2025/26 title race between Arsenal and Manchester City.

The error rescued a crucial point for Pep Guardiola’s side in what is turning out to be a razor-thin run-in.

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The Incident: Everton vs. Manchester City

The blunder occurred during a thrilling 3-3 draw between Everton and Manchester City at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.

• The Scenario: In the 85th minute, David Moyes’ Everton side was leading 3-2 and had just won a corner.
• The Foul: Inside the box, Manchester City midfielder Bernardo Silva aggressively held and dragged Everton’s Merlin Rohl to the ground.
• The On-Field Decision: Referee Michael Oliver missed the incident in real-time and waved play on.
• The VAR Breakdown: VAR official Paul Howard reviewed the footage but decided that the holding had taken place before the corner was actually taken. Under his interpretation, because the ball wasn’t in play yet, he couldn’t intervene to award a penalty.

Because VAR failed to send Michael Oliver to the monitor, play continued, and Manchester City went on to score a 96th-minute equalizer through Jeremy Doku, rescuing a 3-3 draw and stealing a vital point.

What the KMI Panel Ruled

Following a technical review, the KMI panel unanimously (5-0) declared that the decision was a major error and Everton should have been awarded a spot-kick.

The panel completely rejected the VAR official’s timeline, stating:

“There is a clear, sustained holding offence which continues as the corner is taken and the ball comes into play. The referee’s call was incorrect and VAR should have intervened.”

Everton manager David Moyes was left furious by the original explanation, famously stating after the match, “If that doesn’t get given as a penalty, then it’s an absolute free-for-all from now on.”

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The Massive Title Race Implications

With the 2025/26 Premier League season in its absolute final stretch, this single point has massive consequences for the top of the table:

Team	Games Played	Points	Goal Difference
Arsenal	36	79	+42
Manchester City	36	77	+43

Had VAR correctly awarded Everton the penalty and Manchester City gone on to lose that match 3-2, City would currently be sitting on 76 points—3 points behind Arsenal instead of just 2. In a title race this tight, that one missed intervention could literally decide who lifts the trophy.

A Season of VAR Chaos

This mistake brings the total number of confirmed VAR errors for the 2025/26 season up to 23, a notable increase from the 17 recorded at the same stage last season.

Ironically for Manchester City, this announcement comes just days after a separate review panel note leaked, indicating that Arsenal had also benefited from three incorrect VAR calls earlier in the season (including a missed penalty call also against Everton in December, alongside controversial non-calls against Chelsea and Brighton).

While Mikel Arteta’s Gunners currently hold the edge at the top of the table, both fanbases now have plenty of fuel to argue that the 2026 title is being heavily shaped by the VAR booth.