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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
Sport
Matt Verri

Chelsea are big winners from VAR errors as new data shows Arsenal mistakes

There was controversy when Chelsea played Arsenal in November - (AFP via Getty Images)

Chelsea have benefitted from VAR errors more than any other Premier League side this season.

The Premier League's Key Match Incidents (KMI) Panel meets every week to analyse refereeing decisions and their data has been revealed by BBC Sport.

At the halfway stage of the season, there have been 13 errors made involving VAR, up from ten at this stage last term.

Of those mistakes, 11 are missed interventions where the referee should have been advised to change his decision, and the other two are incorrect interventions.

Three of those 13 errors benefitted Chelsea.

That includes Fulham having Josh King's goal ruled out at Stamford Bridge for what was deemed to be a foul by Rodrigo Muniz on Trevoh Chalobah.

Josh King's goal against Chelsea was ruled out for what was deemed to be a foul by Rodrigo Muniz (Getty Images)

Looking back on that incident, the panel said the “contact is normal” and the goal should have stood.

It was also decided that there should have been a VAR intervention in Chelsea's defeat to Brighton when Malo Gusto raised a foot and made contact with Yankuba Minteh's head.

The third incident involving Chelsea came in their draw with Brighton. The panel believed that VAR should have intervened to award a penalty against Gusto for handball.

On the day, Craig Pawson was on VAR duties and he felt the ball had hit Gusto too high on the arm to be handball, but the panel suggested it made contact with the 'red zone' of his arm.

Other mistakes have included the decision not to send Cristian Romero off for bringing down Brentford's Igor Thiago when he was the last man. The Spurs captain escaped without even a foul being given.

According to the panel, Arsenal were fortunate to not give away a penalty against Everton last month. It was felt that William Saliba's challenge on Thierno Barry should have led to a VAR intervention.

William Saliba was fortunate not to concede a penalty for a challenge on Thierno Barry (Getty Images)

There has been a 17.54 per cent drop in interventions this season, down from 57 to 47.

The panel also found there to be 15 on-field mistakes which did not meet the threshold for a VAR intervention.

Those included the decision to award Arsenal a penalty against Leeds for a foul on Max Dowman, as well as Enzo Fernandez not being deemed offside and interfering with play for Trevoh Chalobah's goal against Arsenal.

Missed second yellow cards were also considered and there were found to be five such incidents.

One of those was Mikel Merino for Arsenal at home to Aston Villa, with the panel believing the Spaniard was fortunate to not be dismissed.

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