The Premier League shortlists for November have been published, highlighting individual runs that shaped the month.

Newcastle United winger Harvey Barnes closed November with three goals, two of which arrived in the win over Manchester City. Everton midfielder Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall delivered a memorable strike against Manchester United, also scoring against Newcastle and providing an assist against Fulham. Manchester City winger Jérémy Doku produced one of the season’s most eye-catching individual displays as he demolished Liverpool and helped Pep Guardiola’s side remain competitive in the title race.

Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes finished November with four assists, creating goals against Nottingham Forest, Tottenham Hotspur and Crystal Palace. Morgan Gibbs-White enjoyed a three-game scoring streak for Nottingham Forest, firing home against Man Utd, Leeds United and in the away victory at Liverpool.

Chelsea defender Reece James featured in all four of the Blues’ Premier League matches in November. His assist in the 1–1 draw with Arsenal capped off a truly stunning individual showing in a month which yielded a total of three clean sheets. Arsenal’s Declan Rice added attacking impetus with a goal against Burnley and an assist in the north London derby win over Tottenham Hotspur.

Brentford striker Igor Thiago continued his hot form, adding five goals across November with strikes against Newcastle, Brighton & Hove Albion and Burnley among them.

Managers with strong cases included Mikel Arteta after Arsenal’s unbeaten month, which produced wins over Burnley and Tottenham as well as draws with Sunderland and Chelsea. Unai Emery’s Aston Villa won three of four and emerged as outside contenders in the title race. Pep Guardiola’s Man City scored a league-high 10 goals in November, including the victory over Liverpool. Fabian Hürzeler’s Brighton & Hove Albion conceded once in four games, producing wins over Leeds, Brentford and Nottingham Forest. Chelsea went unbeaten under Enzo Maresca with three wins and a draw. Marco Silva’s Fulham recorded three wins over Wolves, Sunderland and Tottenham.

Recent monthly winners: Jack Grealish (Everton, August), Erling Haaland (Man City, September), Bryan Mbeumo (Man Utd, October). Recent manager winners: Arne Slot (Liverpool, August), Oliver Glasner (Crystal Palace, September), Ruben Amorim (Man Utd, October).

Televised replays have long provoked strong views. “If the videotape shows it’s a penalty then all the worse for the videotape,” the Brazilian writer Nelson Rodrigues declared, before adding, “The videotape is stupid.” That scepticism underpins a simple thought experiment: recalculating the season on the basis that on-pitch decisions stood and every penalty overturned by VAR would have been scored.

The exercise is imperfect — disallowed goals and overturned calls change game dynamics — but it offers a clear measure of Stockley Park’s influence. At the summit, Arsenal would still lead on 26 points while Manchester City remain on 22. Bournemouth, however, climb dramatically: the Cherries go from ninth at the international break to third with 20 points, a rise driven in part by Jean-Philippe Mateta’s opening goal at Selhurst Park being given after VAR ruled he was onside.

Liverpool also benefit under the VAR-free model. A point gained from Brentford’s penalty — awarded after VAR judged an offence to have taken place inside the area and converted by Igor Thiago — would turn a 3–2 defeat into a 2–2 draw and lift Liverpool to fourth on 19 points. That follows another contentious episode in which Virgil van Dijk’s goal was disallowed for an apparent offside from Andy Robertson in the loss to Manchester City; Arne Slot conceded that “that debatable decision was not why they were so convincingly beaten.”

Brighton would gain two points from a second-half penalty scrubbed off after VAR judged Georginio Rutter had dived; acting under the assumption that Danny Welbeck would have converted, Brighton rise five places in the table.

Chelsea are among the biggest beneficiaries of VAR so far. Early-season interventions saw Eberechi Eze have a free-kick ruled out and Fulham punished by decisions at Stamford Bridge, including a disallowed Josh King goal and a penalty awarded after Michael Salisbury’s VAR call. Without those interventions Chelsea would be three points worse off and drop from third to ninth, prompting Marco Silva to call the decisions “unbelievable.”

This VAR-free table is a rough indicator, not a definitive history, but it underlines how a handful of interventions have reshaped the early standings.

Erling Haaland has set the early benchmark in the 2025–26 Premier League Golden Boot race, combining a prolific start with Manchester City and a clear intent to reclaim the award. After back-to-back Haaland wins and Mohamed Salah returning to the top of the scoring charts last season, expectations were high for another duel between the two forwards. At present Haaland sits on 14 goals from 11 games and is operating at a remarkable rate. At this rate (1.27 goals per game), Haaland will beat his record from 2022–23.

Behind him a group of opportunistic and improving forwards are hunting the prize. Brentford’s Igor Thiago, signed as an Ivan Toney replacement, has shown a poacher’s instinct with eight goals in 11 games. The Brazilian is not the facilitating presence Toney was, but his finishing has delivered returns for the Bees.

A trio share six goals apiece after 11 matches. Jean Philippe-Mateta’s exploits in south London earned him a long-awaited call-up to the French national team at the age of 28. A proper Barclaysman who arrived far too late to be officially labelled one, Mateta enjoyed an excellent scoring season in 2024–25 and notched his second Premier League hat-trick during Crystal Palace’s dramatic 3–3 draw with Bournemouth in October.

Danny Welbeck, now working under Fabian Hürzeler, had never reached double figures in a Premier League season until the coach arrived. After scoring ten times in the league for Brighton & Hove Albion last season, Welbeck looks poised to improve on that tally in 2025–26 and there have been whispers of an England recall after last featuring for his country in 2018.

Antoine Semenyo has been a standout for Bournemouth despite a couple of quiet outings and a missed penalty in Bournemouth’s 4–0 defeat at Aston Villa. The powerful, versatile winger has shown fierce striking ability from both feet.

The recent history of the award underscores its competitiveness: 2024–25 Mohamed Salah 29; 2023–24 Erling Haaland 27; 2022–23 Erling Haaland 26; 2021–22 Son Heung-min & Mohamed Salah 23; 2020–21 Harry Kane 23. With Haaland’s current form and a cluster of challengers close behind, the Golden Boot race remains one of the season’s most compelling storylines.