The 2025/26 Premier League season shows how a single distant review can alter outcomes and, cumulatively, the shape of the table. Arsenal have gained five points from VAR interventions and would still lead the division without video review, but by a much narrower margin. With VAR Arsenal sit on 79 points; without it they would have 74.

Manchester City have seen only one fixture materially affected by a VAR overturn. In January they were awarded a first-half penalty which Erling Haaland converted at home to Brighton & Hove Albion. Brighton’s Kaoru Mitoma later scored what would have been a match-winner but the VAR correctly identified a blatant trip from Diego Gómez on Jérémy Doku, turning three points into one for the champions.

Brighton are the side most disadvantaged by VAR this term. They would be seven points better off without it and would sit above Liverpool and Aston Villa in the top four. Opponents have been awarded three penalties on VAR reviews against Brighton, while the Seagulls were denied a spot kick in a goalless draw with Crystal Palace. They have also had two potential equalizers overturned by delayed offside checks.

Bournemouth have also been hindered by video review, provoking repeated objections from Andoni Iraola, who remarked: “We have very short sleeves,” he bizarrely pointed out. The Basque coach has questioned where officials draw the line on handball decisions.

Liverpool and Manchester United would show the same points totals regardless of VAR. For Liverpool, however, perceptions of inconsistency persist. “I don’t think it’s a surprise to anyone this season that if there’s a VAR intervention or if there’s something that could be left or right [50-50] then the decision goes against us,” the Liverpool manager fumed after his side conceded a controversial goal at the hands of United’s Benjamin Šeško . Recent weeks, though, have seen VAR both penalise and aid the Reds with overturned calls and flagged offside goals.

Only Sunderland have benefited more from VAR than Arsenal. Key interventions for the Gunners came across three matches. Some decisions, such as the disallowed Callum Wilson goal for West Ham, are widely accepted as correct; others remain contested, including events in Arsenal’s 1–0 win over Everton where the Key Match Incidents panel found Everton were wrongly denied a penalty.

With the Premier League reaching its final two matchweeks, four clubs remain firmly involved in the fight for Champions League qualification. Liverpool sit fourth on 59 points, Aston Villa are a point behind on 58 with a game in hand, while Bournemouth (55) and Brighton & Hove Albion (53) are not out of the equation and have two games remaining.

Liverpool are in the strongest position. A victory in either of their remaining matches would secure a top-five finish. The Reds must overcome Aston Villa at Villa Park in one of those fixtures and would then close the campaign at home to Brentford if qualification is not sealed in the Midlands. A draw at Villa Park could be sufficient depending on results elsewhere.

Aston Villa remain central to how the race unfolds. Villa travel to Burnley this Sunday and then host Liverpool, before ending their season at Manchester City. Their European destiny could be affected by the Europa League final. “Should Unai Emery’s side win the Europa League final against Freiburg and then finish fifth, it means the team that comes sixth in the Premier League will also qualify for Europe’s premier competition next term.” That scenario would extend qualification to an additional league position.

Bournemouth occupy sixth and have kept their hopes alive after a recent win over Fulham. The Cherries need at least one victory from their final two games to give themselves a realistic chance of moving into the top five; back-to-back wins would greatly improve their prospects. Bournemouth head into a high-profile home game against Manchester City on May 19, followed by a trip to Nottingham Forest on May 24, which will be Andoni Iraola’s final match in charge of Forest.

Brighton remain in contention on 53 points with two matches to play. All four clubs face awkward, high-stakes fixtures and the outcome will depend on form across the remaining dates. The final stretch promises close margins, where a single result will likely decide who progresses to Europe’s elite competition next season.

Chelsea were comprehensively beaten 3-0 by Brighton & Hove Albion, a result that deepened an already alarming run of form and further damaged any realistic hopes of Champions League qualification this season. Brighton opened the scoring early and Jack Hinshelwood doubled the lead before Danny Welbeck added a stoppage-time third to complete the scoreline.

Liam Rosenior selected a cautious starting XI that included five natural defenders and two defensive midfielders after injuries to João Pedro and Cole Palmer limited attacking options. The conservative set-up failed to offer the intended defensive solidity, with Brighton finding the net inside three minutes and threatening even earlier. Brighton produced 1.31 xG in the first 20 minutes, the second-highest total in that timeframe this Premier League season, and had six total shots by the 20-minute mark, four on target and two clear big chances missed.

Chelsea managed an xG of 0.04 from one blocked shot in the first half, a figure described in the match report as generous. Match statistics list Brighton with 2.17 expected goals and Chelsea with 0.38, possession at 54% to 46% and total shots 15 to 6 in Brighton’s favour. The Blues have now failed to score in five consecutive Premier League matches and have not kept a clean sheet in 12 league games in a row. The defeat leaves Chelsea overtaken by Brighton in the standings and with the possibility of dropping out of the top 10 by their next league fixture.

Individual displays were mixed but generally poor. Robert Sánchez (6.4) made an important early save but produced distribution described as terrible and committed an error averted only by Trevoh Chalobah’s goal-line clearance. Wesley Fofana (6.5) was substituted at half time after a difficult opening spell. Alejandro Garnacho (5.6) squandered chances after coming on at the interval, while substitutes Dário Essugo (6.0) and Marc Guiu (6.4) did little to alter the outcome.

The performance was judged by the report as one of the worst under the BlueCo ownership era, and Rosenior’s position on Chelsea’s touchline was described as potentially precarious if results do not improve.