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Chelsea got their goal and then had some fortune. If both were overdue, it came as a great relief for Mauricio Pochettino, who got just his second win since returning to the Premier League with this comfortable 2-0 victory over neighbours Fulham in the west London derby. It may just be one night in Chelsea’s long road back to where they want to be under the former Tottenham manager, but there was enough here to suggest that something is finally starting to come together in this young side – not least because of the identity and resilience of their goalscorers at Craven Cottage. Mykhailo Mudryk got his first for Chelsea at long last, amid much criticism of his performances since an £88m transfer from Shakhtar Donetsk, while Armando Broja marked his return from injury and first start in 11 months by doubling Chelsea’s lead in the space of two first-half minutes. Mudryk was rewarded for his perseverance and it was somewhat fitting that the winger ended Chelsea’s goal drought in the Premier League while also breaking his own personal duck. If Pochettino will hope it is the moment that gives the 22-year-old the platform and confidence to show his true potential, he too was rewarded for continuing to give Mudryk the opportunity on what was his fourth consecutive start. Chelsea hardly turned a corner against Fulham, but Pochettino’s display of faith and patience is what the club will need to get there. After all, it had not been easy for Mudryk. “It’s about maturity, adaptation,” Pochettino said. “We need to understand that young people need time, need to settle.” It was a reminder that Mudryk’s difficult start at Cheslea can also be put down to wider issues at the club. Mudryk joined a bloated squad last season and a dressing room that could not even fit all of their first-team players. It was hardly an environment where he could arrive and be the “cherry on the cake”, as Pochettino explained. “It’s about time and to have patience, to trust these guys and these young, talented players, and to build their confidence,” Pochettino continued. His proven record of developing young players suggests the Argentine arrived at just the right time for Mudryk. Because there is a player there, even as the Ukrainian’s flashes come in raw, untamed bursts of speed, his legs and boots often whirring ahead of the brain. But against Fulham there was also, finally, the touch of class at the end, in the moment that unlocked the match and released the pressure on the visitors. Mudryk was typically electric yet erratic in the opening 10 minutes, running the ball out of play on the left before lashing a wild shot wide after cutting in from the wing; he was taunted by the Fulham fans in the Hammersmith End with chants of “what a waste of money”, and could have allowed his head to drop. But if the forward’s decision-making around the box looked to be in question again, Mudryk then provided the sharp touch from Levi Colwill’s clever ball into his path before finishing under Bernd Leno. With it, Mudryk had his first goal since his last appearance in the Ukrainian top flight almost 11 months ago, and after a goalless September, Chelsea had their first in the Premier League since a 3-0 win against Luton in August, as well as a rare away win. After a spell of almost 300 minutes without a goal, the second then came in a matter of seconds, and in this final fixture of the weekend there was room for one more “significant human error”. This time, though, it was Fulham captain Tim Ream who passed straight out to the impressive Cole Palmer, and whose efforts to clear instead saw the ball cannon off Broja’s foot and past Leno. Chelsea will argue that their slice of good fortune had been coming; Pochettino’s side had arrived at Craven Cottage as the Premier League’s great xG underperformers, with more big chances missed than anyone this season, but this was the night where their luck perhaps started to turn. Pochettino’s team were the brightest before the goal and for once they had quickly built a lead to settle on. It allowed for a night of positivity – Chelsea needed a win after making their worst start to a top-flight season in 45 years, but Pochettino will be more encouraged by some of the displays in his young, although expensively assembled, side. Palmer, in particular, stood out on his first Premier League start for Chelsea, his left foot all deft touches and clever, slipped passes through the lines. In for Raheem Sterling, who was on the bench due to illness, the £40m signing from Manchester City has laid a claim to be the brightest of Chelsea’s many summer recruits and produced the pass that led to Broja’s goal. In midfield, Enzo Fernandez and Conor Gallagher, the player of the match, functioned well ahead of the record signing Moises Caicedo, who shielded and screened to allow the other two to burst and drive. As a collective, they outworked and dominated Fulham’s midfield trio of Joao Palhinha, Harrison Reed and Andreas Pereira, which does not happen often. Fulham, though, were well below what was required on their big night. After finishing above Chelsea last season, they came into this west London derby feeling as confident as they had done before this fixture in a generation. But Marco Silva’s side were blunt in attack and far too open at the back – it took until the hour for substitute Carlos Vinicius to threaten Chelsea’s patched-up defence for the first time when he headed over the bar from close range. Moments later, Chelsea could have been out of sight. Ian Maatsen, who replaced Mudryk - off due to a minor know - at the break, struck the inside of the post with a first-time effort from Gallagher’s cut-back before Fernandez’s shot was blocked by Leno. Robert Sanchez made his first saves when the Chelsea goalkeeper kept out another Vinicius header and then raised his foot to deny Fulham substitute Saka Lukic, who should have scored from six yards late on. It would have made for a tense finish, but after a difficult start to the season, Chelsea had earned themselves a break. Read More The Premier League now faces a credibility ‘crisis’ – and latest VAR farce is just the tip Jamie Carragher believes VAR at ‘crisis point’ in Premier League Frank Lampard explains why he is ‘not surprised’ by Chelsea’s struggles Mauricio Pochettino’s faith in Mykhailo Mudryk is exactly what Chelsea need Mauricio Pochettino vows to continue to show belief in Chelsea’s young stars Frank Lampard explains why he is ‘not surprised’ by Chelsea’s struggles

Raphael Varane has won the Champions League more often than Manchester United have. Which, given Europe’s importance to United’s identity, is an indication of the Frenchman’s success in his time at Real Madrid. It ought to mean few are more qualified to discuss what it takes the secure the club game’s most prestigious prize. And, on the face of it, United scarcely look candidates. Languishing 10th in the Premier League, defeated in their last two top-flight games at Old Trafford and fortunate to only be beaten 4-3 by Bayern Munich in their Champions League opener this season, they have not reached the competition’s semi-final since Sir Alex Ferguson retired. They have only progressed to two quarter-finals in the subsequent 10 years: once under David Moyes, once with an almost surreal conclusion to a visit to Paris Saint-Germain under then caretaker Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Neither their stuttering start to the season nor their decade of disappointment bodes well but Varane argued they can win the competition. “I think so, yes,” he said. And if he is compelled to talk up his team, a quadruple Champions League winner sounded more bullish than he needed to. “It’s not the start of the season we expected but I still believe we have the quality enough to compete with the best teams in the world,” he said. “I think we have the quality in the squad to play and to win that competition.” And if individuals’ credentials are examined, he may have a point. Varane is not even the most decorated member of the current United squad. Casemiro has five winner’s medals from his Real Madrid career. Mason Mount is proof a team does not have to start a season well to end it champions of Europe: Chelsea were ninth in England when Thomas Tuchel was appointed in January 2021 but he set up Kai Havertz’s final winner. Andre Onana’s last game for Internazionale was June’s final against City. Manager Erik ten Hag was a kick of the ball away from steering Ajax to the 2019 final. As Tottenham went through, Christian Eriksen instead played in it. Perhaps, though, that illustrates the issue with United: they can be less than the sum of their parts. That has been the case so far, in part because some of those components are missing: United have actually won four of the six games in which Varane has featured this season and lost all three he has missed. Nearly all of their finest victories under Ten Hag have come with the Frenchman partnered with Lisandro Martinez, but now the Argentinian is out until December. Varane argued a defence that has conceded 15 times in all competitions this season has not been the problem; that may flatter him and his colleagues, given that their statistics for shots against and xGA are those of a mid-table team. United scored three goals from four attempts on target in Munich but they have been profligate in the Premier League. Varane feels the key to success in Europe lies in being more clinical. “I think that competition is about details, and you have to be efficient to win that competition,” he added. “In the last weeks, I think what we can improve is to be more efficient in front of the goals, with a very low number of occasions we concede goals. We need to create a lot to score, so that’s the reality of the top level. You have to be efficient to win big trophies.” And United have not been efficient in the Premier League. They have seven goals from 109 shots this season. Marcus Rashford’s return of just one from 28 is an issue for the joint top scorer in last year’s Europa League, but he is not alone. Bruno Fernandes has two goals – one a penalty – from 20 shots, Casemiro, the top scorer in all competitions, one from 14, Alejandro Garnacho none from 10, Rasmus Hojlund none from seven, though he has also scored in Europe. Antony’s impending return may not help: the Brazilian has had 11 efforts, with only two on target and no goals. Better finishing would help; but United’s general performance level is scarcely that of a side who look the best among the best in Europe. They have overcome few elite teams in months: not since Aston Villa in April, while their last major scalp was Newcastle in February’s Carabao Cup final. And as Varane knows from personal experience, conquering Europe involves beating some of the best: in his four successful campaigns, Real eliminated Bayern Munich and Atletico Madrid three times each in the knockout stages, Juventus twice and Borussia Dortmund, Roma, Napoli, Manchester City and Liverpool once apiece. Could this United do something similar? It feels unlikely but Varane has a formula for glory. “You have to take care of every detail, but we have a team with quality, with a good mentality and we have to make some improvements,” he said. But a lot of improvements are required. Read More Marcus Rashford’s form has become the latest symptom of Manchester United’s struggles Mason Mount aware Man Utd must improve after stuttering start to the season Erik ten Hag loses signature strength as mediocre Manchester United’s revival proves a false dawn The key questions behind Manchester United’s poor start to the season Erik ten Hag concerned by Manchester United’s mounting injury problems Champions League faces future rival as Saudi Arabia looks to transform Club World Cup

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Manchester City legend Francis Lee has died at the age of 79, the club has confirmed. Lee is widely regarded as one of City’s greatest players of all time, having scored 148 goals in 330 appearances for the club in a trophy-laden eight-year spell between 1967 and 1974 that saw them claim one First Division title, one FA Cup, one League Cup, a European Cup Winners’ Cup and two Charity Shields. He also earned 27 caps for England, scoring 10 goals, and enjoyed further trophy success at Derby County after leaving City, helping the Rams to the league title in 1975. Man City confirmed his passing in a club statement: “It is with the deepest sadness and heaviest of hearts we announce the passing of former Manchester City player and chairman Francis Lee, aged 79. “Franny passed away in the early hours of this [Monday] morning after a long battle with cancer. His wife Gill and children Charlotte, Jonny and Nik say he will be sorely missed and would like to thank everyone for their kind words. “Everyone at Manchester City would like to send their condolences to the friends and family of Francis at this very difficult time. As a mark of respect, flags around the Etihad Stadium and City Football Academy are flying at half-mast.” Lee had begun his career with Bolton Wanderers before Manchester City manager Joe Mercer signed him for a club-record transfer fee of £60,000 in 1967. He also made history at Mexico in 1970 where he became the first England player to receive a card at a World Cup. After his playing career finished Lee ran a successful toilet roll business, becoming a millionaire, and returned to Man City as club chairman in 1994, spending four years at the helm. In the 2016 New Year Honours list, he was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for services to football and charity. Lee’s first club Bolton posted their condolences on X, formerly Twitter, stating: “All at Bolton Wanderers are saddened to learn of the passing of former forward, Francis Lee. The thoughts of everyone at the club are with Francis’ family, friends and loved ones at this difficult time.” Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher, who is a big Man City fan, also posted on X: “FRANNY LEE RIP”. “Former Liverpool, Nottingham Forest and England striker Stan Collymore – who now works as a football pundit – also expressed his sorrow at Lee’s passing. He wrote: “Sending sincerest condolences to the family and friends of Franny Lee. Had some lovely chats over the years on here and at City where he rightly had his status acknowledged by the club over the years. Another legend gone too soon. Rest in peace, Franny.” Recent City captain Vincent Kompany wrote on X that he was “Saddened to hear of the passing of Francis Lee today, aged 79. I had the honour of meeting him and speaking to him on more than a few occasions and will cherish these moments”. Another City stalwart Paul Dickov wrote: “A gentleman, proper football man with a great sense of humour. The main reason I signed for @ManCity with his sheer love for the club & will be forever grateful.” Read More Chelsea finally catch a break as Mykhailo Mudryk gets his moment Sir Jim Ratcliffe reportedly considering minority stake bid for Manchester United Premier League now faces a credibility ‘crisis’ after latest VAR farce Chelsea finally catch a break as Mykhailo Mudryk gets his moment Sir Jim Ratcliffe reportedly considering minority stake bid for Manchester United Premier League now faces a credibility ‘crisis’ after latest VAR farce

Jamie Carragher believes that VAR is at a “crisis point” in the Premier League after the shocking error that occurred in the game between Liverpool and Tottenham on Saturday. Liverpool have made a formal request for the audio recording between officials, and PGMOL were forced to issue an apology for a “significant human error” after Luis Diaz scored in the first half only to see the offside flag raised to rule out the goal. “I don’t think the feeling around VAR has ever been lower. I really feel like this is almost a crisis point for VAR in this country,” Carragher said on Sky Sports. “It’s not just on the back of this decision, it’s what’s been happening all over this season. On the first Monday Night Football there was a situation with Wolves at Manchester United.” The Liverpool situation was even more chaotic when it was revealed VAR official Darren England drew lines to check for offside and determined Diaz was on side, but failed to realise the on-field referee Simon Hooper and his assistant officials had initially ruled the goal out for offside. The “check complete” decision then instead of awarding the goal, gave the go-ahead for a restart with a Tottenham free-kick, ruling out Liverpool’s legitimate lead. “I don’t want to pile on an official – or Howard Webb because I imagine they feel absolutely awful the last couple of days,” Carragher continued. “And I’m not into the conspiracy theories about this one favours this team or this one favours that – no one gains anything from this. “We’ve all been there and made mistakes, so we all feel for them but it was a horrendous mistake that isn’t unprecedented and you can’t quite believe the explanation that’s being given. “The bit on this that I’m really struggling with is…the mistake has been made and then play restarts.” Read More Liverpool request VAR audio of match-altering Luis Diaz goal decision Liverpool seek clarification about disallowed goal before deciding on next move The Premier League now faces a credibility ‘crisis’ – and latest VAR farce is just the tip

An organised network recruited men for sex with Abercrombie & Fitch’s then-CEO - BBC investigation.

Liverpool have made a formal request to receive the recording between officials from the weekend defeat to Tottenham Hotspur, while internal discussions have taken place within the Professional Game Match Officials Limited [PGMOL] over when to release the audio file. While it is now expected that will eventually happen, there has been a growing pressure to do so sooner rather than later. That all comes amid disquiet among some of the other Premier League clubs over the strength of Liverpool’s statement. Refereeing body PGMOL were forced to issue an apology for a “significant human error” after Luis Diaz scored in the first half, only to see the offside flag go up to rule out his strike. What has since followed can only be described as one of the more chaotic and improbable scenarios in the Premier League since the introduction of the video technology, as it was revealed VAR official Darren England drew lines to check for offside and determined Diaz was actually onside - but failed to realise that on-field referee Simon Hooper and his assistant officials had initially ruled the goal out for offside. That meant they relayed a “check complete” decision, intending to mean a goal, but actually giving the go-ahead for a restart with a Tottenham free-kick, thus leaving Liverpool without a perfectly legitimate 1-0 lead in a match where they ended up having two sent-off and lost 2-1 late on. The Anfield club released a statement saying “sporting integrity [was] undermined” and that they would “explore the range of options [...] for escalation and resolution” - with their first step now being to now formally request to PGMOL for the audio between officials to be released to them. The Independent has been told that there have been internal discussions over whether to publish the audio as early as Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football broadcast for the match between Fulham and Chelsea. There is a feeling the matter will only be settled once the recording is released, although one counter-argument is that a full review should take place first. A number of officials at other Premier League clubs are expressing increased disgruntlement about the controversy, with a growing feeling that Liverpool should just accept that mistakes happen to get on with it like everyone else has. While there was initial sympathy for the Anfield club about the scale of the error, the strength of the subsequent statement perturbed other executives. Among the reasons for that were a feeling that it could “open a can of worms” that sees every decision disputed in a way that sport can’t function, a suspicion that this could see referees pressured, and the basic idea that “it is what it is”. Other clubs have been privately stating that they have lost points and millions of pounds in prize money due to refereeing decisions, but they have accepted that’s just the nature of the game. None of this has yet led to significant backlash or open debate, but it is a sentiment that has been growing. As was reflected in Liverpool’s statement, the Anfield club would argue that the scale of the error for the Diaz offside warrants greater transparency, and that it is for the better of the game as a whole. Read More Every VAR apology so far: From Liverpool offside to Man City handball More VAR disapproval as Nottingham Forest and Brentford both berate decisions Bizarre reason why Liverpool goal wrongly ruled out by VAR revealed

By Saturday evening, as has become protocol but also a frustrating norm, Howard Webb felt he had no choice but to apologise to Liverpool for the Luis Diaz decision. Jurgen Klopp might well repeat the question as to who that actually helps, but a failure to communicate such a sentiment would have made it worse. That’s partly because it is actually a failure of communication that is at the core of the controversy, which now poses a genuine credibility crisis for the Premier League. "It's an image problem," as one involved figure put it, with Liverpool themselves describing the situation as “unacceptable” in an unprecedented statement. Because, for all the focus on the nature of VAR, this is an issue that really comes down to basic human error. The details at the root of the story, though, are remarkable. If we are to take the referees’ body Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL)’s explanation at face value – that this represented a “momentary lapse in concentration” – the VAR didn’t actually know what it was supposed to be looking at. Darren England and Dan Cook thought they were checking whether a goal should stand, rather than an offside call as referee Simon Hooper ruled, which was partly why the decision was made so quickly. It ended up creating the farcical situation that a communication of “check complete” led to a fair strike being wrongly disallowed in a completely preventable fashion. After that, how was it that play was allowed to proceed, given those involved would have had immediate knowledge that this was wrong? The IFAB rules dictate that play cannot be called back once it has resumed, but was no one watching in the meantime? Would hasty shouts not have been made as soon as they saw Spurs shaping to take the free kick? It has since emerged that the VAR and fourth official team of England, Cook and Michael Oliver were officiating a game in the UAE Pro League as late as Thursday evening, which has raised fair questions within the game over fatigue was a potential explanation for that “momentary lapse in concentration”. Whatever the reason, it has created a credibility crisis, to go with much wider-reaching controversies like the unresolved Financial Fair Play cases involving Manchester City and Everton. That is all the worse for the Premier League since this is an issue the competition prides itself on and is seen as a significant factor in its status as the most popular league in the world. Fans could trust what they were seeing. Instead, this latest controversy also comes on the back of a long-term and increasing hostility and suspicion of VAR from a significant part of football's support. It was for this reason that Webb was recently brought in as PGMOL chief in the first place, and many within the game say he has been gradually realising the scale of the challenge. Hostility to VAR goes hand in hand with a widely perceived “crisis” in the level of refereeing, which is commonly cited as the worst in years. It should be stressed that this is all in circumstances where officials are under far more scrutiny than ever before. There are more cameras to reveal every element of a decision – and whether they should have taken a different one – in a manner that was unimaginable in the supposed golden days right up to the mid-2000s. Even Klopp acknowledged the extreme “pressure” on officials, which undoubtedly plays into errors that they obviously don’t make “on purpose”, as the Liverpool manager put it. Discussions such as this should never go without mentioning how the real crisis with refereeing is at lower levels, and the scale of the abuse they receive. It has undeniably affected the talent pool at the top, and there is a bigger debate to be had over whether it should be a better-remunerated profession to match both the talent they are overseeing and their necessity in getting the game played. The introduction of VAR itself was nevertheless supposed to be a remedy for all of this and – at its core – an “aid” for referees. It has instead had the inadvertent effect of making all discussion much more poisonous and pressurised. That comes from a disconnect between the implied expectation and stated intention of VAR, the actual application and the communication. The very nature of the technology has created an expectation of perfection, even though it was only ever supposed to improve accuracy to around 98 per cent. This has happened, but the fundamental problem is that the remaining 2 per cent tend to be hugely high-profile errors. That is by definition given the threshold for VAR to get involved. There has previously been very little communication on how those decisions were made, which has had the effect of only deepening suspicion among supporters. The vacuum of information inevitably leads to speculation and then to conspiracy theories. While this isn’t to say there is any legitimacy whatsoever in the latter, since the most likely explanation is always basic human error, it does have the real-world effect of further toxifying the atmosphere around refereeing. This in turn puts even more pressure on them, because their integrity is unfairly questioned. It is why the very technology of VAR has deepened this problem. Whereas error could previously have been written off as officials going off their own sight and instinct – even if the reason VAR was introduced was because of criticism of referees in the first place – they now have access to so much more technological aid. Many more fans consequently see the only possible explanation as some kind of corruption. You only have to take a glance on social media. This is why better communication is essential. Webb’s great mission has been to improve that, and he has generally done a better job, but it’s fair to say the response to Saturday made this worse. Liverpool were perplexed at how long it took for a statement to be made about the offside, the PGMOL eventually only commenting in the middle of Klopp’s post-game press conference. It was actually The Independent that made him aware of their statement, to the Liverpool manager's increased bemusement. The explanation that the VAR actually checked for the wrong call then came even later, as it felt like every development deepened the crisis. There are at least a number of logical steps that can be taken to address that. One of those is not to just remove VAR, since this is a non-starter that goes way beyond England and up to Fifa. It is here to stay. That’s also why it’s just vital that cases like this lead to improvement. One first step is to limit this extra work abroad – as England and Cook’s appointment in the UAE was within the rules and actually approved by the FA. Another is to improve the communication so there is absolutely no ambiguity. It is simple to go from “check complete” to “the decision should be a goal”, or equivalent. That also raises the most obvious solution of all. All of the communication between the referee and VAR should be made audible and accessible, so as to eliminate any ambiguity. People might still disagree with decisions, but they would at least be able to understand why they are made. That goes a long way to creating acceptance of VAR. When it was raised whether the audio from this decision would be made public, one response was that Match Officials Mic’d Up is now a monthly show so it will likely feature on that. The reality is that the Premier League could do with it coming out now, because of the number of questions that are being asked. Liverpool themselves called for the review to have “full transparency”. "This is vital for the reliability of future decision making as it applies to all clubs with learnings being used to make improvements to processes in order to ensure this kind of situation cannot occur again,” the club said. It doesn’t help that this comes amid even greater credibility questions for the Premier League, as everyone awaits the outcome of the charges against Manchester City and Everton over alleged Financial Fair Play breaches. Many of the sport’s “stakeholders” are now livid at this. Even for broadcasters, this affects the credibility of the product they put on television. That trust is what the game is founded on. In the meantime, Liverpool are exploring “the range of options available, given the clear need for escalation and resolution”. An apology, evidently, is not enough. Read More Every VAR apology so far: From Liverpool offside to Man City handball Liverpool to ‘explore options’ in response to ‘unacceptable’ VAR error VAR officials who made Liverpool error took charge of UAE match just 48 hours before Every VAR apology so far: From Liverpool offside to Man City handball More VAR disapproval as Nottingham Forest and Brentford both berate decisions Liverpool to ‘explore options’ in response to ‘unacceptable’ VAR error

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Liverpool have vowed to “explore every option available” after VAR failed to overturn Luis Diaz’s wrongly disallowed goal in Saturday’s defeat to Tottenham, in what the club described as an “unacceptable” error. The referees’ body PGMOL admitted VAR officials Darren England and Dan Cook failed to act after Diaz’s 34th-minute strike at Tottenham was wrongly ruled out for offside, with chief Howard Webb later apologising to Liverpool after the match. England and Cook were then stood down from duty from the rest of the weekend’s fixtures, while questions have also been asked after the pair took charge of a league match in the United Arab Emirates in midweek. A statement from Liverpool later read: “It is clear that the correct application of the laws of the game did not occur, resulting in sporting integrity being undermined.” While the “significant human error” was undoubtedly the biggest mistake VAR has made since its introduction to the Premier League in 2019, it was not the first time a club have received an apology from PGMOL after a game. Here’s a run-through of every major incident that has led to an apology in the past two seasons. Tottenham 2-1 Liverpool Luis Diaz’s goal for Liverpool at Tottenham was incorrectly ruled out for offside because the VAR checking the decision mistakenly thought that the on-field decision was onside. The referees’ body, PGMOL, admitted after the match that a “significant human error” was made when checking Diaz’s goal. VAR official Darren England drew the lines to check for offside and followed the process correctly to determine Diaz was onside for the goal. But in reaching their decision, the VAR team failed to realise that on-field referee Simon Hooper and his assistant officials had initially ruled the goal out for offside. Therefore, when the VAR relayed a message of “check complete” to the on-field referee, Hooper and his team disallowed Diaz’s goal and awarded a free-kick to Tottenham. Howard Webb spoke to Liverpool after the match and there was an apology from the referees’ chief. Manchester United 1-0 Wolves Wolves manager Gary O’Neil received an apology from the Premier League after his team were denied a stoppage-time penalty in their 1-0 defeat to Manchester United. Andre Onana clattered into Sasa Kalajdzic deep into time added on, but Simon Hooper did not react and VAR Michael Salisbury deemed there was no foul. Tottenham 2-1 Brighton Brighton received an apology from PGMOL due to the failure to award a spot-kick following Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg’s foul on Kaoru Mitoma. VAR official Michael Salisbury was dropped from the next round of Premier League fixtures. Brighton also had two goals disallowed in the defeat. Everton 0-1 Man City Referees’ chief Mike Riley personally apologised to Everton manager Frank Lampard for mistakes made in a 1-0 defeat to Manchester City in February 2023. Lampard blasted VAR official Chris Kavanagh for being a “professional who cannot do his job right” after the loss to the Premier League champions. Kavanagh failed to advise referee Paul Tierney over a handball by Rodri which would have given the Toffees a late chance of a penalty equaliser. Arsenal 1-1 Brentford Arsenal received an apology after Ivan Toney’s equaliser was not fully checked by VAR. Lee Mason did not fully investigate an offside call against Christian Norgaard, who provided the assist for Toney’s leveller, with no lines drawn on the screen to determine whether the Denmark international should have been penalised. Mason left PGMOL by “mutual consent” the following week. Crystal Palace 1-1 Brighton VAR John Brooks wrongly ruled out Pervis Estupinan’s opening goal after drawing the offside lines in the wrong place. The referee was then dropped from the next two Premier League fixtures. Brighton 2-1 Liverpool PGMOL accepted Fabinho should have been sent off for a challenge from behind on Brighton’s Evan Ferguson, which was only given as a yellow card despite a VAR review. Aston Villa 3-1 Manchester United A review into Lucas Digne’s free kick in Aston Villa’s win against Manchester United concluded that the defending team’s wall was positioned too far back by referee Anthony Taylor. After the defeat, Erik ten Hag said: “I think the free-kick is stoppable because the wall is too far. Okay, a small detail but details make the difference in top football.” Newcastle 0-0 Crystal Palace The PGMOL accepted Newcastle had an own goal by Crystal Palace’s Tyrick Mitchel wrongly disallowed after Joe Willock was determined to have impeded goalkeeper Vicente Guaita. Chelsea 2-1 West Ham On the same weekend, West Ham were denied a late equaliser at Stamford Bridge when Maxwel Cornet’s goal was ruled out, with Jarrod Bowen said to be impeding Edouard Mendy. PGMOL accepted the VAR had made an error - with Declan Rice saying it was “one of the worst VAR decisions since it came into the game”. Read More The Premier League now faces a credibility ‘crisis’ — and latest VAR farce is just the tip VAR officials who made Liverpool error took charge of UAE match just 48 hours before Liverpool to ‘explore options’ in response to ‘unacceptable’ VAR error More VAR disapproval as Nottingham Forest and Brentford both berate decisions Liverpool to ‘explore options’ in response to ‘unacceptable’ VAR error VAR officials who made Liverpool error took charge of UAE match just 48 hours before