5 of the most controversial VAR calls of 2020 so far | Premier League 2019-20

VAR has been a huge talking point throughout the 2019-20 season in the Premier League, with seemingly every gameweek featuring at least one or two controversial calls that have fans wanting to bang their heads against a wall.

And if people thought things would get better after the turn of the year – with Premier League officials now more familiar with the system – it’s probably time to think again. Since the start of 2020, we’ve seen more and more massively questionable VAR decisions, some arguably even more baffling than the worst of 2019.

Here are the 5 most controversial VAR calls in the Premier League since the start of 2020.

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#1 Jack Grealish’s goal called offside – Aston Villa vs Burnley, 1st January 2020

Jack Grealish saw a goal controversially ruled out against Burnley

New Year’s Day saw one of the most controversial VAR calls of the year thus far as strugglers Aston Villa headed to Turf Moor to take on Burnley in a key match for them following their loss to Watford a couple of days beforehand.

Villa got off to the perfect start when Jack Grealish headed Ezri Konsa’s cross home after just 11 minutes, but there was to be a sting in the tail for Dean Smith’s side. In a baffling call, VAR decided that the goal should be disallowed due to a bizarre offside; striker Wesley’s heel was apparently millimetres ahead of James Tarkowski’s, despite the Brazilian not being involved in the goal whatsoever.

Thankfully for the Villains, the disallowed goal had no effect on the game’s result; goals from Wesley and Grealish gave them a 0-2 lead going into half-time and they were able to hold on for a vital win despite Chris Wood’s late consolation. Regardless though, the offside call was definitely one of the worst of 2019-20.

#2 Glenn Murray’s dodgy goal allowed – West Ham vs Brighton, 1st February 2020

Glenn Murray's goal against West Ham was strangely allowed despite a clear handball

David Moyes’ West Ham must’ve figured they had 3 points in the bag when they took a two-goal lead against Brighton at the London Stadium on February 1st, especially when Robert Snodgrass almost immediately gave them a third goal after an Angelo Ogbonna own goal pulled one back for the Seagulls early in the second half.

A goal from Pascal Gross showed that Graham Potter’s side weren’t quite done, though, and then just minutes later, it looked like Brighton had an equaliser when Glenn Murray fired in from close range. It came as no surprise, though, when the goal was disallowed; a replay seemed to confirm that the veteran striker had controlled the ball with his right hand.

In a truly crazy call, though – despite the laws of the game supposedly stating that any contact between the ball and a forward’s hand would mean a disallowed goal – VAR overruled referee Michael Oliver and allowed the goal to stand.

Moyes somehow didn’t seem too aggrieved with VAR after the game – he was more angry with his players – but he probably should’ve made more fuss, especially as similar goals such as Gabriel Jesus’ against Tottenham earlier in the season had been ruled out.

#3 Clear penalty decision takes forever – Tottenham Hotspur vs Manchester City, 2nd February 2020

VAR took nearly 4 minutes to award Sergio Aguero a penalty against Tottenham despite Aurier's blatant foul

Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City were dominating in their match against Tottenham Hotspur on February 2nd, but simply couldn’t find a way through to goal despite having plenty of chances. However, with about 10 minutes to go in the first half, it appeared that they’d been handed the perfect opportunity; a sloppy challenge by Serge Aurier saw Sergio Aguero crash to the ground inside the penalty area.

Referee Mike Dean initially waved off the penalty claims, feeling that Aurier had played the ball, but it seemed clear to even a blind man that the Ivorian had fouled Aguero and thus VAR would overrule the official. Somehow though, it took an incredible four minutes – with the game continuing on – for the system to come to the obvious conclusion and award the spot-kick.

In the end Ilkay Gundogan missed the penalty and Tottenham went onto record a surprising 2-0 win, but it’s hard to imagine what might’ve happened had either side scored while the VAR system was still working out whether or not to award the spot-kick. Quite why VAR took so long is anyone’s guess, but this was perhaps the most ridiculous amount of time taken to come to an obvious conclusion that we’ve seen all season.

#4 Questionable offside denies Boly a winner – Wolves vs Leicester City, 14th February 2020

Willy Boly's header against Leicester was ruled out due to a controversial offside call

The Valentine’s Day clash between Wolves and Leicester was a highly anticipated game for fans, who were likely expecting at least a couple of goals from two of the Premier League’s best sides. Surprisingly, the game ended 0-0, but in reality, Nuno Espirito Santo’s side were unfairly denied a winner by a ridiculous VAR call.

A clever short corner routine between Pedro Neto and Diogo Jota ended with defender Willy Boly heading home, but a minute after Wolves’ celebrations had ended, the goal was chalked off for an offside. The offending player? Neto, apparently, as his foot had strayed off after taking the short corner – again by seemingly a matter of millimetres.

Quite how the VAR official had come to that conclusion is difficult to say; it would’ve honestly been tricky for Neto to be onside given the speed of the short corner and the strict nature of the system being used, but either way, the Midlands side were robbed of a completely fair goal and were arguably cheated out of a vital win in their quest for Champions League football.

#5 Harry Maguire avoids a red card – Chelsea vs. Manchester United, 17th February 2020

Harry Maguire somehow escaped a red card against Chelsea - and then went onto score a goal for Manchester United in the same game

Perhaps no other game this season was affected more by VAR than Chelsea’s 0-2 loss to Manchester United at Stamford Bridge this week. The Blues had two goals ruled out under questionable circumstances, particularly Kurt Zouma’s first half finish – which was chalked off due to an apparent push on Brandon Williams from Cezar Azpilicueta, despite Fred pushing the Spaniard first – but the worst moment was almost certainly the incident involving United captain Harry Maguire.

The defender was involved in a chase for the ball with Chelsea striker Michy Batshuayi, and after he won the ball, a nudge from the Belgian sent him sliding off the pitch. Batshuayi’s momentum took him the same way, and as he stumbled towards Maguire, it appeared that the England man lashed out with his right foot to kick him in the groin.

It seemed like a clear and obvious red card offence – particularly as Tottenham’s Son Heung Min had been dismissed for a similar kick-out against Frank Lampard’s side in December – but in a baffling call, somehow VAR decided the incident didn’t even warrant a booking.

The controversial call then ended up coming back to haunt Lampard later in the game; Maguire popped up at a second half corner to head United’s second goal home, putting the game beyond Chelsea. To make matters even more confusing, the referee for the game was none other than Anthony Taylor – the same man who had sent Son off in December!