The Premier League's independent Key Match Incidents panel has confirmed four further officiating blunders from fixtures played between 14 and 16 March, pushing this campaign's error count to 54.
At the corresponding juncture last term, officials had accumulated just 44 incorrect or overlooked VAR interventions, alongside on-pitch mistakes falling below the threshold for video review.
The Professional Game Match Officials body maintains that the broader trajectory remains encouraging, pointing to 70 errors recorded after 30 matches during the 2023-24 season.
Nevertheless, the latest findings will intensify scrutiny of refereeing standards as the campaign enters its final stretch.
VAR and referee errors have skyrocketed this season
|REUTERS
Three spot-kick appeals were deemed legitimate by the panel, though VAR was judged correct in declining to intervene.
At Goodison Park, Everton's Michael Keane fouled Kai Havertz inside the box without consequence, denying Arsenal a penalty.
Chelsea defender Reece James similarly escaped sanction after pulling back Newcastle's Malick Thiaw in the area during the Magpies' visit to Stamford Bridge.
Brentford also suffered when Wolverhampton's Andre held Kevin Schade without the referee awarding a spot-kick.
Crucially, neither Arsenal nor Newcastle paid the ultimate price, with both sides securing victories despite the officiating oversights.
Referees are making more errors than ever, which begs the question... has VAR failed?
|REUTERS
The Bees, however, surrendered a two-goal advantage to draw that encounter.
The fourth officiating mistake involved Leeds United's Gabriel Gudmundsson, who received an erroneous second yellow card during the goalless draw at Selhurst Park against Crystal Palace.
This particular decision fell outside VAR's remit, though such calls will become reviewable from next season.
Perhaps most concerning is that VAR errors have already reached 18 this term, matching the entire total from the previous campaign with roughly a quarter of fixtures still remaining.
That figure nonetheless compares favourably with 38 such mistakes in 2022-23 and 31 the following year.
Season-on-season comparisons reveal increases across multiple categories: missed VAR interventions have risen to 15, on-field errors to 25, and incorrect second yellow decisions to 11.
The Premier League's usage of VAR has gone downhill
| PAThe panel has yet to deliver its verdict on Manchester United's draw with Bournemouth, a match featuring three penalty decisions that sparked fresh debate about officiating standards.
Former England captain Alan Shearer offered a withering assessment on BBC Radio 5 Live: "They [referees] are too reliant on it and it's affecting the standard of refereeing now, and it's not a good look."
The statistics present a somewhat contradictory picture, with certain metrics showing improvement whilst others deteriorate.
VAR interventions have decreased from 89 to 83, which PGMO interprets as evidence of superior on-pitch decision-making meeting the intended high threshold.