The Premier League title race would have entered the final match round with Manchester City two points clear of Arsenal, according to The Athletic’s analysis of key match decisions made by referees and their video assistants.
■ Arsenal, Chelsea and Sunderland benefitted the most from errors
■ Bournemouth earned four fewer points than they should have
■ Fulham should have qualified for the Europa League
■ An extra 17 red cards and 36 penalties should have been awarded
@Refsplaining analyses every key match decision to evaluate how on-field and VAR refereeing decisions shaped the Premier League in 2025-26.
Free to read here ⬇️
🔗 https://t.co/aCM0ROTHLY
Useless in open play. Literally just plays for g/a, that’s it. Can’t dribble or carry the ball, refuses to go into the pockets and instead comes way too deep if he isn’t playing as a shadow striker. Offers zero support for his midfield.21x possession lost.
The peri peri Prowse.
❤️❤️🔝 Arteta on Declan Rice helping at RB: “When Declan is on as a right full-back, it's just unbelievable… I'm so proud of them”.
“It is a really good example to describe how I feel about the team and the spirit, and the willingness to win of this team”.
Good angle this. Shows Robertson pushing Donna (foul), moving himself into an offside position, directly in the line of the ball’s trajectory thereby distracting the keeper. Either way it’s not a goal. Great call from the Lino and Ref. Job well done.