As the 2025/26 Premier League season reaches its dramatic climax, Arsenal find themselves leading a title race against Manchester City by five points. Yet, as has become custom in English football, the narrative surrounding Mikel Arteta’s side isn’t just about the beauty of their play, or lack thereof – it’s about refereeing.
For seasons, Arsenal fans have harbored a sense of injustice, believing the Gunners are refereed to a different standard than their rivals. Yet this season, it is opposition fans believing the Gunners are being held to a different standard but this time, in their favour. Does this theory hold weight in 2025/26 though, or is it merely confirmation bias?
What Does the VAR Data Say?
While emotional post-match reactions tend to spike even higher post-Arsenal matches with many suggesting Arteta’s men are uniquely favoured, statistical analyses paint a more balanced picture. According to seasonal VAR data tracking key officiating errors:
- Decisions in Arsenal’s favour: 7
- Decisions against Arsenal: 5
These figures indicate that Arsenal have actually been on the net-positive side of VAR reviews. But rather than being treated differently, the Gunners are experiencing the same high-stakes volatility of Premier League officiating as everyone else.
High-Profile Controversies
The “different officiating” narrative often stems from high-profile, isolated incidents rather than seasonal averages. Both Arsenal and their opponents have felt hard done by at various points this year:
- The North London Derby: Arsenal’s 4-1 thrashing of Tottenham sparked debate when Spurs forward Randal Kolo Muani had an equaliser disallowed for a soft foul on Gabriel Magalhães – a decision pundits labeled “outrageously bad.”
- The Newcastle Penalty Cry: Conversely, Arsenal fans felt aggrieved when Newcastle goalkeeper Nick Pope avoided a red card after bringing down Viktor Gyökeres outside the area, with VAR refusing to intervene.
- The West Ham Climax: Most recently, Arsenal benefited from a painstaking, five-minute VAR review that overturned West Ham’s stoppage-time equaliser for a foul on David Raya. Mikel Arteta praised the “courageous” call, while relegation-threatened West Ham felt utterly deflated.
This only takes into account decisions that were made by the referee and his assistants – be it on the sidelines or those in Stockley Park looking at television screens – though and does not consider the physicality the league leaders have used this season that has irked opposition fans so much. Some have complained that Arsenal have turned set-pieces into a Wrestlemania-type event, as we saw with the chaotic scenes when Callum Wilson’s late equaliser was ruled out, and Arteta’s men appear to be able to do as they please to gain an advantage yet opposition players are routinely punished by the officials for similar actions.
Some have pointed to William Saliba holding Manchester United goalkeeper Altay Bay?nd?r’s arm on the opening day of the season during the corner that led to Arsenal’s winning goal, others have spoken about Declan Rice holding Chelsea’s Jorrel Hato before the ball struck his arm. It does feel, at times, like Arsenal have had the rub of the green when it comes to these things and the Gunners’ much maligned tactics are probably to blame but it is hard to find evidence of a conspiracy at play.
The Verdict: Systemic Bias or Systemic Inconsistency?
The evidence suggests Arsenal are not being officiated differently in the 2025/26 season. Instead, they are operating under a spotlight magnified by a tense title race.
When you are fighting for the Premier League crown, every marginal call feels like a conspiracy. In reality, PGMOL’s inconsistency affects all twenty clubs equally. Arsenal’s success this season isn’t down to refereeing agendas, it’s down to their resilience under pressure and their willingness to get over the line by any means.
