VAR overturns involving Sunderland this season: 2 went against Sunderland (goal ruled out v Brentford, goal awarded v City), 0 in Sunderland's favour. This counts the direction of each overturn as recorded by the data feed; it is not a judgement on whether the decisions were correct. Panel verdicts, where they exist, are quoted below.
Every VAR overturn in Sunderland's games
| Date | Opponent | Score | Minute | What happened | Direction | Referee |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sat 5 Sept | Brentford (A) | 1-1 | 9' | Goal ruled out after VAR review (Sunderland, Daniel Ballard) | Against | Tom Bramall |
| Sun 20 Sept | City (A) | 5-3 | 83' | Goal awarded after VAR review (Manchester City, Erling Haaland) | Against | Rob Jones |
3 of Sunderland's 5 games had no VAR overturn recorded. Scores are home-away.
Covers every finished Premier League game up to Sunday 20 September 2026 (Matchweek 5). Updated 30 September 2026.
Incidents from Sunderland's games reviewed by the KMI panel
Votes are written as the Premier League prints them: the first figure is the number of panellists who agreed with the printed verdict.
- Brentford v Sunderland, Sat 5 Sept, 06:22. Goal awarded. Danso (SUN) in an offside position, line of vision. On-field decision: incorrect, Danso offside and impacting (0:5); VAR overturned the on-field decision, which the panel found correct, factual offside (5:0). The referee was Tom Bramall.
"The VAR intervention to disallow the goal for a line of vision offside offence was supported. Danso was in a clear offside position, directly in the line of vision of the goalkeeper and impacted his ability to make a save."Key Match Incidents panel, Match Round 3, published by the Premier League on 16 September 2026. Article, full table (PDF).
- Brentford v Sunderland, Sat 5 Sept, 79:02. Penalty awarded. Challenge by Lewis-Potter (BRE) on Isidor (SUN). On-field decision: correct (4:1); no VAR intervention, which the panel found correct (4:1). The referee was Tom Bramall.
"Lewis-Potter was not looking at the ball and makes a clear and sustained holding action that impacts Isidor's ability to progress towards the ball. The panel supported the referee's call of penalty for a holding offence, 4:1."Key Match Incidents panel, Match Round 3, published by the Premier League on 16 September 2026. Article, full table (PDF).
- Sunderland v Arsenal, Sat 12 Sept, 53:28. Penalty awarded. Challenge by Konsa (ARS) on Ballard (SUN). On-field decision: incorrect (0:5); no VAR intervention, which the panel found correct, not a clear and obvious error (3:2). The referee was John Brooks.
"The panel unanimously felt that the referee's call of a penalty for a holding offence was incorrect. Although it was a very untidy challenge in which Konsa initially had arms around Ballard, Ballard engages in a holding action which pulls Konsa onto him so they both fall to the floor. The non-VAR intervention was supported, 3:2, with the majority considering that the on-field decision was not a clear and obvious error, given the combined actions from both players."Key Match Incidents panel, Match Round 4, published by the Premier League on 23 September 2026. Article, full table (PDF).
- Sunderland v Arsenal, Sat 12 Sept, 90:00+05:16. Penalty awarded and second caution given. Challenge by Mandava (SUN) on Saka (ARS). On-field decision: correct (5:0); no VAR intervention, which the panel found correct (5:0). The referee was John Brooks.
"The on-field award of a penalty was supported with an initial holding action by Reinildo followed by a genuine attempt to challenge for the ball, tripping Saka inside the penalty area. The second caution dismissal for Reinildo was supported."Key Match Incidents panel, Match Round 4, published by the Premier League on 23 September 2026. Article, full table (PDF).
What is counted here. The data feed records that VAR intervened and what the outcome was: a goal ruled out, a goal awarded, a penalty overturned, a card upgraded. It does not record whether a decision was right, and neither does this page. "In favour" and "against" describe whose goal, penalty or card the overturn concerned. The only bodies that rule on correctness are the Premier League's Key Match Incidents panel and Pro Ref, the referees' body formerly known as PGMOL; where the panel has published a verdict it is quoted with its date on the KMI panel page.
Common questions
How many VAR decisions have gone against Sunderland this season?
2 of the 2 VAR overturns recorded in Sunderland's 5 games up to 20 September 2026 concerned Sunderland's own goal, penalty or card (goal ruled out v Brentford, goal awarded v City). That is the direction of the overturn, not a verdict on it; the Premier League's panel has published verdicts on 4 incidents from Sunderland's games, quoted on this page.
Who decides whether a VAR decision was wrong?
The Premier League's Key Match Incidents panel, which votes on each chosen incident and publishes its verdicts about ten days after the round, and Pro Ref (formerly PGMOL) through its own statements. This site quotes both with dates and never adds a verdict of its own. See the KMI panel page.
Who has refereed Sunderland's games this season?
Every referee and the record under each is on the Sunderland referees page.