Ranking the 10 most controversial PL games of all time

The Premier League is perhaps the most entertaining league in the world, showcasing a perfect blend of tribalism, rivalry and high-octane action.

Throughout its 31-year existence, the division has become the most-watched across the globe as fans cherish its unpredictable nature.

Indeed, be it through polarising VAR decisions, referee mistakes or reckless challenges, the top-flight is arguably at its best when things get a little heated.

With that in mind, Football FanCast take a look back through the history books at the most controversial Premier League games of all time.

13 Man United given penalty after the full-time whistle

26th September 2020: Brighton & Hove Albion 2-3 Manchester United

Ole Gunnar Solskjær’s Manchester United side secured a last-gasp victory at the Amex Stadium as Bruno Fernandes converted from the spot in stoppage time.

Referee Chris Kavanagh had actually blown for full-time seconds prior, but VAR recommended him to the screen after spotting Neal Maupay’s handball.

After a brief look at the monitor, Kavanagh pointed to the spot, leaving Brighton players incensed – nothing like this had ever happened before in the Premier League.

And if that wasn’t frustrating enough for the Seagulls, they hit the woodwork five times and had two goals chalked off in the incident-packed affair.

Premier League

Europa League

Champions League

FA Cup

EFL Cup

12 Sparks fly at the Battle of Old Trafford

21st September 2003: Manchester United 0-0 Arsenal

Perhaps the most iconic game in Premier League history, although funnily enough, it was a pretty dull affair for much of it until the blue touchpaper was lit with 10 minutes remaining.

Patrick Vieira’s petulant kick-out at Ruud van Nistelrooy saw the towering French midfielder sent off for a second bookable offence which sparked a mass squabble between the two sets of players as several Gunners felt the Dutchman’s over-the-top reaction played a part.

Tempers were still flared when Martin Keown hauled down Diego Forlan in the penalty area, prompting referee Steve Bennett to controversially point to the spot.

Already unpopular among the travelling Arsenal supporters, van Nistelrooy stepped up to rub salt in the wounds of the Gunners and secure victory in the dying embers of the intense encounter to put his side top of the table.

But incredibly, the prolific Dutch forward lashed his effort onto the bar and Keown was quick to let him know about it…

The referee’s full-time whistle sounded swiftly after and the Arsenal players began to gloat in front of the dejected van Nistelrooy, provoking another row between the two sides.

Player

Team

Goals

Thierry Henry

Arsenal

Alan Shearer

Newcastle United

Louis Saha

Fulham/Manchester United

Ruud van Nistelrooy

Manchester United

Nicolas Anelka

Manchester City

11 Chelsea defeat nine-man Spurs in chaotic tie

6th November 2023: Tottenham Hotspur 1-4 Chelsea

One of the craziest games of football you will ever see. Littered with controversial decisions throughout, the London derby certainly delivered for the neutrals – not so much for Spurs fans, though.

Here are the timeline of events that unfolded at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium:

Kulusevski: GOAL

Son goal disallowed

Udogie booked (VAR check for possible red)

Sterling goal disallowed

Romero VAR check for red card

Caicedo goal disallowed

Romero red card & penalty

Palmer: GOAL

Jackson goal disallowed

Postecoglou booked

45+1

Maddison & van de Ven forced off through injury

45+10

Sarr, Jackson & Colwill all booked

Udogie second yellow card and red

Jackson: GOAL

Dier goal disallowed

90+4

Jackson: GOAL

90+7

Jackson: GOAL

So it was quite the evening in north London, to say the least, with shades of the ‘Battle of the Bridge’ – the game that crowned Leicester City Premier League champions in 2016.

Perhaps most controversially, however, was VAR’s decision not to award Destiny Udogie a red card for his challenge on Raheem Sterling in the 18th minute and then just a few minutes later, Cristian Romero’s kick out at Levi Colwill which went unpunished.

Ranking the Premier League’s worst VAR decisions

10 Pickford's horror tackle on Van Dijk mars Merseyside derby

17th October 2020: Everton 2-2 Liverpool

The Toffees came from behind twice to remain at the summit of the Premier League table, three points above their second-placed opposition.

But the electrifying Merseyside derby was overshadowed by a horrible lunging challenge by Jordan Pickford on Virgil van Dijk, which left the towering Dutch defender in agony.

Scans later found that he sustained serious ACL damage in his right knee that required surgery, keeping him sidelined for nine months.

Incredibly, Pickford’s horror tackle inside the penalty area went unpunished. Whilst van Dijk was offside, VAR still should have intervened and red-carded the England No. 1.

The Premier League table, as it stood:

Everton

Liverpool

Aston Villa

Leicester City

9 Feisty 'Battle of the Bridge' sees Leicester crowned as champions

2nd May 2016: Chelsea 2-2 Tottenham Hotspur

The visitors raced away into a two-goal lead after prolific duo Harry Kane and Son Heung-min both netted to stun Stamford Bridge heading into the half-time interval.

Gary Cahill pulled one back shortly after the break before Eden Hazard curled home a marvellous leveller in the 83rd minute to send the home support into raptures.

Leicester City fans, too, would’ve celebrated Hazard’s goal like their own, as the Foxes inched closer to a truly extraordinary title triumph.

As referee Mark Clattenberg blew for full time, with Leicester crowned champions, tempers began to spill over on the touchline.

The game was later labelled ‘Battle of the Bridge’, due to the tough tackles, yellow cards and touchline melees.

Spurs received nine yellow cards – the most by a single team in Premier League history – and if the game had VAR, Moussa Dembele would’ve likely seen red for his eye gauge on Diego Costa and Erik Lamela for his lunging challenge and stamp on Cesc Fàbregas.

2015/16 Premier League table, the top 10:

Leicester City

Arsenal

Tottenham Hotspur

Manchester City

Manchester United

Southampton

West Ham United

Liverpool

Stoke City

-14

Chelsea

8 Invincibles' unbeaten run ended by Mike Riley and Pizzagate

24th October 2004: Manchester United 2-0 Arsenal

United ended Arsenal’s 49-game unbeaten run in the Premier League as van Nistelrooy and Wayne Rooney both netted in the tough-tackling encounter.

The game was pre-VAR of course but had it not been, the hosts may well have had van Nistelrooy sent off for his raking challenge on Ashley Cole.

Gary Neville was also fortunate to escape a red card after his two mistimed tackles on José Antonio Reyes, while Fredrik Ljungberg was taken out by Rio Ferdinand when bearing down on the United goal.

Typically, Van Nistelrooy went on to net the opener from the penalty spot – something he failed to do 13 months earlier in the fixture – after a hugely contentious decision, as Sol Campbell was harshly adjudged to have felled Wayne Rooney.

Rooney then stroked home Alan Smith’s cross to make sure of the victory on his 19th birthday, and the full-time whistle sounded shortly after.

But it didn’t end there, as a bust-up ensued in the tunnel before Fàbregas launched a pizza slice which struck Sir Alex Ferguson in the face, prompting the fierce game to be remembered as ‘Pizzagate’.

Read more: 10 memorable Cesc Fabregas moments

“This slice of pizza came flying over my head and hit Fergie straight in the mush. The slap echoed down the tunnel and everything stopped, the fighting, the yelling, everything. All eyes turned…to see this pizza slip off that famous puce face and roll down his nice black suit,” Cole recalled in his autobiography.

2004/05 Premier League top scorers:

Thierry Henry

Arsenal

Andy Johnson

Crystal Palace

Robert Pirès

Arsenal

Frank Lampard

Chelsea

Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink

Middlesbrough

7 Mistaken identity sees Kieran Gibbs wrongly dismissed

22nd March 2014: Chelsea 6-0 Arsenal

Arsene Wenger’s 1,000th game in charge of the Gunners was a day to forget, as the 10-man visitors were hit for six.

José Mourinho’s side found themselves 2-0 up inside seven minutes, and matters were only made worse when Kieran Gibbs was sent off. However, it was Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain who should’ve walked following his goal-line handball, which resulted in a penalty.

Referee Andre Marriner later apologised for the mistake and Gibbs’ red card was rescinded, whilst the guilty Oxlade-Chamberlain was also cleared as an independent regulatory commission found that Eden Hazard’s shot was going wide before being handled by the former Southampton midfielder.

The fact neither should’ve been sent off made matters worse for Marriner, who compounded Arsenal’s miseries as they shipped a further three goals after the subsequent penalty was converted.

The Premier League table, as it stood:

Chelsea

Liverpool

Manchester City

Arsenal

6 Liverpool beaten by beach ball goal at Sunderland

17th October 2009: Sunderland 1-0 Liverpool

Sunderland leapfrogged above the visitors into seventh with victory, though the 1-0 affair produced perhaps the most bizarre goal ever scored in the Premier League.

Darren Bent opened the scoring in the fifth minute after his right-footed shot struck a beach ball and deflected in past Pepe Reina, who looked bewildered.

Even Bent appeared to glance at the referee – fearing that his effort may be chalked off – as he began to wheel away in celebration.

The goal was awarded by referee Mike Jones despite the laws of the game noting that he should have instead opted for a drop ball.

The starting lineups, that afternoon:

Craig Gordon

Pepe Reina

Phil Bardsley

Glen Johnson

George McCartney

Daniel Agger

Michael Turner

Jamie Carragher

Anton Ferdinand

Martin Škrtel

Steed Malbranque

Fábio Aurélio

Lorik Cana

Yossi Benayoun

Andy Reid

Ryan Babel

Lee Cattermole

Lucas Leiva

Darren Bent

Jay Spearing

Kenwyne Jones

Dirk Kuyt

5 Full-time whistle goes as Everton score

21st April 2000: Everton 0-0 Liverpool

Goodison Park staged the rainy Merseyside derby as Everton and Liverpool couldn’t be separated, with the game ending goalless. However, perhaps it shouldn’t have…

In the dying embers of the affair, Liverpool keeper Sander Westerveld struck the back of Don Hutchison from a goal kick and the ball deflected back into his own net.

But the referee had already blown his full-time whistle and Everton players began to fiercely remonstrate the decision. Toffees boss Walter Smith suggested that Graham Poll blew early before the scheduled two minutes of added time had been played.

Poll denied the suggestions: “I looked at my watch and saw that it was the last kick of the game. We had had the correct amount of time for stoppages so I blew. I blew for time as he kicked the ball but some of the Everton players got excited as happens in derby games. But I was very clear in my own mind.”

4 Drogba's offside goal swings title race

3rd April 2010: Manchester United 1-2 Chelsea

United were dealt a major late blow in the title decider when substitute Didier Drogba netted a winner with just 11 minutes of normal time remaining.

However, replays showed that Drogba was in an offside position when Salomon Kalou put him through on goal, but the linesman adjudged him to be onside.

The Blues leapfrogged the reigning champions to move top with five games remaining, and they would go on to win the title for the first time since 2006.

United finished second, a point behind the west Londoners.

The final Premier League table:

Chelsea

Manchester United

Arsenal

Tottenham Hotspur

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