Brennan Johnson VAR Decision: Was It Rightly Disallowed?

The Premier League’s independent panel split 3-2 over the Brennan Johnson VAR decision in Match Round 5. Everton’s Thierno Barry had a goal ruled out against Ipswich Town after VAR judged Johnson offside, and the panel backed the VAR call by the narrowest margin. So was it the right call? The Premier League published the full ruling on 30 September.

What the panel said about the Brennan Johnson VAR decision

The Key Match Incidents (KMI) Panel looked at a goal awarded in the 58th minute. The Liverpool Echo reports it was Barry’s header, and that referee Stuart Attwell had first given it. It judged the on-field decision incorrect, by 3 votes to 2. It then judged the VAR intervention correct as a clear and obvious error, also 3:2.

According to the panel, Johnson was clearly in an offside position and in very close proximity to goalkeeper Walton. It said his movement affected the goalkeeper’s ability to set and move to the ball. However, two panellists felt that his position and actions did not affect Walton.

Why the offside law is the sticking point

The Premier League explained that the law does not ask whether the goalkeeper would definitely have saved the shot. For the Brennan Johnson VAR decision, officials asked whether the attacker’s ability to affect the goalkeeper’s attempt to play the ball was impacted. The league says Johnson’s movement and proximity met that test.

That is a fine line, and the 3:2 vote shows experts disagreed on it. Some supporters will see a clear offside. Others will say the goalkeeper was never going to reach it. Both views are opinion, and the panel itself was split.

A second close call in the same round

The panel also reviewed a second VAR decision, a goal in the 86th minute that was disallowed for a foul by Igor Jesus on Caleb Yirenkyi. It backed the VAR intervention 4:1, saying the attacker carelessly stepped on the heel of Yirenkyi in the lead-up to the goal.

Overall, the panel found all five VAR overturns in Match Round 5 were correct. It rated 88 per cent of on-field decisions as correct across the round, and 89 per cent across the season so far.

Your view on the Brennan Johnson VAR decision

Numbers like these do not settle every row. Fans will always argue about how much a player’s movement should count. For more of our coverage, see our Premier League section.

Sources: Premier League Key Match Incidents Panel report, Match Round 5, published 30 September 2026; Liverpool Echo, 30 September 2026. Image: Hill Dickinson Stadium, Everton’s home, in 2025. Archive photo from a different match. Photo: Austiñobobbiño via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0.