Havertz escapes red for studs into Ugochukwu's calf

What happened

Arsenal led 1-0 through Kai Havertz's header when he lunged studs-up from behind into Lesley Ugochukwu's calf. Paul Tierney showed yellow and VAR James Bell confirmed it. The KMI panel later ruled it should have been a red. Arsenal held on for a win that moved them to within one result of the title.

On the pitch

Yellow card: Havertz

VAR

VAR confirmed

Benefited

ARS Arsenal

Harmed

BUR Burnley

Reaction

• “The referee's call of a yellow card to Havertz was checked and confirmed by VAR – with the challenge deemed not to be serious foul play.”

  Premier League Match Centre · Official explanation

• Criticised the decision not to upgrade the card to red.

  Gary Neville · Pundit

Sources

• officialEvery VAR and referee error in the 2025-26 Premier League (BBC Sport, via ModernGhana)BBC Sport
• analysisVAR review: Arsenal should've got a red card in crucial win over BurnleyESPN
• reportArsenal 1-0 Burnley: Havertz scores winner but avoids red cardSky Sports
• analysis2025–26 Premier League table without every official VAR errorSports Illustrated