As VAR dominated another round of Premier League matches, the best – or worst – was saved for last.
After Arsenal saw their unbeaten start to the season end with a 1-0 defeat at Newcastle on Saturday evening, following a VAR-awarded goal which Gunners manager Mikel Arteta called a "disgrace", the video referee's involvement in Monday night's match at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium was on another level.
In total, nine decisions were referred to VAR in Chelsea's chaotic 4-1 win at Tottenham, including five disallowed goals, two red cards, and a penalty. Amid the madness, Blues striker Nicolas Jackson scored his first Premier League hat-trick as Mauricio Pochettino secured a valuable victory on his first return to his former club.
The round began with an early game on Saturday at Craven Cottage, where Manchester United delivered another unconvincing performance, requiring an injury-time goal from captain Bruno Fernandes to claim a 1-0 win over Fulham.
That was followed by five Saturday afternoon matches. Champions Manchester City returned to winning ways in devastating style by thrashing Bournemouth 6-1 at Etihad Stadium, Brentford fought back against West Ham to claim a 3-2 home win, and Crystal Palace piled more misery on Burnley with a 2-0 win at Turf Moor.
Elsewhere, Sheffield United earned their first win of the season, 2-1 against Wolves, and Everton and Brighton played out a 1-1 draw at Goodison Park.
There were two matches on Sunday, with Nottingham Forest defeating in-form Aston Villa 2-0 at the City Ground, before Luton Town were denied a famous victory over Liverpool at Kenilworth Road as Luis Diaz, on as a substitute amid his father's kidnapping ordeal in Colombia, scored a late equaliser in a 1-1 draw.
The round then concluded with Monday's frenetic match in North London as the final unbeaten start to the season came to a screeching halt.
Check out the photo gallery above for the Premier League team of the week. To move on to the next photo, click on the arrows or swipe if using a mobile device.
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Company profile
Name: Tratok Portal
Founded: 2017
Based: UAE
Sector: Travel & tourism
Size: 36 employees
Funding: Privately funded
UAE SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Ali Khaseif, Fahad Al Dhanhani, Mohammed Al Shamsi, Adel Al Hosani
Defenders: Bandar Al Ahbabi, Shaheen Abdulrahman, Walid Abbas, Mahmoud Khamis, Mohammed Barghash, Khalifa Al Hammadi, Hassan Al Mahrami, Yousef Jaber, Mohammed Al Attas
Midfielders: Ali Salmeen, Abdullah Ramadan, Abdullah Al Naqbi, Majed Hassan, Abdullah Hamad, Khalfan Mubarak, Khalil Al Hammadi, Tahnoun Al Zaabi, Harib Abdallah, Mohammed Jumah
Forwards: Fabio De Lima, Caio Canedo, Ali Saleh, Ali Mabkhout, Sebastian Tagliabue
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Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Sebastian Stefan, Sebastian Morar and Claudia Pacurar
Based: Dubai, UAE
Founded: 2014
Number of employees: 36
Sector: Logistics
Raised: $2.5 million
Investors: DP World, Prime Venture Partners and family offices in Saudi Arabia and the UAE
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Rating: 4/5