VAR has made an immense impact on the Premier League with a new table showing just how much it affected clubs like Arsenal and Liverpool.
VAR continues to dominate matches in the Premier League. Many believe the system has sucked out the raw passion for games, especially when it concerns delayed goal decisions.
It has changed the tide in several games and the outcome of this season, but by just how much exactly?
At the very top of the table at least, not a lot.
Manchester City would still have won the Premier League without VAR. The only difference is Pep Guardiola’s side would’ve had a 13-point gap over Liverpool, who finished third behind Manchester United in the official league table, instead of a 12-point advantage.
The biggest change is Arsenal. The Gunners would’ve made the top four and ended a four-year absence from the Champions League in a world without VAR. Chelsea, who finished fourth in the official table, would’ve been knocked down to Europa League football in fifth.
Mikel Arteta’s men instead had to settle for an eighth-place finish in the official standings and no European football for the first time in 25 years.
Another notable change is West Ham dropping two places down to eighth in this non-VAR world. David Moyes’ men, therefore, would not have qualified for Europe after all.
Brighton, meanwhile, are the biggest movers in the lower half of this non-VAR table from The Sun. The Seagulls could’ve finished in 13th, which is three spots above their 16th-place finish in the official table.
But West Brom, Fulham, and Sheffield United would still be relegated regardless of whether VAR was used or not.
Premier League table without VAR
Pos | Club | Pts | Pts change |
1 | Manchester City | 85 | -1 |
2 | Liverpool | 72 | 3 |
3 | Manchester United | 71 | -3 |
4 | Arsenal | 65 | 4 |
5 | Chelsea | 65 | -2 |
6 | Leicester | 65 | -1 |
7 | Tottenham | 61 | -1 |
8 | West Ham | 61 | -4 |
9 | Leeds | 59 | = |
10 | Aston Villa | 57 | 2 |
11 | Everton | 54 | -5 |
12 | Newcastle | 47 | 2 |
13 | Brighton | 45 | -1 |
14 | Wolves | 44 | -1 |
15 | Southampton | 43 | = |
16 | Crystal Palace | 43 | -1 |
17 | Burnley | 38 | -1 |
18 | West Brom | 27 | 1 |
19 | Fulham | 26 | -2 |
20 | Sheffield United | 21 | -2 |