Premier League table with no VAR would be bad news for Newcastle, Chelsea and West Ham - here's why
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The introduction of Video Assistant Referees (VAR) has consistently provoked debate and discussion since the system was put in place ahead of the 2019/20 - and the current season has been no different.
For Newcastle United, the impact of VAR was keenly felt within the first week of the new campaign as they came out on both sides of decisions from the officials in Stockley Park. The headlines following the 1-0 home win against Premier League newcomers Southampton on the opening day of the season were dominated by a controversial decision that saw Magpies defender Fabian Schar shown a red card for a coming together with Saints forward Ben Brereton-Diaz. The incident was reviewed by the VAR officials and the former Switzerland was dismissed despite there seeming to be very little contact with the man said to be under consideration for a move to Sunderland during the January transfer window.
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Hide AdHowever, Eddie Howe’s men benefitted from a major VAR call that prevented them from falling to a defeat at Bournemouth just eight days later. After looking to have claimed a point as Anthony Gordon cancelled out an opener from Marcus Tavernier, the Magpies seemed set to leave the Vitality Stadium empty-handed as Dango Ouattara powered a header beyond Nick Pope late in the game. A VAT review controversially ruled the Cherries star has used his arm and United escaped with a point.
That decision provoked anger and frustration from a number of key figures at Bournemouth and the PGMOL’s chief refereeing officer Howard Webb admitted he had some sympathy. He told Sky Sports: "The referee's on-field call is 'goal' and the officials on the field didn't see any reason to disallow this goal. We know all goals are checked by the VAR to see if there's any reason why the goal can't be awarded. One of those reasons is if the ball directly hits the attacker's arm and goes directly in the goal and scores immediately. In this situation, the ball strikes Ouattara somewhere [in the] shoulder, upper arm area. It's hard to be totally conclusive as to exactly where. I don't think that's conclusive enough to intervene.”
There have been a whole host of VAR calls that have provoked a similar reaction during the current season - but how would the Premier League table look if VAR had not been introduced?
The Premier League table without VAR decisions
1. Liverpool - 43 points (no change in position) 2. Arsenal - 42 points (no change in position) 3. Nottingham Forest - 40 points (no change in position) 4. Bournemouth - 37 points (up three places) 5. Chelsea - 36 points (down one place) 6. Newcastle United - 35 points (down one place) 7. Manchester City - 32 points (down one place) 8. Aston Villa - 32 points (no change in position) 9. Fulham - 30 points (no change in position) 10. Brentford - 27 points (up one place) 11. Brighton and Hove Albion - 26 points (down one place) 12. Tottenham Hotspur - 24 points (no change in position) 13. Manchester United - 24 points (no change in position) 14. Crystal Palace - 23 points (up one place) 15. Wolverhampton Wanderers - 20 points (up two places) 16. Ipswich Town - 18 points (up two places) 17. Everton - 17 points (down one place) 18. West Ham United - 17 points (down four places) 19. Leicester City - 11 points (no change in position) 20. Southampton - 9 points (no change in position)
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