The big losers without VAR Two teams in particular can consider themselves grateful for the video assistant referee: Aston Villa Liverpool both lose six points without match-changing VAR calls going in their favour, twice as many points as the next club in the list.
For Liverpool, their six-point deduction takes them down from sixth place to ninth, with the gap to the Champions League places 13 points with just 12 games left in their schedule. The key VAR decisions mostly came early in the season.
Only three clubs have had more VAR interventions in their favour (7), with just Fulham having had as many goals for the opposition ruled out (4); not one VAR intervention has cost Liverpool points.
In October, Phil Foden had a goal disallowed at Anfield when Erling Haaland was adjudged to have fouled Fabinho in the buildup. That strike would have given Man City the lead, and instead Liverpool went on to win the match 1-0. The VAR table gives City the victory, a swing of three points.
The other three incidents see draws turn to defeats for Jurgen Klopp’s men. Liverpool were 2-0 down against Brighton at Anfield when VAR helped give Mohamed Salah a goal which had been disallowed for offside; the game finished 3-3 but our table gives a Brighton 2-1 win. In September, Conor Coady thought he had bagged a late winner in the goalless draw in the Merseyside derby until the offside lines came out. More recently at Anfield in January, Chelsea had a goal disallowed for offside against Kai Havertz when the game was goalless; that draw becomes a Liverpool loss too.
Villa stay in 11th place, as in the real-life table there’s a huge 11-point gap to the 12th-placed club. That’s now three points, though they remain firmly safe in midtable.
Villa have had four VAR calls in their favour, with three of those leading to improved results. Their gains all come in 2023; first Emiliano Buendia had a goal awarded for an incorrect offside against Leeds United in a game which they won 2-1. Two weeks later, Southampton ‘s James Ward-Prowse had a goal disallowed for a foul in the buildup that would have given Saints the lead, in a match Villa went on to win 1-0. And earlier this month, in the narrow win at home to Crystal Palace, Wilfried Zaha had a goal chalked off for offside. All three games become draws.
The biggest losers by league position are Crystal Palace West Ham United had a late penalty decision overturned before Palace went on to score a late winner, and Newcastle United had a winning goal disallowed for a foul.
Brentford Nottingham Forest now a loss.
Champions League hopefuls Newcastle United
Manchester United Arsenal becomes a loss; the game was 0-0 when Gabriel Martinelli had a goal ruled out for a foul in the buildup by Martin Odegaard , a decision which is confirmed as an incorrect VAR intervention . The Gunners are predicted to have gone on to win that game after scoring the first goal. United also had Casemiro sent off in the first half of a 0-0 draw against Southampton earlier this month; with 11 men that becomes a victory.
Chelsea lose a point but stay 12th. While the decision cost them victory at Liverpool, two incidents in games against West Ham gave them a net gain through VAR. The Hammers had a late equaliser ruled out at Stamford Bridge, and a probable late winner disallowed for offside in the home game.
Nottingham Forest
The big winners without VAR Arsenal are eight points clear of Manchester City at the top of the Premier League table, but once VAR calls are stripped out that is now six points. Both clubs gain without VAR, it’s just that City have been more adversely affected than the Gunners.
While Arsenal’s loss at the hands of Man United becomes a 2-1 victory, giving them three points, the 1-0 win at Leeds United is a draw after an injury-time penalty to the home side was cancelled; a net gain of one point without VAR. Arsenal have had more goals ruled out thanks to VAR (4) than any other club. It this doesn’t factor in when VAR has gone wrong for Arsenal, such as when Lee Mason missed a player in an offside position in the buildup to Brentford’s equaliser in a 1-1 draw at the Emirates .
Pep Guardiola’s Man City team get three additional points, courtesy of the loss to Liverpool becoming a victory.
There’s an improvement for managerless Tottenham Hotspur
The biggest winners without VAR with five points gained are West Ham , who climb out of the relegation zone and move up five places to 13th. Rather than being in the bottom three, the Hammers now have a four-point cushion from the drop zone and can look over their shoulders rather than trying to find an escape route.
Though West Ham lose two points due to decisions against Leeds and Spurs, they gain one each from games at Chelsea and Forest which become draws. And West Ham’s 2-1 home loss to Palace, when they had a late penalty cancelled when the score was still 1-1, becomes a victory; as does the home draw against Chelsea when they had a late goal disallowed.
This doesn’t tell the whole story, however. The Hammers have been awarded four penalties through VAR, the most in the league, but have managed to miss two of them. So while no club has had more VAR overturns in their favour (8), they haven’t been able to take full advantage of them.
Brighton & Hove Albion the VAR drew the offside lines in the wrong place to disallow a Pervis Estupinan goal — is also a win. The Seagulls have the worst net score for decisions, with only one in their favour and seven against (-6).
Like West Ham, Leeds ‘ battle against relegation looks completely different without VAR. With a gain of three points, Leeds are up two places into 14th with a four-point cushion to the bottom three. Leeds have conceded four goals through VAR, more than any other team. As well as the gained draw against Arsenal, they are given a win at home to West Ham and draws from defeats at Aston Villa and Brentford . Leeds did get a crucial VAR call in their favour just before the international break, with defender Jonny sent off as Wolverhampton Wanderers piled on the pressure in search of an equaliser; without the red card, this game goes down as a draw.
Everton also improve at the foot of the table with a net gain of two points.
AFC Bournemouth Leicester City Wolves and Fulham complete the list, each getting a point without VAR.
