Chelsea have benefitted from the use of VAR more than any other team despite their lacklustre start to the Premier League campaign. The Blues currently have 15 points but would be on 12 points without the technology and would also drop two positions in the league table, meaning they are the biggest winners from its use.
VAR has taken centre stage on an almost weekly basis as of late, with controversy reigning supreme in some of the Premier League’s highest-profile matches. It was heavily involved in Monday’s game between Chelsea and Tottenham as the Blues saw two goals chalked off while Cristian Romero was shown a red card following a VAR review in the first half.
The technology was thrust under the spotlight earlier this season when Liverpool winger Luis Diaz saw a goal against Spurs disallowed for offside after a VAR check, even though he was actually onside. The latest involvements from VAR, which also played a major role in Newcastle’s recent win over Arsenal, have raised the question of how different the Premier League table might look without it.
Chelsea would be three points worse off if VAR did not exist, which would leave them in 12th place and only six points clear of the relegation zone. They were given a crucial penalty following a VAR review against Arsenal last month, while Liverpool had a winning goal against the Blues disallowed on the opening day of the season.
The top two in the Premier League table would remain unchanged without VAR, while third-placed Arsenal and fourth-placed Liverpool would both have one less point on the board. Brentford and Nottingham Forest, who are currently in ninth and 13th place respectively, would also be in the same boat.
Manchester United, meanwhile, would have two more points if VAR was not in use which would see them move up one place by swapping positions with seventh-placed Brighton. Burnley would also have two extra points but would still be in the bottom three, although it would put them level on points with Bournemouth and Luton Town just ahead of them.
The use of VAR continues to be heavily scrutinised on a regular basis, with the chaos during Chelsea’s win over Tottenham on Monday raising further questions about whether it is being implemented in the right way. Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou, who was cautioned during the match, suggested after the final whistle that a number of incidents have led to an overuse of the technology.
Meanwhile, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta called Newcastle’s winning goal against his team last weekend a ‘disgrace’ after VAR made three crucial decisions which allowed the goal to stand. The north Londoners went on to issue a firmly-worded statement calling for the standard of officiating in the Premier League to be ‘urgently addressed’.
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