With the 2024/25 Premier League season now beyond the halfway stage, the role of VAR continues to be a lightning rod for controversy, influencing outcomes and sparking debates among fans and pundits alike. With the season 26 games in with only aston villa playing higher 27 as well as liverpool after they face Manchester city today, questions are already swirling about how different the league table might look without the intervention – or alleged errors – made by the divisive technology.

With the current campaign just over 70% of the way through, The Sun have produced an alternative Premier League table had VAR not been involved at all. The results form an alternative table showing which teams’ fans will be cursing VAR (and which fanbases will be secretly pleased the 20 top flight clubs didn’t vote to get rid of the much-maligned technology).

Although the PGMOL said that north of a substantial 100 errors were corrected by VAR last season, there are already plenty of talking points involving the technology in this campaign. Let’s take a closer look at the table if the technology had never been implemented by Premier League chiefs in the first place.

Arsenal Take Spot at Top of the Table

Liverpool, under Arne Slot, fall to second place

While Arsenal have been predicted by a supercomputer to land a top three spot come the end of the season, The Sun’s research has shown that the Gunners are not right to be sitting second in the table. Mikel Arteta’s side have felt hard done by with three controversial red card decisions going against them, with VAR stepping in to upgrade William Saliba’s initial yellow against Bournemouth to a straight red. Without the technology, they would be on course to secure their first Premier League crown since 2003/04.

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Liverpool, meanwhile, remain the league leaders but would have been docked four point from their current total if VAR wasn’t around, seeing them drop to a silver medal on the podium. Arne Slot’s men have only tasted defeat once, in a 1-0 home defeat against Nottingham Forest, while taking 56 points from their first 23 outings. They have benefitted from five VAR decisions going their way, but have also had two go against them.

Manchester City‘s run of form between October and December has seen them tumble all the way down to fifth in the league table, but if Pep Guardiola needs any solace, it should come from the fact that things could’ve been far worse, as the Citizens would drop to sixth if VAR hadn’t been in their favour so often this season. One example of this came when they stole all three points at Molineux with a late John Stones header – which was initially ruled out for an offside against Bernardo Silva – eventually being given by VAR as it was deemed the Portuguese didn’t interfere with Jose Sa.

Two team that would certainly be wishing VAR didn’t exist is Everton and Bournemouth.David Moyes and Andoni Iraola’s side should be sitting 12th and 3rd respectively at the turn of the year without VAR, Everton also has another controversial VAR take against Manchester United yesterday.

Newcastle, Chelsea and Ipswich Among the Biggest Beneficiaries of VAR

Ipswich would be six points worse off without VAR

In terms of who VAR has helped the most, the new table shows that there is one clear winner: Ipswich Town, who sit six points better off than The Sun suggest they would be had it not been for the decisions that have gone their way. Chelsea, Newcastle United, Fulham and West Ham United are also among the biggest beneficiaries of the video assistance of Stockley Park.

Maresca’s men currently sit in fourth place on 43 points, although the results of the research suggest that even without the use of VAR, they would be outside the Champions League spots, four points worse off. As would Eddie Howe’s men, who have enjoyed an upturn in performances and results as of late. Thus far in 2024/25, Newcastle have had a total of 10 VAR changes in their favour, with only two against.

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Fulham too, have benefitted from VAR’s introduction in the 2020/21 season this time out. In fact, the west London-based outfit would have four points fewer on their seasonal tally. Most notably, they were helped when an offside call against Gabriel Martinelli in the build-up of Bukayo Saka’s 88th-minute ‘winner’ at Craven Cottage meant that their all-London affair ended in a 1-1 draw instead of an Arsenal victory.

West Ham United have looked a much better outfit under the watchful eye of Graham Potter, but even under Julen Lopetegui’s reign, they were lucky that VAR was in use. At the time of writing, the east Londoners are in 15th – 10 points adrift of the relegation zone – but The Sun’s report suggests that they’d be just four points ahead of safety instead.

Other Big Winners and Losers

Manchester United’s league standing hampered by VAR

Among the other teams who can feel hard done by are Ruben Amorim-led Manchester United. The Red Devils have seen a litany of VAR-led decisions go against them compared to the one that has gone in their favour. Without said decisions, they would be four points better off and sitting more comfortably in 10th. A controversial penalty, converted by Jarrod Bowen, saw West Ham United win the game 2-1 in Erik ten Hag’s final game in charge. That doesn’t change the fact they have had a dismal campaign.

Tottenham Hotspur and Wolverhampton Wanderers – alongside relegation-threatened Leicester City, led by striker-turned-manager Ruud van Nistelrooy – would all be one point better off in their pursuit to stay afloat. Elsewhere, the aforementioned duo of Arsenal and Bournemouth have been hampered by the use of technology. Southampton, however, would still reside at rock bottom.

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On the other end of the scale, Liverpool and Brentford can also count their lucky stars as well as those that have already been mentioned. That’s because the Bees would also have lost points – two, to be entirely precise – if there was no VAR technology in place in England’s top flight, commonly regarded as the toughest league in world football.