ARSENAL would have finished FOURTH without VAR this season.
A SunSport study of all the decisions overturned by Stockley Park show the Gunners were the biggest “sufferers” from the system.
If all on-field original decisions had stuck, Mikel Arteta’s men would have earned four more points.
That would have been enough to take them above Spurs, West Ham AND Chelsea and steal the final Champions League spot.
Instead, Arsenal finished eighth and OUT of Europe for the first time since 1995-96.
According to SunSport’s statistics, the final table would have shown a number of differences if VAR was not in operation.
Liverpool, five points adrift of Manchester United in the actual table, would have swapped places with the Old Trafford side to take second, although still 13 points behind champions Manchester City.
And West Ham, thrilled by the prospect of Europa League football, would have finished OUTSIDE the European spots on goal difference behind Spurs.
FREE BETS: GET OVER £2,000 IN SIGN UP OFFERS HERE
In total, there were 119 decisions changed over the course of the season, with 39 goals allowed, 28 penalties awarded and 22 spot-kicks waived.
There was also 17 red cards awarded after VAR intervention.
Arsenal’s “net score” of minus-six on total VAR overrules – with three decisions changed in their favour and nine against – contributed to a loss of four points over the entire campaign.
With those points, Arteta’s side would have edged out Chelsea for fourth on goals scored by a single strike, with both having a goal difference of plus-20.
Liverpool, who had a league-leading 12 overrules against them, compared to just six in their favour, lost three points.
Manchester United enjoyed the most fortune from Stockley Park, with 11 changes in their favour and eight decisions changed against them, giving them three points more than they would have had without VAR.
Burnley, who had five calls in their favour and none against, were the biggest beneficiaries in terms of net decisions, although it would have no impact on their 17th-placed finish.
Aston Villa, who survived last season because of that astonishing goalline technology blunder in the first match of Project Restart, would have leapfrogged Everton to earn a top-half finish without VAR, with Brighton up from 16th to 14th.
And while the bottom three would, unsurprisingly, have still been relegated, West Brom would have finished a place and a point ahead of Fulham, rather than one behind.
Read our Football live blog for the very latest news from around the grounds
Did you miss our previous article…
https://www.sportingexcitement.com/football/premier-league/sergio-agueros-stunning-partners-from-marrying-maradonas-daughter-to-now-dating-24-year-old-model-sofia-calzetti
