Now that the 2024–25 Premier League season is at the midway point, VAR’s function remains a contentious issue that affects results and ignites discussions among both supporters and commentators. Questions are already being raised about how the league standings may seem without the intervention—or claimed mistakes—made by the contentious technology, as the seventh season has already begun.
The Sun has created a different Premier League standings if VAR had not been used at all, with the current season just over 50% complete. An alternate table based on the results indicates which teams’ supporters will be scolding VAR and which fan groups will be quietly relieved that the 20 top division clubs decided against voting to eliminate the much-maligned system.
There are already a lot of talking points about VAR this season, despite the PGMOL stating that the technology fixed more than 100 errors last season. If Premier League executives had never used the technology in the first place, let’s examine the table more closely.
VAR ‘Errors’ in the Premier League Table (as of 05/02/25)
Place
Club
Points
Differences in Points
1.
The Arsenal
56
+6
2.
Liverpool
55
-1
3.
Forest of Nottingham
47
0
4.
The Bournemouth
45
+5
5.
Chelsea
39
-4
6.
City of Manchester
39
-2
7.
Newcastle United
37
-4
8.
Villa Aston
37
0
9.
Albion, Brighton & Hove
34
0
10.
United Manchester
33
+4
11.
Fulham
32
-4
12.
The Crystal Palace
30
0
13.
Brentford
29
-2
14.
Tottenham Hotspur
28
+1
15.
Everton
27
+1
16.
United West Ham
24
-3
17.
Wanderers of Wolverhampton
20
+1
18.
Town of Ipswich
17
-6
19.
City of Leicester
17
+1
20.
Southampton
9.
0
Arsenal Secures the Top Spot in the Table
Liverpool drops to second position under Arne Slot.
A supercomputer has projected that Arsenal would finish in the top three at the end of the season, but The Sun’s analysis indicates that the Gunners are not deserving of second place. After three contentious red card decisions went against Mikel Arteta’s team, VAR intervened to change William Saliba’s opening yellow against Bournemouth to a straight red. They would have been on track to win the Premier League for the first time since 2003–04 if it weren’t for the technology.
Although they are still the league leaders, Liverpool would have dropped to a silver medal on the podium if VAR hadn’t been in place and would have lost one point from their current total. With 56 points from their first 23 games, Arne Slot’s team has only lost once, at home against Nottingham Forest, 1-0. They have benefited from three VAR rulings that have gone their way, but they have also lost two.
Even though Manchester City’s poor performance from October to December has caused them to fall all the way to fifth place in the league table, Pep Guardiola should take comfort in the fact that things could have gone much worse because the Citizens would have fallen to sixth place if VAR hadn’t been in their favour so frequently this season. One instance of this occurred when they won all three points at Molineux thanks to a late header from John Stones that was first disallowed for offside against Bernardo Silva but was later awarded by VAR since it was decided the Portuguese did not impede Jose Sa.
Bournemouth is one team that would undoubtedly wish VAR didn’t exist. Even though Andoni Iraola’s team did a fantastic job to finish seventh at the beginning of the season, the Cherries could have done even better because, in the absence of VAR, they would have been five points ahead of Enzo’s Maresca’s Chelsea, who have performed admirably in the early going of the Italian’s time in west London.
Newcastle, Chelsea and Ipswich Among the Biggest Beneficiaries of VAR
The updated chart indicates that Ipswich Town is the clear victor when it comes to who VAR has benefited the most. They are currently six points ahead of where The Sun would have them if it weren’t for the decisions that have gone their way. Among the biggest recipients of Stockley Park’s video help are Chelsea, Newcastle United, Fulham, and West Ham United.
Maresca’s team is now in fourth position with 43 points, but the study’s findings indicate that they would still be four points outside of the Champions League spots even if VAR hadn’t been used. As would Eddie Howe’s team, which recently saw an improvement in both performances and outcomes. Newcastle has seen ten VAR changes in their favour thus far in 2024–2025, compared to just two against.
This time around, Fulham has also benefited from the implementation of VAR in the 2020–21 campaign. The team from west London would actually have four fewer points on their season total. Most significantly, they were aided when their all-London match finished in a 1-1 draw rather than an Arsenal triumph due to an offside ruling against Gabriel Martinelli during the build-up to Bukayo Saka’s 88th-minute “winner” at Craven Cottage.
Graham Potter’s supervision has made West Ham United appear like a lot better team, but even under Julen Lopetegui’s leadership, they were fortunate that VAR was in place. The East Londoners are now in 15th place, 10 points outside of the relegation zone, but according to a claim by The Sun, they would only be four points above safety.
Additional Notable Winners and Losers
Manchester United, led by Ruben Amorim, is one of the other teams that can feel unfairly treated. In contrast to the one that has favoured them, the Red Devils have witnessed a long list of VAR-led rulings go against them. They would be four points better off and more securely seated in 10th place if those judgements hadn’t been made. In Erik ten Hag’s last game as manager, West Ham United won 2-1 thanks to a contentious penalty kick that was converted by Jarrod Bowen. That doesn’t alter the fact that their campaign has been a complete failure.
In their fight to remain afloat, Tottenham Hotspur, Everton, and Wolverhampton Wanderers would all be one point above of relegation-threatened Leicester City, which is managed by former striker Ruud van Nistelrooy. In other places, the usage of technology has hindered the previously stated Arsenal and Bournemouth team. But Southampton would still be at the bottom.
Conversely, Brentford and Liverpool can also count their lucky stars in addition to the ones that have already been highlighted. This is because, in England’s top tier, which is widely considered to be the hardest league in the world of football, the Bees would have also lost points—two, to be exact—had VAR technology not been in existence.
