Premier League Table in 2023/24 Without VAR

Remember when the Premier League didn’t have VAR? Life was so much easier, less stressful and, quite frankly, much more enjoyable. One of the most divisive introductions to football, the technology has split the football fanbase far and wide, and it doesn’t look like winning everyone over anytime soon.

Even after a few years of working on it, and refining some of the edges, the use of VAR still causes much controversy, and Liverpool fans were on the receiving end of one of the worst decisions in recent memory when Luis Diaz’s goal was wrongly disallowed for offside against Tottenham at the beginning of the 2023/24 term. The PGMOL had to release a statement about the events, while the audio that was eventually made public showed just how much confusion there was at Stockley Park.

That incident may be the most notable, but it is certainly not the only blunder we have seen during the 2023/24 Premier League campaign, with many teams impacted by dubious decisions. VAR has intervened to overturn many decisions made on the field by the referees, but Manchester World have taken a look at what the table would look like if the on-field decisions remained the same.

1 Arsenal

Points without VAR: 80

Arsenal’s point tally has not been affected by VAR this season as their tally of 80 points would be left unscathed without the technology. However, there has been plenty of controversy in games, especially in the one against Erik ten Hag’s Manchester United at home. Alejandro Garnacho had a goal disallowed for offside, and VAR overturned a penalty in Arsenal’s favour too.

Not that the latter would have changed the result in the end, with the north Londoners winning that tie 3-1. Mikel Arteta’s victory against Manchester City gave them the upper hand in this season’s title race after a close-run affair last time out, but a recent loss to Aston Villa has dampened their chances. The Spanish tactician and the Arsenal boys will be hoping that any slither of VAR controversy stays as far away from the Emirates Stadium as possible, especially with a mere three games left to play.

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2 Manchester City

Points without VAR: 79

Currently residing second in the actual Premier League table, Pep Guardiola’s Cityzens would be on the same number of points without VAR. Nathan Ake’s goal against Fulham was one of their more controversial moments this term, although how much of an impact that would have had if the goal had been disallowed is questionable given Manchester City’s dominance in the fixture.

But there are no overturned decisions which reduce their points total, despite VAR having a howler in that game. With Guardiola’s side unaffected by technology, they would still be sitting one point behind the aforementioned title-chasers, Arsenal, all while having a game in hand.

3 Liverpool

Points without VAR: 75

Similarly to Manchester City and Arsenal, the Reds would be on the same points as they currently are, which is 75, despite the highly controversial Luis Diaz disallowed goal against Tottenham Hotspur. The first overturned VAR incident in that game was Jones’ red card, which would have remained a yellow without intervention from the team at Stockley Park.

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Then you have Mohamed Salah’s disallowed goal against Chelsea on the opening day of the season. VAR overturned the on-field decision for an offside with the score already 1-0 to the visitors. Axel Disasi went on to equalise for the hosts later on, and the game finished 1-1. Without VAR, though, Liverpool are predicted to have collected two more points from that game. Decisions have since balanced out their points tally this season, but Jurgen Klopp will be hoping that there are no more surprises for him and his squad for the remainder of the campaign in what will be his final year in charge of the club.

4 Aston Villa

Points without VAR: 67

Aston Villa under Unai Emery have been a consistently dangerous team for any side in the Premier League, a statement proven by the fact they have 67 points on the board with just three league games remaining. And that would be the case without VAR, too. Malo Gusto’s red card is a call that went in their favour, and there have been other calls against them which have been somewhat fortunate too, such as in their 6-1 win against Brighton where two goals should have been disallowed.

But with VAR not stepping in, there’s no change to the end result of that game, which is the same that can be said for their overall points tally and subsequent league position. They’d still be in contention for Champions League football, but they’d still be eight points adrift of third-placed Liverpool.

5 Tottenham Hotspur

Points without VAR: 62

Tottenham Hotspur are having quite an interesting season with Ange Postecoglou at the helm, VAR or not, with plenty of highs and lows. There are not many who would have predicted them to be in with a chance of qualifying for the Champions League. Their match against Liverpool is obviously the big one, but not only because of the aforementioned Diaz’s disallowed goal, but had Curtis Jones not been sent off after a VAR review, the result could have been very different.

It’s not all bad news, though, with Spurs also on the wrong end of a decision against Brentford which saw a penalty awarded following a VAR intervention after Son Heung-min clipped Mathias Jensen. Had the on-field decision not been overturned, a 2-2 draw would have become a 2-1 win for the Lilywhites. A net gain of two points wouldn’t be enough to bump them up at all and remain in the same position as the real table, still five points off Villa.

6 Manchester United

Points without VAR: 57

No change in position, unfortunately, Manchester United fans, as the Red Devils are still sixth without VAR – but with three more points. Rasmus Hojlund had his first Premier League goal disallowed by VAR in a 3-1 defeat against Brighton due to the ball being judged to be out of play. In all, the Manchester outfit have been affected by the technology the most, having lost three points thanks to calls made using the technology’s help across the season.

There’s been plenty of controversy in their other matches where VAR has not intervened, though, including Onana’s punch against Wolverhampton Wanderers and Alejandro Garnacho’s breakaway goal against Arsenal. Dermot Gallagher was required to break down why they didn’t receive a penalty against Tottenham for a handball. Although none of those decisions are factored in here anyway.

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7 Newcastle

Points without VAR: 55

After a poor run of form in the festive period and in the new year, Newcastle United find themselves in seventh place in the real Premier League table. They have been relatively untroubled by VAR this season, and while they would have two more points, they would be no higher in the standings, according to this table.

While the Magpies haven’t really had much benefit or controversy domestically, aside from Virgil van Dijk getting sent off in their match against Liverpool, they did benefit on the European stage. The officials overturned an offside call in the build-up to Dan Burn’s goal against Paris Saint-Germain, which consequently doubled Newcastle’s lead. Eddie Howe will be hoping for more of the same in the Premier League, too, at the tail end of the campaign.

8 West Ham United

Points without VAR: 51

After winning the Europa Conference League at the back end of last season and then waving goodbye to Declan Rice, it was a summer of mixed emotions for West Ham United. But, after a rather successful transfer window in which a number of high-profile signings were made, David Moyes’ side have somewhat bounced back after a poor season domestically last time out, currently sitting in eighth spot.

There has been some controversy in their matches, such as Nayef Aguerd’s sending off against Chelsea, but they would have two more points without VAR. While their actual position would be unchanged, the Hammers would remain within touching distance of Newcastle. There was also some drama in their clash with Aston Villa in March. The Hammers saw two goals disallowed by the system, including what would’ve been an injury-time winner. Officials took their time to rule out their late strike after the ball was adjudged to have hit Tomas Soucek’s arm on the way into the back of the net.

9 Wolverhampton Wanderers

Points without VAR: 48

There was a moment of real controversy on the opening day of the campaign for Wolverhampton Wanderers that everyone will remember. A defeat to Manchester United at Old Trafford may not be the worst result in the world, but Andre Onana taking out Sasa Kalajdzic when coming for the ball in the final stage of the game was a calamitous error.

As such, Gary O’Neil could not understand how a penalty was not given during their showdown. The Englishman, formerly of Bournemouth, has put in some impressive work to pull the team away from potential relegation candidates to mid-table security. The Midlands outfit would be two points and one place better off in the table without the use of VAR this season than their actual tally shows.

10 Bournemouth

Points without VAR: 48

Bournemouth, amid their brilliant season under Andoni Iraola, would be unaffected points-wise without VAR. After a quietly impressive and shrewd transfer window, the club have picked up some sensational form under their new manager despite an abysmal start to the campaign. During their 2-2 draw with Newcastle in February, the Magpies were awarded a penalty in controversial fashion by VAR after Fabian Schar was pulled to the ground.

Back in August, defender-turned-pundit Jamie Carragher even picked out Iraola as his one to watch this season and is now being proven to be right in his assessment. The side from the south coast have won 13 games out of their 35 in the league, with the majority coming since the turn of 2024.

11 Chelsea

Points without VAR: 47

The Blues have endured a tough season by their standards under Mauricio Pochettino. However, in the table without VAR, they would be one point worse off than their actual tally. In real time, the club are ninth after a slight upturn in results, but without VAR, they would be two places lower. That said, an instance of decisions going against the Blues was Benoit Badiashile being penalised in the build-up to Axel Disasi’s late winner against Aston Villa. The Frenchman was adjudged to have barged into Diego Carlos, and the goal was controversially chalked off.

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However, the club can count themselves lucky that VAR has come to their rescue at times this season. The west London side will be hoping for some more fortune heading into the dying stages of the current term, especially with an unforeseen shot at securing European football becoming a possibility.

12 Brighton & Hove Albion

Points without VAR: 44

Regardless of whether VAR intervenes or not, Brighton & Hove Albion are not enjoying a fruitful season. Roberto De Zerbi’s team were on fire last time out and, aside from the odd game where they impress, they look a shadow of their former selves. Several fans of the Seagulls will undoubtedly want VAR gone after that 6-1 defeat against Villa where two questionable calls didn’t go their way, but maybe they should not be so quick to jump to conclusions.

In their February fixture against Sheffield, which ended 5-0 in favour of Brighton, they had two decisions go their way with the help of technology – Mason Holgate’s initial yellow was overturned to a red, whereas Ben Osborn’s goal was ruled out for offside. Even without VAR, Brighton would not have gained nor lost any points, while they would also be no better off in the league standings with them sitting in 12th with a less-than-impressive point haul of 44.

13 Fulham

Points without VAR: 40

Fulham, who have blown hot and cold this season, have been the biggest beneficiaries of VAR in 2023/24, with them three points better off. Plenty of controversy has struck in their games, highlighted by their match against Manchester City. Manuel Akanji was standing in an offside position when he appeared to make a play for the ball following a goal-bound header from Nathan Ake, and despite Bernd Leno seemingly hesitating because of the movement, VAR allowed it to stand. In fact, the VAR audio that explains how the officials reached their decision is certainly an eye-opening one.

Following the controversy, referees’ chief Howard Webb did admit that it was a “clear situation of offside” and that the goal should have been disallowed. But because that decision was not overturned, it has no impact on the subsequent 5-1 result. Their recent 3-3 draw with Sheffield United was saved by VAR after Oliver McBurnie’s 82nd-minute finish was ruled out for offside. Fulham then equalised in the 93rd minute.

14 Crystal Palace

Points without VAR: 40

In the ‘No VAR’ table, Crystal Palace would still boast the same point tally as they do in real time. After making an impressive start to the campaign, their form has become more patchy lately as they come to terms with their new management, although there was one very good victory over Manchester United. In February, the Eagles appointed Oliver Glasner as manager after Roy Hodgson stepped down.

The new head coach has given the London side a bit of stability and they will remain in the division for another season. They were on the right side of some poor officiating last season, such as when VAR wrongly disallowed a Brighton goal against them, and supporters will be hoping they are just as lucky in the Premier League games that remain.

15 Brentford

Points without VAR: 35

Still no change from the real Premier League table, with Brentford having the same points (35) in this league compared to the real one. An opening day clash against Tottenham was a roller-coaster ride, with Cristian Romero putting the away side in front. Then, it was time for VAR to step in and really prove its worth. After Mathias Jensen fell down under the challenge of Son Heung-min, the referee initially waved play on before being instructed by VAR to go look at the monitor himself.

Inevitably, the decision not to award a penalty was reversed, but had it not been, that would have been a two-point victory for Spurs. There was additional controversy in the Bees’ match against Nottingham Forest, with both teams furious about on-field calls. With VAR not stepping in during that game, though, the west London outfit remain just 10 points above the drop and are still not clear of safety just yet.

16 Everton

Points without VAR: 34 (With 8 point deduction)

In the sense of league standings, there would be a two-point change against Everton if VAR was not a part of Premier League life. After making a terrible start to the season, Sean Dyche-ball is now in full flow, with the Toffees picking up 12 wins in their 35 games thus far in 2023/24. After the rollercoaster ride fans went on last season when they nearly went down, they might have been hoping for a more relaxing season at Goodison Park this time around.

That’s not proven to be the case so far, though, as the club were deducted 10 points due to Financial Fair Play breaches – later reduced to six following an appeal and another two further down the line. Despite the deduction of points, the Merseyside-based outfit are mathematically safe from relegation.

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17 Luton Town

Points without VAR: 26

Following Nottingham Forest’s points deduction, Luton Town were – for a bit – out of the relegation zone, but are now back in there by one point. If VAR hadn’t been involved this term, the Hatters would be one point better than their actual tally and above Forest. That said, they still remain firmly in a fight for survival with three games left to play.

The Hatters picked up form during the busy festive period of the season but have still only managed six victories in total. Fans will be hoping for plenty more in their three remaining fixtures. Rob Edwards’ team have managed to tighten up at the back and find a formula to provide headaches for opposing teams going the other way, giving them a fighting chance.

18 Nottingham Forest

Points without VAR: 25 (with 4 point deduction)

Nottingham Forest are just above the relegation zone following their recent points deduction, but they have benefitted from the introduction of VAR as they would be one point worse off without it. Burnley could have snatched all three points if midfielder Sander Berge was not penalised for handball in their game in the build-up to a disallowed winning goal.

They are fortunate that this only looks at overturned decisions too, with them very lucky not to concede a penalty against Brentford. Goalkeeper Matt Turner brought down Yoane Wissa, and it seemed like a stonewall decision. Nevertheless, VAR and the on-field referee both overlooked the foul, ensuring Forest collected one point and not zero. This table sees them sitting on 25 points (and in the drop zone) instead of their actual tally of 26.

19 Burnley

Points without VAR: 23

With Burnley picking up a mere five wins under Vincent Kompany in the English top flight, if there was no off-field refereeing, they would be even worse off, albeit to the tune of one less point. The Clarets only have 24 points to their name and are still inside the drop-zone, but they would have been on 23 had they not had the officials at Stockley Park to rely on.

And that can be attributed to an incident during their 2-2 draw with West Ham – Danny Ings’ 85th-minute strike was ruled out for offside after a consultation with VAR. Everyone at Turf Moor will want overturned decisions to be few and far between going forward, especially with their status as a Premier League outfit at serious risk.

20 Sheffield United

Points without VAR: 17

Sheffield United have endured a tough campaign so far as, with just three games to go, they have suffered 25 defeats and secured a mere three victories. Without VAR, there is no change to their current position in the table as they would only be one point better off than they are in reality – although with just 17 points to their name and 16 in real time, there is not much to cheer about.

Paul Heckingbottom lost his job and was replaced by former Blades boss Chris Wilder and the returning manager will be hoping that VAR continues to have a limited impact on their season. Becoming the first team to get relegated would have been a kick in the teeth for Wilder, a man dedicated to make Sheffield United a team to be reckoned with. But even without VAR, their chances of staying afloat were dampened by their own performances and subsequent results.