How the Premier League Table Would Look This Christmas Without VAR's Game-Changing Decisions
The presence of video assistant referees (VAR) can be frustrating enough to send Premier League managers into philosophical turmoil.
During his final period as Tottenham Hotspur manager, Ange Postecoglou was so puzzled by VAR's continued use that he questioned humanity's fundamental nature. "I just thought we had a bit more about us as a species in terms of resisting things that undermine the essence of what we stand for."
While storming Stockley Park might not happen anytime soon, we can still imagine Postecoglou's vision—a VAR-free world—by setting aside reality for a moment.
It's often said that referee decisions balance out over a full season, but as we reach the campaign's midpoint, some teams will need a massive reversal of luck to achieve parity regarding VAR decisions.
Here's what the Premier League standings would look like if Postecoglou's wishes were granted and the VAR overseers were removed from power.
How 2025–26 Premier League Table Would Look Without VAR
The most significant change to the table's appearance naturally occurs at the top. Arsenal's two-point lead over Manchester City stems from beneficial VAR decisions against Everton just last weekend.
Why VAR intervention was needed to identify Jake O'Brien's attempted handball at the Hill Dickinson Stadium on Saturday evening remains puzzling—a question referee Sam Barrott would prefer to avoid. Viktor Gyökeres scored the resulting penalty to give Arsenal maximum points and lift them above City this Christmas.
Everton had their own strong penalty claim ignored by all match officials, maintaining Arsenal's narrow lead. However, being second at Christmas might not be unwelcome for the Gunners. The north London club has led the table on Christmas Day in four previous Premier League seasons without winning the title. Arsenal last held first place on both December 25 and season's end during the 1947–48 campaign.
Position / Team | Points | Position Change Compared to Actual Table |
|---|---|---|
1. Man City | 37 | 1 Up |
2. Arsenal | 37 | 1 Down |
3. Aston Villa | 34 | — |
4. Liverpool | 32 | 1 Up |
5. Brighton | 26 | 4 Up |
6. Man Utd | 26 | 1 Up |
7. Bournemouth | 26 | 8 Up |
8. Chelsea | 25 | 4 Down |
9. Sunderland | 25 | 3 Down |
10. Fulham | 25 | 3 Up |
11. Everton | 25 | 1 Down |
12. Tottenham | 24 | 2 Up |
13. Brentford | 24 | 1 Down |
14. Crystal Palace | 24 | 6 Down |
15. Newcastle | 22 | 4 Down |
16. Leeds | 18 | — |
17. Nottingham Forest | 18 | — |
18. West Ham | 13 | — |
19. Burnley | 11 | — |
20. Wolves | 2 | — |
Aston Villa's remarkable ascent owes more to Unai Emery's coaching excellence (and favorable expected goals performance) than referee decisions. Liverpool, conversely, would be three points and one position better without VAR.
The Reds have suffered from two penalties awarded against them. Brentford received a questionably upgraded free kick from Stockley Park officials in October that decided a 3–2 loss, while Leeds United's first goal in a wild 3–3 comeback this month came from a VAR-awarded penalty.
Manchester United's season has featured numerous VAR penalties—both awarded and conceded. Ruben Amorim's team experienced both sides of inconsistent officiating during a 3–2 victory over Burnley in August. Sunderland was denied a penalty at Old Trafford before United received one via VAR in this month's win against Wolverhampton Wanderers.
While these decisions didn't alter match outcomes, United would still rise one place in a VAR-free table due to changes affecting surrounding teams.
Biggest Winners From VAR
The London pair of Chelsea and Crystal Palace are VAR's clearest beneficiaries this season.
Paradoxically, the Blues started their campaign with a favorable VAR call against Palace. Eberechi Eze's excellent free kick was subsequently disallowed after Marc Guéhi was shown encroaching within one meter of the wall. This marked the first of two 0–0 draws Chelsea has secured this season thanks to opponents having their sole "goal" overturned.
This month, Bournemouth's coveted Antoine Semenyo had an opener against Chelsea cancelled after his teammate Evanilson was deemed marginally offside. There was also the VAR-heavy 2–0 victory over Fulham which, alternatively, could have ended 1–1 without remote interference. Without those additional four points, Chelsea would sit eighth instead of fourth.
Palace would drop even further, falling from eighth in reality to 14th after several beneficial calls. Jean-Philippe Mateta's first goal in a thrilling 3–3 draw with Bournemouth in October was only awarded after VAR review confirmed he was onside. That intervention earned the Eagles a point, while disallowing Emile Smith-Rowe's simple finish ensured Palace secured a 2–1 victory (instead of a 2–2 draw) against Fulham in December.
Biggest Losers From VAR
It's unsurprising that 80% of Bournemouth supporters recently surveyed by The Athletic favor VAR's elimination. Without these screen-dependent officials, the Cherries would occupy seventh place rather than lingering near relegation in 15th.
Andoni Iraola's team has lost two victories to VAR: the 3–3 draw with Palace in October due to Mateta's retrospectively allowed opener and this month's scoreless draw against Chelsea, which wouldn't have remained goalless had VAR not ruled Evanilson offside.
Iraola understated the situation when he recently complained: "We have been significantly impacted by officiating decisions."