The 2024-25 Premier League season is over - but how different would the final table look if VAR wasn’t in operation?
Liverpool walked to the Premier League title while Arsenal finished as runners-up again. And it wasn’t until the last day when the Champions League qualification places were cemented, with Manchester City, Chelsea and Newcastle United sealing their places in next season’s premier competition.
Aston Villa missed out on goal difference and had to settle for a place in the Europa League alongside FA Cup winners Crystal Palace. Nottingham Forest finished in seventh and as a result will be in the Europa Conference League next term.
Relegation was a non-contest, with the three promoted clubs Leicester City, Ipswich Town and Southampton heading straight back down at a canter. Tottenham Hotspur endured their worst-ever Premier League finish in 17th but cared very little after winning the Europa League.
But how different would the final table look without VAR? Since being introduced at the beginning of the 2019-20 season, the system and its decisions have been widely debated, often sparking fury among managers, players and supporters alike.
Did Newcastle benefit, or were they worse off with VAR? Here’s the table without it, as per Sun Sport.
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Getty Images
12 points. Without VAR: 12 points.
2. Southampton (20th) - same position
12 points. Without VAR: 12 points. | Getty Images
22 points. Without VAR: 20 points.
3. Ipswich Town (19th) - same position
22 points. Without VAR: 20 points. | Getty Images
25 points. Without VAR: 27 points.
4. Leicester City (18th) - same position
25 points. Without VAR: 27 points. | Getty Images