The anger that Nottingham Forest displayed on Sunday was not limited to their worries about Stuart Attwell or the three penalty appeals that were rejected.
It was the last straw after a season of complaints. The club’s resentment had been building, and it resulted in that explosive tweet following their 2-0 loss, the aftermath of which is still being felt.
The incident against Everton may not have even been the straw that broke the camel’s back; rather, it occurred a while earlier and resulted in the consulting role of former referee Mark Clattenburg.However, what happened at Goodison Park did push the Reds over the brink.
This season, a new study examined how VAR has impacted teams. The Premier League table’s hypothetical appearance in the absence of VAR intervention has been calculated in the report.
Without VAR, the Reds would still be ranked 17th in a Premier League table, according to statistics specialists at Instant Casino. They would, however, be one point worse off, sitting at 25 instead of the current 26 points.
The study looked at each and every VAR ruling made by the league, adding back goals that were disallowed and eliminating goals that were awarded following VAR’s intervention. It ignored subjective judgments and solely concentrated on choices that directly affected goals.
The removal of VAR changed the result of 26 top-flight games. And the consequences changed the position of seven teams in the alternative table.
The study shows that Chelsea has benefited from VAR more than any other side. Without it, instead of currently holding the ninth position, they would be ranked 12th.
When VAR is removed, the image at the bottom of the table doesn’t really alter. The relegation spots stay the same, however Burnley would drop two spots and Luton Town would have 24 points instead of 25. In the meantime, the analysis reveals that Everton has benefited from VAR by three points.
The Premier League table without VAR
1 Arsenal – 75 points (+1 point)
2 Liverpool – 74 points
3 Manchester City – 73 points
4 Aston Villa – 69 points (+3 points)
5 Tottenham Hotspur – 64 points (+4 points)
6 Newcastle United – 51 points (+1 point)
7 West Ham United – 51 points (+3 points)
8 Brighton and Hove Albion – 49 points (+5 points)
9 Manchester United – 49 points (-1 point)
10 Wolverhampton Wanderers – 45 points (+2 points)
11 Bournemouth – 45 points (+3 points)
12 Chelsea – 43 points (-4 points)
13 Fulham – 39 points (-3 points)
14 Crystal Palace – 38 points (+2 points)
15 Brentford – 35 points
16 Everton – 27 points (-3 points)
17 Nottingham Forest – 25 points (-1 point)
18 Luton Town – 24 points (-1 point)
19 Burnley – 21 points (-2 points)
20 Sheffield United – 16 points