At a Glance:
- Arsenal are sitting pretty at the top of the Premier League table with two games to go
- If VAR were not in existence, the Gunners’ fortunes would look much different
Arsenal’s title race in the Premier League looks to be going well, with only two games in the league to go, after the Gunners’ dramatic 1-0 victory over West Ham in Matchweek 36.
Leandro Trossard scored the decisive goal that took Mikel Arteta’s side over the line, in a game that saw Arsenal start strong but fade away after a while, before a surge of energy in the last ten minutes that made all the difference.
Not all news is good news for the Gunners, right now, given the injury that Ben White has picked up, but Arsenal are in a much less nervy position thanks to the fact that West Ham’s late, late equaliser was chalked off by the Video Assistant Referee (VAR).
And the Premier League table without VAR appears to highlight just how fortunate the North London club has been, with one crucial swing in the standings potentially proving decisive had the system not been in place.
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Arsenal would only be one point ahead of Manchester City in revised VAR-less standings
The standings for the Premier League table if VAR was not in effect all year go as such.
| Team | Games played | Points | Positions gained/lost |
| 1. Arsenal | 36 | 74 | 0 |
| 2. Manchester City | 35 | 73 | 0 |
| 3. Manchester United | 36 | 65 | 0 |
| 4. Brighton | 36 | 60 | +3 |
| 5. Bournemouth | 36 | 60 | +1 |
| 6. Aston Villa | 36 | 60 | -1 |
| 7. Liverpool | 36 | 59 | -3 |
| 8. Everton | 36 | 51 | +2 |
| 9. Fulham | 36 | 48 | +2 |
| 10. Chelsea | 36 | 47 | -1 |
| 11. Brentford | 36 | 47 | -3 |
| 12. Newcastle | 36 | 45 | +1 |
| 13. Leeds | 35 | 44 | +3 |
| 14. Sunderland | 36 | 42 | -2 |
| 15. Tottenham | 35 | 41 | +2 |
| 16. Crystal Palace | 35 | 40 | -2 |
| 17. Nottingham Forest | 36 | 37 | -2 |
| 18. West Ham | 36 | 36 | 0 |
| 19. Burnley | 36 | 24 | 0 |
| 20. Wolves | 36 | 20 | 0 |
One of the first things fans will notice upon looking at the table is the points difference between Arsenal and Manchester City, with Arsenal being on 74 points compared to City’s 73, while Pep Guardiola’s team still holds a crucial game in hand.
All in all, that would mean if City won said game in hand, they would be two points ahead of Arsenal and the Gunners would have to hope for a slip-up, while essentially needing to win all their remaining games.
There are some other notable swings in the table, with fellow top six clubs Chelsea and Liverpool dropping one and three positions respectively, while Arsenal’s arch-rivals Tottenham would be five points clear of their ongoing relegation battle they are fighting against in real life.
What Arsenal need to do in both the real life and VAR-less Premier League table to win the league
It is a fairly simple task for Arsenal in a real life to win their first Premier League campaign since their unbeaten 2003/04 campaign—just win their two remaining games against Burnley at home and Crystal Palace away and the trophy is theirs.
However, in a universe where VAR doesn’t affect results, Arsenal would need Manchester City to drop points against one of Crystal Palace, Bournemouth or Aston Villa.
