Liverpool are within touching distance of the Champions League places. However, they would be in a worse position in the Premier League table without VAR, according to a report.
The English top-flight returns this weekend following the international break. And, as the 2022-23 season draws to a close, the Reds sit seven points and five points behind fourth-placed Tottenham Hotspur and fifth-placed Newcastle United respectively in the battle for a top-four finish.
Not that they're the only teams in the mix. Brighton & Hove Albion and Brentford are breathing down the neck of Jurgen Klopp's side. And, as it stands, if the Seagulls win their game in hand, they could leapfrog the Reds, who themselves have two games in hand on Tottenham.
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Win those and Liverpool will give themselves a good chance of securing Champions League qualification. However, the picture would not look as bright without the introduction of the Video Assistant Referee.
In a special report from ESPN, incidents have been assessed, the numbers have been crunched and it has been revealed that the Reds would be sitting in ninth with 36 points. Contrasting that to their current position, they have slipped down three places and are six points worse off. Aston Villa also lose six points, which is twice as many points as the next club in the list.
"For Liverpool, their six-point deduction takes them down from sixth place to ninth, with the gap to the Champions League places 13 points with just 12 games left in their schedule," writes Dale Johnson of ESPN. "The key VAR decisions mostly came early in the season.
"Only three clubs have had more VAR interventions in their favour (7), with just Fulham having had as many goals for the opposition ruled out (4); not one VAR intervention has cost Liverpool points.
"In October, Phil Foden had a goal disallowed at Anfield when Erling Haaland was adjudged to have fouled Fabinho in the buildup. That strike would have given Man City the lead, and instead Liverpool went on to win the match 1-0. The VAR table gives City the victory, a swing of three points.
"The other three incidents see draws turn to defeats for Jurgen Klopp's men. Liverpool were 2-0 down against Brighton at Anfield when VAR helped give Mohamed Salah a goal which had been disallowed for offside; the game finished 3-3 but our table gives a Brighton 2-1 win.
"In September, Conor Coady thought he had bagged a late winner in the goalless draw in the Merseyside derby until the offside lines came out. More recently at Anfield in January, Chelsea had a goal disallowed for offside against Kai Havertz when the game was goalless; that draw becomes a Liverpool loss too."
How the Premier League table would look without VAR:
1 Arsenal 70 points
2 Man City 64
3 Tottenham 51
4 Man United 49
5 Brighton 46
6 Newcastle 45
7 Fulham 40
8 Brentford 39
9 Liverpool 36
10 Chelsea 36
11 Aston Villa 32
12 Leeds 29
13 West Ham 29
14 Wolves 28
15 Everton 28
16 Leicester 26
17 Nottingham Forest 25
18 Bournemouth 25
19 Crystal Palace 24
20 Southampton 23
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