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      Premier League table without VAR revealed with Man Utd dropping down table and Tottenham two points clear at top

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      TOTTENHAM would be top and Manchester United out of the guaranteed European places without VAR.SunSport has monitored every onfield decision changed after intervention by Stockley Park since the start of the season.
      Tottenham have fallen off the top following recent defeatsCredit: Reuters
      We have then adjusted the results tables to show what would have been the state of play without VAR calls changing games.
      That does not include all errors made by VAR, including the wrongly-disallowed Luis Diaz goal for Liverpool at Spurs, as the flag was raised and the decision remained unaltered.
      But without VAR, Tottenham’s draws at Brentford and Arsenal – both teams were awarded spot kicks which were scored – are transformed into 2-1 wins for Ange Postecoglou’s men.
      United’s record of seven wins and five defeats is unaltered.
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      Yet Brighton’s 1-1 draw at Everton becomes an away win as Lewis Dunk’s spectacular volley counts as an early equaliser, allowing the Seagulls to move up two places into sixth with United and Newcastle both dropping one place.
      Over the first 12 weeks of the campaign there have been 26 altered decisions, including 11 goals disallowed and seven penalties awarded – all of which have been converted.
      In terms of actual decisions, Nottingham Forest have been the biggest beneficiaries of VAR, with three calls their way – two in the draw with Burnley and one in the defeat at Liverpool – and none against.
      Arsenal and Chelsea have also had three VAR overturns in their favour, balanced out by three going against them.
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      Tottenham would sitll be top of the Premier League if not for VAR
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      Mikel Arteta’s side, though, are one point better off, as the “defeat” by Spurs is countered by a “win” at Stamford Bridge, since the early penalty call against William Saliba disappears.
      Burnley, Liverpool, United and Spurs have all had three overturns against them.
      In the case of United, though, none of them have impacted the match results, only the scoreline.
      Alejandro Garnacho’s VAR offside goal at the Emirates is balanced by the penalty that would have been given for the home side when Anthony Taylor was advised to change his mind after Kai Havertz went down in the United box.
      United still lose to Brighton even if the Rasmus Hojlund goal – ruled out as the ball was deemed out of play – stands.
      Manchester City were comfortable winners in the recent derby at Old Trafford and Bruno Fernandes scored the late winner at Fulham after Scott McTominay’s “opener” was annulled.
      There are few changes in position lower down the table with all the teams from West Ham in ninth down to Luton in 18th staying where they are.
      But Burnley and Sheffield United flip places with Vincent Kompany’s side two points and a place better off as they earn a “win” at Nottingham Forest with Lyle Foster’s late strike no longer chalked off for a Sander Berge handball in the build-up.
      Luton, West Ham and Wolves have still not had a VAR overturn in any of their matches so far. More

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      Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi launches blistering rant and says he ‘dislikes 80 per cent of referees in England’

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      ROBERTO DE ZERBI launched a scathing attack on Prem officials and VAR, blasting: “I don’t like 80 per cent of referees in England.”The Brighton boss was booked for mouthing off to fourth official Andrew Madley after Adam Webster’s own goal gifted Sheffield United a point.
      Roberto De Zerbi slammed referees in England in a furious rantCredit: Getty
      Mahmoud Dahoud was sent off for a challenge on Ben OsbornCredit: Getty
      🗣️ “I don’t like 80 per cent of referees in England”Roberto De Zerbi speaking after he was booked and Mahmoud Dahoud sent off in Brighton’s 1-1 draw with Sheffield Utd ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/LUTP5XuBqt— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) November 12, 2023

      De Zerbi was raging at ref John Brooks for sending off Mahmoud Dahoud for a nasty tackle on Ben Osborn moments earlier.
      The Seagulls chief stormed: “I am honest and clear and I don’t like 80 per cent of referees in England.
      “It’s not a new thing. I don’t like them or their behaviour on the pitch.
      “England is the only country where when there is a VAR check you are not sure it is the right decision.
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      “In other countries you have to be 100 per cent sure the referee’s decision is right.
      “In England, no, and I’m not able to understand it.
      “Until the red card there was only one team on the pitch. With one less player we lost order and lost our style.”
      However, TV replays appeared to show Brooks got it right, with VAR Chris Kavanagh backing his verdict that Dahoud’s ugly tackle deserved a straight red card.
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      And ex-Prem ref Mark Halsey declared: “Roberto can have no complaints over Dahoud’s red.
      “The ball was nowhere near Osborn’s ankle and the Brighton man deliberately stamped on him.”
      De Zerbi added: “If I see the new rules, it is a red card, clear.
      “But I was a player and the dynamic of the situation is not a red card — but we have to accept it.”
      Asked if referees in Europe are better, De Zerbi said: “I’m working in England and I speak only about the referees here.” More

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      Jeremy Clarkson wades into Erling Haaland VAR row and gives bizarre explanation for how Man City star scored vs Chelsea

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      TV PRESENTER Jeremy Clarkson was quick to comment on a bizarre goal scored by Erling Haaland against Chelsea.Haaland popped up with two goals as Manchester City were held to a 4-4 draw at Stamford Bridge.
      Erling Haaland scored his second goal against Chelsea with his backsideCredit: Sky Sports
      it was given after a brief VAR checkCredit: Sky Sports
      TV presenter Jeremy Clarkson made a bizarre comment about the goalCredit: X / JeremyClarkson
      However, his second got fans talking for an unusual reason.
      After Julian Alvarez squared the ball across goal, Haaland threw himself at it in an attempt to direct it towards the target.
      But instead of scoring with his foot, the striker did so with his backside.
      And after a brief VAR check for a potential handball, the goal was given.
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      Stunned fans took to social media to react to Haaland’s goal, with one person writing: “Haaland scored a goal with his buttocks 😂😭.”
      While another joked: “What a goal by Haaland’s a***.”
      Former Top Gear presenter Clarkson also waded in with an odd comment, writing: “Harland scored that with his anus.”
      Daniel Sturridg in the Sky studio confirmed “he scored that with his cheeks”.
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      His remark generated a mixed response from some football fans.
      However, others joked about it.
      One person quipped: “No ands, ifs or butts about it.”
      And another wrote: “Who got the ASSist?”
      In a separate tweet, broadcaster Mike Parry also commented: “That’s the first ever Prem League goal scored off the buttocks .. It was ASStounding..”
      Following two late goals from Rodri and Cole Palmer the points were shared in a 4-4 draw. More

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      Mikel Arteta conducts bizarre VAR interviews and speaks about himself in third person after Vieira red card for Arsenal

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      MIKEL ARTETA went on a VAR charm offensive — by hailing Fabio Vieira’s red card.The Arsenal boss begged for publicity after going out of his way to praise referee Michael Oliver and VAR Michael Salisbury for sending off his player in the 3-1 win over Burnley.
      Mikel Arteta offered a defence of VAR in his latest interview
      Arsenal’s Fabio Vieira was sent off for a studs up tackleCredit: Reuters
      It came a week after he labelled the Prem’s use of video technology as “a disgrace”.
      Arteta said: “Please ask me about VAR because  it was good. I hope I’m on TV saying the referees are so good and I’m completely with them and being very constructive.”
      In a separate interview, he added: “You have to ask me about VAR — it was perfect.
      “Beautiful, the referee and VAR were top. Let’s have some humour as well and move forward.”
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      The Spaniard had no complaints about Vieira’s straight red card for a lunge on Josh Brownhill.
      Speaking about himself in the third person, he said: “Really good decision, really positive from Mikel to speak about that.
      “VAR was right. The referee was right.”
      Leandro Trossard nodded Arsenal’s 1,000th goal at the Emirates to open the scoring but Brownhill levelled with a low drive.
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      William Saliba’s header and Oleksandr Zinchenko’s acrobatic effort put the Gunners 3-1 up before Vieira was dismissed.
      Victory moved Arsenal up to second in the Prem — level on points with leaders Manchester City, who face Chelsea today.
      Arteta added: “The 1,000th goal at the Emirates. A beautiful number.“It was special because he put his body on the line. This is what this team does.
      “I’m really happy with the result, especially the performance — how dominant we were against a team that is very difficult to dominate.
      “With the amount of situations we generated I think we fully deserved to win the game.”
      Burnley boss Vincent Kompany was frustrated his side had denied Arsenal space from open play, only to come a cropper from corners.
      Kompany, whose side have now lost six Premier League games in a row, said: “When the second half gets decided on two set-pieces, it leaves a bitter feeling.
      “It’s again a reminder about staying sharp and alive on everything.” More

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      Troy Deeney reveals he’d take advantage of former Chelsea and Arsenal star ‘dangling a leg’ to try win penalties

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      TROY DEENEY has revealed how he used to try to take advantage of David Luiz when he played against him.While writing in his SunSport column, Deeney was giving his take on VAR.
      Troy Deeney revealed how he would take advantage of defenders like David LuizCredit: Reuters
      Deeney called getting contact off a defender ‘professionalism rather than cheating’Credit: Getty
      He explained how Premier League referees have seen their job made much harder since the introduction of the technology.
      The former Watford ace then explained how this would be detrimental to certain defenders and make them more likely to give away a foul, citing Luiz as an example.
      Deeney said: “Let’s talk about the idea of ‘winning’ a penalty, of inviting contact and going down, which I’d describe as professionalism rather than cheating.
      “VAR was supposed to make that far more difficult but I’d say it’s actually made it easier.
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      “There were certain opponents — and as an example I’d use David Luiz of Chelsea, Arsenal and Brazil —  who you knew you had a chance of winning a penalty against.
      “Luiz was a brilliant footballer but he would also have a tendency to dive in to tackles or to dangle a leg if you were running past him, so you’d try to take advantage of that and invite referees to make a decision.
      “With the super slo-mo they use in VAR decisions today, a defender’s challenge often looks worse than it actually is, so you are probably more likely to win a penalty.
      “So many decisions are subjective, so you are never going to get perfection in decision-making.”
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      Deeney also aired his rage on VAR as a whole.
      He believes the Premier League should SCRAP it and bring back the chaos that makes football so fun. More

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      Prem referees chiefs advertise hardest job in football as they step up bid to end VAR chaos… with NO experience required

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      REFS’ chiefs have placed an ADVERT for people to take on football’s toughest job as VARs.The PGMOL are hunting for brave souls with little or no experience.
      The PGMOL are ready to appoint specialist VAR staffCredit: Richard Pelham / The Sun
      Luis Diaz’s legitimate goal was wrongly chalked off after a VAR howler
      And the job ad is asking for people who can: “PROVIDE clear communication under pressure,” and are “capable of SELF-REFLECTION on how they have performed.”
      “IDENTIFY when VAR needs to intervene,” and have the “ability to FOCUS and have great communication skills.”
      An advert is circulating among around 75 refs at elite level in the men’s and women’s game to recruit new “Specialist VAR” staff.
      It comes as VAR is under the biggest scrutiny since launching in 2016.
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      Arsenal and Liverpool have both issued strong statements this season, demanding reform.
      Gunners boss Mikel Arteta branded VAR calls “disgraceful” after Anthony Gordon’s Newcastle winner was allowed to stand last Saturday.
      Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp demanded a replay after Luis Diaz’s goal was wrongly ruled out for offside in Liverpool’s 2-1 defeat at Tottenham.
      And Wolves boss Gary O’Neil accused VAR of huge blunders which have cost his side points.
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      Newcastle’s winner against Arsenal stood despite a series of controversiesCredit: Getty
      Fans, players and managers are growing increasingly frustrated with VARCredit: Getty
      PGMOL boss Howard Webb has made a number of apologies — including over the Diaz cock-up.
      VAR has also been criticised for lengthy delays, including one of more than SEVEN minutes in Chelsea’s 4-1 win at Tottenham on Monday.
      That game stretched to almost 112 minutes and included two sendings off and FIVE disallowed goals.
      Insiders at the PGMOL say officials are taking longer to make up their minds on decisions because they are frightened of the public backlash should they make a mistake.
      There is also a growing feeling among officials they are overstretched with the expansion of roles now associated with every Prem game.
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      This weekend alone four referees are doubling up and working on both Saturday and Sunday in the top flight alone.
      Paul Tierney is VAR for Saturday’s lunchtime clash between Wolves and Tottenham before taking charge of Liverpool versus Brentford on Sunday at 2pm.
      John Brooks is VAR at Bournemouth’s home game with Newcastle at 5.30pm on Saturday evening from Stockley Park in North-West London and referee at Brighton against Sheffield United the day after.
      He will be in partnership over a two-day working weekend with Chris Kavanagh who is in the middle at Bournemouth before acting as VAR while Brooks referees at Brighton less than 24 hours later.
      Relative rookie Michael Salisbury, who only joined the Premier League list last year, is VAR for Arsenal vs Burnley then referee for West Ham against Nottingham Forest at 2pm on Sunday.
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      The job advert calls for “expressions of interest” from the top level in the men’s and women’s game to take on one of the most pressurised jobs in football.
      Pay is not mentioned.
      Wolves have been repeatedly on the wrong end of ref blundersCredit: AFP
      Tottenham’s home clash with Chelsea had 21 minutes of injury time after nine checksCredit: Richard Pelham / The Sun
      John Brooks is involved in two Premier League games this weekendCredit: Alamy More

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      Troy Deeney: It’s time for VAR to be scrapped, the best moment of my career never would have happened if it existed

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      I’VE reached the end of my tether with VAR and I’d love to see it scrapped.I think most players and the vast majority of match-going fans would say the same.
      Troy Deeney netted this momentous but controversial goal for Watford vs Leicester in the 2013 Championship semi-final play-offsCredit: PA:Press Association
      Deeney believes this ‘absolute, glorious carnage’ following his famous strike would have been curtailed by VAR as it came after a ref errorCredit: PA:Empics Sport
      Tottenham’s Eric Dier had a goal rightly disallowed in a controversial 4-1 loss vs Chelsea but the VAR check took ridiculously longCredit: Getty
      It’s as if Premier League chiefs have said, ‘We’ve got this wonderful product, which is lapped up the world over and is an excellent fan experience to enjoy live, so how are we going to f*** it all up?’
      Football, at its best, is pure chaos. If I think back to probably the most memorable moment of my career — the climax of the Championship play-off semi-final between Watford and Leicester in 2013 — it all came about because of a refereeing error.
      Anthony Knockaert of Leicester dived to win a penalty, his spot-kick was saved by our keeper Manuel Almunia, and we went straight down the other end where I scored the goal which sent us to Wembley.
      Vicarage Road erupted in euphoria. It was absolute, glorious carnage. And nobody who was there will ever forget it.
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      But that sequence of events probably wouldn’t have happened now.
      Knockaert’s tumble would have been analysed to death for five minutes and the penalty probably wouldn’t have been given.
      With VAR, we are attempting to provide this perfect sanitised game and that isn’t what football is about.
      Take Monday night’s game between Tottenham and Chelsea, with nine VAR checks, most of them far longer than necessary, with both players and supporters standing around not having a clue what was going on, and then 20-odd minutes of injury-time.
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      This is NOT the game I fell in love with.
      When Spurs player Eric Dier had a goal disallowed in the second half, he was clearly offside, but it took VAR several minutes to reach that decision.
      It’s like if I go into a coffee shop and the bloke in front of me is ordering a choco mocha latte, or whatever those fancy coffees are called, and so we all have to wait five minutes.
      But after all that hanging around for the barista to act like Tom Cruise, it just tastes like a normal cup of coffee.
      Sometimes there’s no point in waiting around for a ridiculous amount of time.
      I played in the Premier League during the first season of VAR in 2019-20 and I actually didn’t mind it.
      But since then I have witnessed a huge drop in refereeing standards.
      Refs have lost the courage to make decisions, they no longer trust their instincts, and they have lost authority as a result.
      Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta raged as a triple VAR check, including for this challenge by Joelinton on Gabriel, failed to erase Anthony Gordon’s Toon winnerCredit: Getty
      David Luiz was a brilliant defender but could dive in or dangle a legCredit: Getty Images – Getty
      They see a 50-50 call and rely on VAR to get them out of a hole — but often the VAR decision is worse than a spontaneous on-field call.
      Of course I would moan at refs when I played in the top-flight but I genuinely believed we had a high standard of officiating before VAR.
      The likes of Martin Atkinson, Mark Clattenburg and Michael Oliver — who was actually the ref conned by Knockaert at Vicarage Road — were generally excellent. Those standards have dropped, largely because of the effect of VAR.
      And let’s talk about the idea of ‘winning’ a penalty, of inviting contact and going down, which I’d describe as professionalism rather than cheating.
      VAR was supposed to make that far more difficult but I’d say it’s actually made it easier.
      There were certain opponents — and as an example I’d use David Luiz of Chelsea, Arsenal and Brazil —  who you knew you had a chance of winning a penalty against.
      Luiz was a brilliant footballer but he would also have a tendency to dive in to tackles or to dangle a leg if you were running past him, so you’d try to take advantage of that and invite referees to make a decision.
      Everywhere you look, VAR is leading to less respect for refs, worse decision-making and a worse experience for fans.
      With the super slo-mo they use in VAR decisions today, a defender’s challenge often looks worse than it actually is, so you are probably more likely to win a penalty.
      So many decisions are subjective, so you are never going to get perfection in decision-making.
      I did sympathise with Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta losing his rag following Newcastle’s winning goal last weekend — there were three or four reasons why it could have been ruled out but none of them were conclusive.
      So he had a rant in the heat of the moment out of pure frustration.
      Arteta described refereeing standards as ‘embarrassing’ but what was more embarrassing to me was Arsenal issuing a statement the following day backing up his complaint.
      That sort of thing just lessens the authority of referees even more.
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      Everywhere you look, VAR is leading to less respect for refs, worse decision-making and a worse experience for fans inside Premier League stadiums.
      I don’t think it’s ever going to happen, because it would be seen as a backwards step, but I’d rather see it scrapped so that we can all embrace the chaos again. More

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      Karren Brady: VAR has been bad enough, but the government’s new do-gooder regulator will really hamper elite football

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      FOOTBALL is falling foul of so much over-regulation it reminds you of the old workers’ axiom, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”.As if VAR hasn’t been controversial enough, the imminent government-appointed football regulator looks set to be another busybody do-gooder that will end up hampering the sport at its highest level.
      King Charles announced plans for a new football regulatorCredit: AP
      VAR has angered fans, players, managers and pundits alikeCredit: PA
      Let’s start with VAR, the sport’s unpredictable instrument of judgment.
      Mikel Arteta’s outburst last week was aimed at the VAR operators who agreed with the referee that Anthony Gordon’s winning goal for Arsenal after an aerial scramble should stand.
      Even though the human microscopes in the VAR hub eventually voted against Arsenal, the length of the delay was an indication of doubt rather than certainty.
      Which says two things to me. First, in many cases, intent is near-impossible to ascertain.
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      Second, VAR operators are regularly asking for an interruption themselves rather than accepting that the ref’s decision should be final.
      Little wonder VAR is now so disliked.
      It is also impersonal — based somewhere in West London — while fans, players, managers, and TV pundits all know their equipment is fairly basic… a generation or two short of AI.
      Two-dimensional TV is Putin-esque — sometimes we can’t believe what we think we see.
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      Because of this, no verdict can ever be relied on as unimpeachable.
      Whatever the angry Arteta thought last Saturday at St James’ Park, had the decisions gone the other way Newcastle manager Eddie Howe would have complained — albeit not so noisily.
      Simply, it was impossible in the few minutes available for VAR to undo the tangle of limbs that made up the full incident.
      The truth is that ref Stuart Attwell had a better view of the incident than a whole crew of spotters checking angles on flat screens.
      Overall it was the half-blind with pictures half-leading the half-blind with a whistle. Yes, half-equipped.
      This technical interference didn’t impress Wolves who have claimed at least four incorrect referee-VAR decisions so far this season — two of them so poor that the refs were dropped to the Championship for a match.
      Wolves manager Gary O’Neil calculates those errors have cost his team SIX points.
      I’m sure the decision to have a regulator will end up as one we regret.Karren Brady
      A more excitable man would have reacted with some colourful vocabulary.
      Ange Postecoglou, too, is measured in his post-match assessments.
      Many people will wonder whether his Spurs team’s 4-1 home defeat by Chelsea was a sign of things to come with NINE incidents having been checked by VAR.
      Postecoglou said: “That utopia where there are no wrong decisions in the game will never exist. It’s our own fault as we complain about decisions every week.”
      Just as referees’ authority is being undermined, the introduction of a football regulator begs the question as to what has happened to the alleged authority of the FA?
      Football’s governing body is being stripped to lesser duties by our politicians and we know what happens when ministers appoint an overseer-cum-bureaucrat-cum-pal to such responsibility.
      The power, success and wealth of the Premier League is envied by our lesser leagues and — more to the point — around the world.
      Stuart Attwell was the referee for Newcastle’s controversial win over ArsenalCredit: Getty
      Gary O’Neil and Wolves have been screwed over by major refereeing clangersCredit: AFP
      While it is right that we should spread some of our money to the EFL and deeper, the Prem is a success story.
      The big question for the EFL is a pretty straightforward one.
      If the regulator — as read out by the King last week — is said to “safeguard the future of football clubs for the benefit of communities and fans” why are there no restrictions on what the EFL clubs can do with the money that flows down to ensure it benefits communities and fans?
      The implication of the need for a regulator is that football and the FA are in a mess, when in fact the opposite is true.
      They say, no pain is unbearable — except that of regret.
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      I’m sure the decision to have a regulator will end up as one we regret.
      It is such a short word and yet it stretches forever. More