Premier League table without VAR: Where Arsenal, Chelsea, Tottenham, West Ham & Crystal Palace would sit

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta refused to be drawn into the debate over refereeing decisions in the Gunners loss to Aston Villa over the weekend. John McGinn scored the only goal of the game but Arsenal felt aggrieved they were not awarded a second-half penalty when Douglas Luiz kicked Gabriel Jesus in the 18-year box while Kai Havertz had a late equaliser ruled out for handball. Both decisions were made on the pitch, and supported by VAR.

Asked about both calls, Arteta said after the game: “Clear and obvious. Clear and obvious.” Pushed further, he added: “Clear and obvious, that’s what I mean. That’s my opinion, that’s all I can say."

There was VAR controversy earlier in the day as Liverpool dramatically defeated Crystal Palace 2-1 at Selhurst Park. The Eagles had a first-half penalty overturned after a VAR check before being awarded one by VAR in the second half, which Jean-Philippe Mateta converted. Jordan Ayew was sent off for a second bookable offence with around 15 minutes to play which sparked a Liverpool comeback with goals from Harvey Elliott and Mohamed Salah.

Elsewhere for London clubs last weekend, Sheffield United beat Brentford 1-0 while on Sunday Chelsea also suffered defeat as they lost 2-0 at Everton. Fulham recorded a big win over West Ham with a 5-0 triumph while there was a morale-boosting win for Tottenham Hotspur as they brushed Newcastle United aside 4-1. With another set of matches ticked off, we have looked at the impact of VAR across the season so far. Factoring in VAR decisions that have led to goals being disallowed or awarded by the technology, including via penalties, here’s how the table might look without VAR as things stand...