By kickspoll Wolves were unhappy with the VAR officials after their 2-1 loss to Manchester City on Sunday afternoon. Wolves manager Gary O’Neil has been contacted by the Football Association following the controversial defeat. O’Neil was frustrated after John Stones headed in a late winner for City, a goal awarded after referee Chris Kavanagh was advised to review the incident by VAR.
City midfielder Bernardo Silva was initially seen as interfering with play while standing in front of goalkeeper Jose Sa, causing the goal to be disallowed. However, after a review by VAR, it was determined that Silva was not in Sa’s eyeline as he moved away from the Wolves keeper and ducked out of play.
At full-time, O’Neil suggested there may be a bias toward bigger clubs, although he clarified it wasn’t deliberate. He explained, “There’s no chance people are purposely against Wolves, let’s be clear. But is there something in the subconscious around decision making? When it’s Haaland and Man City, are officials more likely to give it to them than Wolves?”
O’Neil pointed to the psychological pressure officials may face when making decisions in games involving top clubs, saying, “Man City scoring a last-minute winner is a bigger thing than Wolves scoring against West Ham. If I had to upset someone, and there’s a big and little guy, I’m upsetting the little guy.”
Wolves led a Premier League vote in the summer to scrap VAR, though it didn’t receive sufficient backing. With that in mind, here’s a look at how the Premier League table might look without VAR, factoring in decisions that led to or canceled out goals.
**Premier League table without VAR:**
– **20th – Wolves, 2 points (+1)**
Wolves would have claimed a point against Manchester City without VAR, which allowed John Stones’ 95th-minute winner to stand.
– **19th – Southampton, 2 points (+1)**
A VAR decision awarded Leicester City a penalty that helped them overturn a 2-0 deficit against Southampton.
– **18th – Crystal Palace, 2 points (-1)**
Palace would be a point worse off after a VAR decision ruled in their favor in a 2-2 draw with Leicester.
– **17th – Ipswich Town, 4 points**
Ipswich have only faced one significant VAR decision, which came in a 4-1 loss to Manchester City.
– **16th – Everton, 10 points (+2)**
Everton had a goal disallowed by VAR in a 0-0 draw against Newcastle United.
– **15th – Leicester City, 9 points**
Leicester benefited from a VAR-awarded penalty in their win over Southampton, but they also had a goal overturned in a draw with Crystal Palace.
– **14th – West Ham, 8 points**
No significant VAR interventions affecting results for West Ham so far this season.
– **13th – Brentford, 10 points**
VAR awarded Brentford a penalty in a high-scoring 5-3 win over Wolves.
– **12th – Newcastle United, 10 points (-2)**
Newcastle had a late winner ruled out by VAR in a draw with Bournemouth and also had a goal disallowed against Everton.
– **11th – Manchester United, 12 points (+1)**
Manchester United would have likely earned an extra point if a Joshua Zirkzee goal hadn’t been disallowed by VAR against Brighton.
– **10th – Nottingham Forest, 13 points**
Forest gained one point but lost another through VAR decisions.
– **9th – Tottenham Hotspur, 13 points**
No significant VAR decisions affecting Spurs’ results so far this season.
– **8th – Brighton, 13 points (-2)**
Brighton lost points due to a VAR decision that disallowed a Manchester United goal but benefited in another game against Everton.
– **7th – Fulham, 13 points (+2)**
Fulham have gained from VAR decisions in matches against Leicester City and Nottingham Forest.
– **6th – Chelsea, 14 points**
Chelsea benefited from VAR in a game against Liverpool, though they still lost the match.
– **5th – AFC Bournemouth, 15 points (+4)**
Bournemouth have seen several goals disallowed by VAR but gained points from a red card decision in a win over Arsenal.
– **4th – Aston Villa, 17 points**
VAR awarded a penalty to Fulham in a recent match, but Villa won 3-1.
– **3rd – Arsenal, 17 points**
VAR allowed Kai Havertz’s 99th-minute goal to stand in a crucial match against Leicester City.
– **2nd – Manchester City, 18 points (-2)**
VAR helped City secure three points against Wolves by allowing the late John Stones goal to stand.
– **1st – Liverpool, 21 points**
VAR has played a role in multiple Liverpool matches, though it hasn’t significantly affected their results so far.