Arsenal fall to sixth-place in Premier League table without VAR this season

Arsenal would drop from fifth to sixth in the Premier League table without the presence of VAR technology this season, a study has found.

Video assistants are in the spotlight once again after Alejandro Garnacho’s late goal against the Gunners was disallowed on Sunday (September 3). The Manchester United forward was deemed off-side with the game poised at 1-1.

Soon after, Mikel Arteta's men went ahead, with Declan Rice scoring a winner in injury time. Gabriel Jesus added a third before the final whistle.

Attempting to understand the effects of the technology, London World produced a league table for the new season without the involvement of VAR (via SPORTbible). This standing considered actions that resulted in goals being given or disallowed and penalty claims.

Arsenal, who had a penalty decision overturned by VAR in the aforementioned match, dropped down to sixth place, losing a point. Currently, the north London outfit sit fifth with 10 points in the Premier League, with three wins and a draw from their opening four fixtures. Sixth-place Brighton & Hove Albion would leapfrog the Gunners into fifth without VAR.

Several calls involving the video referee have been contested by fans and pundits this season. Virgil van Dijk's red card against Newcastle United and Andre Onana's penalty incident in Manchester United's opener against Wolves are among the many calls to have sparked controversy.

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"It was a clear foul"- Erik ten Hag claims Declan Rice goal shouldn't have stood in 3-1 Premier League loss to Arsenal

Declan Rice in Premier League (via Getty Images)

Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag was full of complaints after his club's 3-1 Premier League loss to Arsenal on Sunday (September 3). He expressed his disapproval over the referees allowing Declan Rice's 96th-minute goal to stand.

The Gunners went 1-0 down to Marcus Rashford's right-footed finish in the first half before hitting back with a goal of their own through captain Martin Odegaard. After a tight off-side call chopped off Alejandro Garnacho's seemingly late winner, Rice managed to put his team 2-1 up in the 96th minute.

The England international was in space at the far post as Jonny Evans tussled with Gabriel. Defending the former Leicester City player, who was seemingly brought down by the Arsenal defender, Ten Hag said (via Evening Standard):

"It can’t be that this goal is given. It was a clear foul."

Despite the former Ajax manager's remarks, video footage of the alleged foul remains inconclusive for the call's reversal in favor of the Red Devils defender. Manchester United are currently 11th with six points from four matches.