Congratulations to Fulham, who, barring an upset on the Premier League’s last day on Sunday, will finish on top of the table. And commiserations to Wolverhampton Wanderers, who will likely end the season resolutely in bottom place. There will be no trophy, no medals handed out, no laps of honour, because this ranking doesn’t reflect performance or attainment. This is instead a more arbitrary measure, specifically how VAR (Video Assistant Referee) decisions have affected each club over the 38-game campaign – who’s had the most positive outcomes (that will be Fulham) and who’s suffered most from the application of video evidence (Wolves).
This interesting piece of research has been undertaken by the sports channel ESPN, who have assessed every VAR ruling over the season. And what it reveals is that, on seven occasions in Fulham matches, the referee’s on-field decision has been overturned by the Video Assistant Referee, watching on television at a remote........