There can’t have been too many more controversial aspects of the Premier League than the introduction of the Video Assistant Referee.
After voting unanimously to introduce VAR ahead of the 2019/20 season after an initial testing period, watching and playing in the Premier League has changed beyond recognition in the time that has passed as goals are routinely followed by that anxious and seemingly never-ending wait for the VAR signal and the goal to be cleared.
Newcastle United have fallen foul of VAR on several occasions this season - and they are by no means the only club that can make that claim after the process came in for fierce criticism throughout the campaign.
But with just two games remaining in their pursuit of a second consecutive season competing in European football, how would Newcastle’s position in the Premier League table look if VAR had not been introduced five years ago?
