The introduction of VAR has caused plenty of controversy in the Premier League this season.
Liverpool were left incensed by an alleged foul from Victor Lindelof in the build-up to Marcus Rashford goal in Sunday’s 1-1 draw against Manchester United that wasn’t penalised after retrospective checks.
Sean Dyche was fuming that Chris Wood’s second goal in Burnley’s 2-1 loss to Leicester City on Saturday didn’t stand.
Southampton, though, will be thanking their lucky stars once more that VAR spared their blushes, and prevented some haphazard defending from costing them a valuable point on the road against Wolves at the weekend.
Saints fans have long been aggrieved by the volume of officiating decisions that have, perceptibly, gone against them.
The arrival of VAR in England’s top flight was supposed to have reduced such room for error, and it’s safe to say that Southampton have been beneficiaries of the advancement, even if few others teams have reaped the rewards.
An argument can be made to suggest that luck does not play a part in these controversial circumstances; matters like offsides tend to be beyond debate, given their black-and-white nature.
However, such close calls have been products of lapses in concentration and generally lackadaisical defending from Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side, and it is little wonder to see them flirting with relegation in the opening stages of the season.
So, just how has VAR aided Saints, despite their precarious position on the Premier League table, this season? Let’s look at eight instances.
