It’s too early to determine whether or not VAR will benefit Crystal Palace this season, but Wilfried Zaha can be a key reason for it working in their favour.
According to talkSPORT, the Eagles are one place better off in the Premier League after two matches, thanks to the much-discussed technology.
Roy Hodgson’s side currently sit 13th in the table, but had VAR not impacted on other matches in the first round of fixtures, they would be 14th.
Granted, it’s so early in the campaign that not too much can be made of it, but can Palace be VAR beneficiaries in the long run?
Read Crystal Palace Verdict
Perhaps the biggest positive that VAR can have on Palace is the influence of Zaha, who remains his side’s key player.
The Ivorian’s trickery made him a nightmare to defend against before VAR’s introduction, but defenders will now need to be even more switched on.
Much like Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah, Zaha is often accused of going down too easily by the wider footballing public, with some even labelling him as a diver.
All it makes is for minimal contact to be made now, however, and VAR will see penalties rightly awarded.
That can only bode well for Zaha and Palace, as they look to recover from a poor start to their season, starting at Manchester United on Saturday afternoon.
