A very interesting study showed that the "reds" could finish the last season of the Premier League in second place if they were slightly more fortunate.

The BBC conducted a study and determined how the teams would be located in the Premier League season 2017-2018, if various circumstances, including judicial errors, did not affect the results of matches.

The index of "luckiness" was calculated based on the following indicators:.

- Missed goals that should have been canceled - Mistakenly canceled goals scored - Wrongly appointed penalties - Penalties that should have been assigned, but were not - Erroneous red cards - Red cards that the opponent did not mistakenly received - Goals that were missed after that , as the main and added time of the match came out - Erroneously uncommitted goals in the opponent's goal As a result, each match of the last tournament was re-evaluated taking into account the above factors, therefore some fights received an alternative outcome, which also took into account such indicators as the strength of the team, the game form and the advantage of home stands.

For example, in a draw from Liverpool with Manchester United (0: 0) on Anfield on October 14, there was an unassigned penalty against the "red devils". The alternative outcome of this match was the victory of Liverpool with a score of 1: 0.

Thus, the BBC compiled a whole alternative NPS table, where the teams are located taking into account the "luck factor". Based on this table, Liverpool should have scored not 75, but 87 points and finish the championship in second place, while Manchester United was to finish fourth with 75 points instead of 81.

Compare the original (left) and alternative (right) tables you can see below:.

Thus, due to judicial errors and other circumstances beyond their control, Jurgen Klopp's wards have lost as much as 12 points, which makes them the most "unlucky" team of the Premier League in the last season.

The study also showed:.

- Lester scored three goals after the main and added time - more than any other team - Huddersfield's home stadium saw the largest number of canceled goals - five. Two of them were erroneously canceled in favor of the hosts.

- Matt Richie - the luckiest player in the cards. He managed to avoid two net deletions.

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