Premier League Table: Final Week 17 2015 Standings, Results and Week 18 Fixtures

Arsenal suffered a nervous end to their Premier League match with Manchester City but ran out 2-1 winners at the Emirates Stadium.

First-half efforts from Theo Walcott and Olivier Giroud were enough for the Gunners, but a late strike by Yaya Toure gave the Sky Blues late hope.

Arsenal are now clear in second place, but it will be Leicester City who hold the prestigious Christmas Day top spot in the Premier League after they defeated Everton 3-2 at Goodison Park.

Tottenham Hotspur burst into the top-four with a 2-0 victory at Southampton and leapt above Manchester United—who capitulated 2-1 at home to Norwich City.

Here is a look at the weekend's results and standings after Monday's additional game, including a recap of the action: 

Home	Score	Away
Southampton	0-2	Tottenham Hotspur
Stoke City	1-2	Crystal Palace
WBA	1-2	Bournemouth
Chelsea	3-1	Sunderland
Everton	2-3	Leicester City
Manchester United	1-2	Norwich City
Newcastle	1-1	Aston Villa
Watford	3-0	Liverpool
Swansea	0-0	West Ham
Arsenal	2-1	Manchester City

Pos	Team	P	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
1	Leicester	17	11	5	1	37	24	+13	38
2	Arsenal	17	11	3	3	31	14	+17	36
3	Manchester City	17	10	2	5	33	19	+14	32
4	Tottenham	17	7	8	2	28	14	+14	29
5	Manchester United	17	8	5	4	22	14	+8	29
6	Crystal Palace	17	9	2	6	23	16	+7	29
7	Watford	17	8	4	5	21	16	+5	28
8	West Ham	17	6	7	4	25	21	+4	25
9	Liverpool	17	6	6	5	20	22	-2	24
10	Everton	17	5	8	4	31	24	+7	23
11	Stoke	17	6	5	6	14	16	-2	23
12	Southampton	17	5	6	6	21	21	0	21
13	West Bromwich Albion	17	5	5	7	17	23	-6	20
14	Bournemouth	17	5	4	8	22	32	-10	19
15	Chelsea	17	5	3	9	21	27	-6	18
16	Norwich	17	4	5	8	20	29	-9	17
17	Newcastle United	17	4	5	8	19	32	-13	17
18	Swansea	17	3	6	8	15	24	-9	15
19	Sunderland	17	3	3	11	18	33	-15	12
20	Aston Villa	17	1	4	12	14	31	-17	7

Date	Time (GMT/ET)	Fixture
Dec. 26	12.45 p.m./7.45 a.m.	Stoke City vs. Manchester United
Dec. 26	3 p.m./10 a.m.	Aston Villa vs. West Ham United
Dec. 26	3 p.m./10 a.m.	Bournemouth vs. Crystal Palace
Dec. 26	3 p.m./10 a.m.	Chelsea vs. Watford
Dec. 26	3 p.m./10 a.m.	Liverpool vs. Leicester City
Dec. 26	3 p.m./10 a.m.	Manchester City vs. Sunderland
Dec. 26	3 p.m./10 a.m.	Swansea City vs. West Bromwich Albion
Dec. 26	3 p.m./10 a.m.	Tottenham Hotspur vs. Norwich City
Dec. 26	5:30 p.m./12:30 p.m.	Newcastle United vs. Everton
Dec. 26	7.45 p.m./2.45 p.m.	Southampton vs. Arsenal

Week 17 Recap

Alastair Grant/Associated Press

Arsenal nearly threw away the 2-1 win against City at the Emirates on Monday, allowing their opponents back in the match when it seemed they were dead and buried.

Walcott scored a brilliant effort in the first half after being fed by Mesut Ozil, and the England man curled his effort home with amazing precision.

The attacker started the game playing off the striker, and it was a position advocated by Match of the Day presenter Gary Lineker:

Giroud made it two as the visitors' defence collapsed; Eliaquim Mangala gave the ball away cheaply at the back and allowing Ozil to find the striker, who continued his goalscoring streak.

City had plenty of opportunities to drag themselves back into the game but had to wait until the final moments as Toure found the the top corner.

The visitors pushed very hard in the last minutes as it seemed Arsenal would collapse under a situation of their own making, but City could not force the draw. 

Michael Regan/Getty Images

The fairytale of Leicester continues deep into Christmas as the Foxes shocked Everton on Merseyside, winning their encounter 3-2.

Riyad Mahrez continued his top-class form this term as he struck twice from the penalty spot to help his side to a difficult win. 

Manchester United collapsed to a 2-1 defeat against Norwich City at Old Trafford, as manager Louis van Gaal's position comes into question. Two counter-attacks ripped United apart, leading to goals from Alexander Tettey and Cameron Jerome and giving the Canaries a famous away win. 

Ian Walton/Getty Images

Liverpool will be licking their wounds after Sunday's bruising encounter with Watford as they were humbled 3-0 by the rampant Hornets.

The game started in the worst possible way for the Reds as stand-in goalkeeper Adam Bogdan dropped the ball and presented a chance to Nathan Ake, who tapped home. It was soon 2-0 as Liverpool's midfield failed to stop Troy Deeney, who released Odion Ighalo to score from a tight angle.

Ighalo made it three late in the game as the Reds searched for a way back into the tie, and Klopp will now have to reassess his options in January. 

Clive Mason/Getty Images

Chelsea found their winning touch in their first game without Jose Mourinho in the dugout, beating Sunderland 3-1 at Stamford Bridge. Goals from Branislav Ivanovic, Oscar and Pedro sealed the victory for the champions, as new interim boss Guus Hiddink watched on with owner Roman Abramovich from the stands. 

The Telegraph's Paul Hayward highlighted Chelsea's improved performance but commented on one individual's ineptitude:

Dele Alli and Harry Kane maintained their excellent form for Tottenham Hotspur this term, as the England pair both scored in a 2-0 victory away at Southampton. The three points take Spurs up to fourth in the table. 

Crystal Palace continued to prove a formidable away side and beat Stoke City 2-1 at the Britannia Stadium. Connor Wickham scored his first goal for the Eagles, and Chung-Yong Lee netted the winner to give Alan Pardew more away day glory. 

Richard Heathcote/Getty Images

In the weekend's other matches, Newcastle United and Aston Villa shared the points in a 1-1 draw at St James' Park, while Bournemouth defeated West Bromwich Albion 2-1 at the Hawthorns. Swansea City and West Ham United played out a goalless draw at the Liberty Stadium as neither side could find the strength to score a winner. 

Leicester have been the story of the season so far, and no one could have predicted the impact Claudio Ranieri would have after his appointment as coach.

The Italian has breathed new life into the careers of Mahrez and Jamie Vardy, who have gone from being solid players to top-class Premier League operators. 

Logic dictates the Foxes will hit a tough patch of results in the near future, but they have extended their magnificence deep into the winter.

UEFA Champions League qualification is not beyond them as the traditional top sides falter on a weekly basis, allowing Ranieri's men to dream of a European adventure next year.