EPL Table: 2016 Week 18 Standings After Tuesday's Premier League Scores

Liverpool kept pace with the top title contenders in the Premier League on Tuesday, easily beating Stoke City 4-1 at Anfield. The result means every team in the top eight won their Week 18 match, with Tottenham Hotspur and Southampton yet to go head-to-head.

Jonathan Walters gave the visitors a shock lead, but Adam Lallana and Roberto Firmino restored order before half-time. An own goal from Giannelli Imbula killed the Potters' spirits, and Daniel Sturridge put the final score on the board.

Here's a look at the current Premier League standings with one Week 18 match left to play:

Pos	Team	P	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
1	Chelsea	18	15	1	2	38	11	+27	46
2	Liverpool	18	12	4	2	45	21	+24	40
3	Manchester City	18	12	3	3	39	20	+19	39
4	Arsenal	18	11	4	3	39	19	+20	37
5	Tottenham	17	9	6	2	29	12	+17	33
6	Manchester United	18	9	6	3	27	18	+9	33
7	Everton	18	7	5	6	23	21	+2	26
8	Southampton	17	6	6	5	17	16	+1	24
9	West Bromwich Albion	18	6	5	7	23	22	+1	23
10	Watford	18	6	4	8	22	30	-8	22
11	West Ham	18	6	4	8	23	32	-9	22
12	Bournemouth	18	6	3	9	23	31	-8	21
13	Stoke	18	5	6	7	20	28	-8	21
14	Burnley	18	6	2	10	17	28	-11	20
15	Middlesbrough	18	4	6	8	16	20	-4	18
16	Leicester	18	4	5	9	23	31	-8	17
17	Crystal Palace	18	4	4	10	29	33	-4	16
18	Sunderland	18	4	2	12	16	31	-15	14
19	Swansea	18	3	3	12	21	41	-20	12
20	Hull	18	3	3	12	14	39	-25	12

Recap

Liverpool weren't at their best on Tuesday, but a laughable defensive display from Stoke ensured the Reds cruised to an easy win.

The hosts dominated the opening stages, but a defensive error allowed Erik Pieters to fire in a cross for Walters, who powered home a header for the lead. Simon Mignolet should have done better, and his error will perhaps fuel Liverpool's goalkeeper controversy once more.

BenchWarmers had some fun at the Belgian's expense:

"

If Mignolet was a dog... https://t.co/P5JnFMDvAZ

— BenchWarmers (@BeWarmers) December 27, 2016"

Mignolet did make a fine stop on Joe Allen shortly after, however, and the match turned before half-time. Lallana equalised thanks to an error from Glen Johnson, and Firmino made it 2-1 with a great finish from inside the box.

Stoke had a handful of half-chances after the break, but the visitors were second-best and hurt their chances of grabbing a result by shooting themselves in the foot.

Alex Livesey/Getty Images

First, Imbula set up a chance with a poor header and turned the ensuing cross into his own net. Not to be outdone, Ryan Shawcross gifted Sturridge the fourth goal with a dreadful pass back to his own goalkeeper, Lee Grant.

Paddy Power had to make this joke:

Per Liverpool's official Twitter account, manager Jurgen Klopp believed his side forced the errors more than anything:

The win moves Liverpool back into second place, six points behind a surging Chelsea side. The Blues will host Stoke in their next outing, yet another tricky challenge for a struggling Potters squad.

Chelsea, Manchester United and Manchester City all recorded relatively easy wins on Monday, and Arsenal followed suit, although the Gunners struggled against West Bromwich Albion. So far, the Premier League's heavy hitters have survived the busy festive period just fine, but the next slate of fixtures is right around the corner.

Week 18 isn't in the books, however, and the most anticipated match of all has been reserved for last. Spurs and Southampton are both unbeaten in their last two matches and have European ambitions, so at least one of the two clubs is bound to take a hit on Wednesday.