English Premier League Power Rankings: Week 24

This past weekend in the Premier League saw its fare share of drama from the marquee match of the weekend, while a struggling top team got back on track with a blowout win and two of the title contenders slipped up in their pursuit of Manchester City.

The marquee match of the weekend at Stamford Bridge between Chelsea and Manchester United provided plenty of late game drama, with United being able to come back and draw the Blues after being down three goals.

United's draw, along with Tottenham's goalless draw at Liverpool, opened the gap at the top of the table again with Manchester City up two points on United and seven on Spurs.

Arsenal finally got back on track in an impressive 7-1 trouncing over Blackburn, while Newcastle continued their run for the top four with a 2-1 win over Aston Villa.

In the relegation race, Wigan were able to gain a point against Everton while Wolves jumped out of the relegation zone thanks to a win over QPR.

As always, last week's ranking is in parentheses.

20. Blackburn (18)

Blackburn were handed a blowout loss by Arsenal on the road at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday.

The 7-1 loss was the worst result of the season by Rovers and their second straight after falling to Newcastle last week.

A crucial clash in Blackburn's fight for survival occurs on Saturday as they host QPR in a relegation battle at Ewood Park.

19. Bolton (17)

Bolton were unable to extend their two-game unbeaten streak at Norwich on Saturday as they fell 2-0.

The loss was only the second time Owen Coyle's club were handed defeat in the new year, with their last loss coming January 4 to Everton.

The Trotters still sit in the relegation zone in 18th place but could jump out of the bottom three with a win over relegation rivals Wigan at home on Saturday.

18. Wigan (20)

Wigan were gifted their first points of 2012 thanks to a howler from Everton keeper Tim Howard in their 1-1 draw at home.

An own goal was credited to Phil Neville on that gaffe by the American keeper and it gave the Latics a brief seven-minute one goal lead before their guests equalized in the 83rd minute.

The Latics are still stuck at the bottom of the Premier League table with 16 points and one has to ask why manager Roberto Martinez still has a job with his club performing so poorly.

17. Queens Park Rangers (16)

Things were looking good for QPR on Saturday until the 34th minute when one of their new signings was sent off.

The R's were up by a goal thanks to a 16th minute Bobby Zamora strike but trouble struck when Djibril Cisse was sent off. The match went downhill from there for Mark Hughes and company.

QPR were scored on twice by Wolves in the second half and fell to their relegation rivals by the score of 2-1 at home.

16. Wolverhampton (19)

Wolves recorded their first win in two months as they took down QPR on the road by a 2-1 scoreline.

Matthew Jarvis and Kevin Doyle scored in the second half to boost Wolves out of the bottom three and into 17th place, one point ahead of 18th-placers Bolton.

The win came two months to the day that Mick McCarthy's club last took three points from a match, which was at home against Sunderland.

15. Fulham (14)

Fulham were downed by league leaders Manchester City on the road at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday.

The 3-0 loss broke the Cottagers' two-game unbeaten run and halted their attempted move up the table as they still sit in 14th place.

Martin Jol's club will look to rebound from the loss against Stoke City on Saturday at home.

14. Stoke City (13)

Stoke lost their third straight game on Saturday as they fell 1-0 to Sunderland.

The loss was also the fourth in five games for the Potters who have seen their form drop in recent weeks.

Tony Pulis and company will visit Fulham on Saturday at Craven Cottage before hopping back into Europa League action when they host Valencia on February 16.

13. West Brom (8)

West Brom's lack of form continued at home against Swansea on Saturday as they suffered a 2-1 defeat.

Marc-Antoine Fortune scored the opener in the game for the Baggies in the 54th minute, but within five minutes the club saw themselves down a goal and could not rebound to earn a point.

The Baggies will look to get out of their slump, which has seen the club win once in seven games, on the road at Wolves on Sunday.

12. Aston Villa (11)

Aston Villa enjoyed their fair share of off-the-pitch drama on Sunday as they were beaten on the road at Newcastle, 2-1.

After the match, word came out of the Villa camp that both Stephen Ireland and Charles N'Zogbia were unhappy with manager Alex McLeish.

Whether the negative attitude in the dressing room continues or not, Villa have a tough task on their hands Sunday as they play host to Manchester City.

11. Swansea City (15)

Four days after holding Chelsea to a draw at home, Swansea beat West Brom for the second time this season on Saturday.

The 2-1 win was powered by on-loan Hoffenheim player Gylfi Sigurdsson, who has more than impressed since joining from the German club, as the Iceland international scored in the 55th minute to equalize the game.

Danny Graham took the club lead in goals back from Scott Sinclair as he scored his eighth goal of the season to win the game in the 59th minute.

The 10th place club will face fellow newly promoted club Norwich City on Saturday in Wales at the Liberty Stadium.

10. Norwich City (12)

Norwich rebounded from their 3-0 defeat to Sunderland on Wednesday with a 2-0 win over Bolton on Saturday.

Andrew Surman and Anthony Pilkington both scored goals in the second half for the Canaries to power them to their eighth win of the season.

Paul Lambert's club have recorded eight wins, losses and draws now this season and they sit in ninth place in the table with 32 points.

9. Everton (10)

Everton were able to come out of the DW Stadium with a 1-1 draw on Saturday after they went a goal down when goalie Tim Howard committed a howler.

Victor Anichebe scored in the 83rd minute to give the Toffees the draw and save the club from embarrassment against the last-placed club in the Premier League.

David Moyes' club will look to take down another top four club (they beat league leaders Manchester City on January 31) as they host Chelsea on Saturday.

8. Sunderland (6)

James McClean powered Sunderland to victory over Stoke on the road with a 60th-minute goal.

Before hosting Arsenal on Saturday, the Black Cats will look to take down Middlesbrough in their FA Cup fourth-round replay.

With a win in Wednesday's match, Martin O'Neill and company could host Arsenal in two straight weeks, as they would face the Gunners in the FA Cup fifth round if they advance on Wednesday.

7. Liverpool (7)

Liverpool posted their second 0-0 draw in their last four games as they drew blank at home against Tottenham on Monday.

The return of Luis Suarez from suspension was greeted with cheers from the Anfield crowd as the Uruguay international had a chance or two to score on his return but could not finish.

A trip to Old Trafford awaits Kenny Dalglish's club on Saturday as they renew their rivalry with Manchester United just two weeks after the Reds defeated United in the FA Cup fourth round.

6. Newcastle United (9)

Newcastle reaped the benefits of Senegal's group-stage exit in the African Cup of Nations as Senegalese strikers Demba Ba and Papiss Cisse scored in the Magpies' 2-1 win over Aston Villa on Saturday.

Ba scored his 16th goal of the season in the 30th minute while Cisse scored in his Newcastle debut in the 71st minute to give the club the win.

The win put Alan Pardew and company just one point outside of the top four as they sit in fifth place with 42 points.

5. Arsenal (5)

Arsenal avenged their September loss to Blackburn in an emphatic way on Saturday at the Emirates Stadium with a 7-1 win.

Robin van Persie scored a hat trick for the Gunners to raise his season total to 22 in the Premier League.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain scored twice as well with Mikel Arteta and Thierry Henry providing a goal each in the second half.

The Gunners are still two points behind Newcastle for the fight for fifth place and they are only three points behind London rivals Chelsea in fourth place.

4. Tottenham (2)

Tottenham's trip to Anfield was unsuccessful as they looked to take advantage of Manchester United's slip-up on Sunday.

A 0-0 draw was the result that Spurs managed on Monday at the start of their tough four-game league stretch.

Spurs will next face Newcastle on Saturday at White Hart Lane in a battle of third versus fifth in the Premier League table.

Arsenal and Manchester United also loom large on the club's fixture list in the Premier League in the next few weeks.

3. Chelsea (4)

Chelsea recorded their third straight draw as they played in a thriller with Manchester United on Sunday.

The Blues went up by three goals, with Juan Mata and David Luiz scoring in the second half while a Jonny Evans own goal opened the scoring the first half, but ended up giving up three unanswered goals to United.

Chelsea were on the wrong end of questionable calls by referee Howard Webb in the second half which led to United goals on two penalties.

Andre Villas-Boas' club still sits one point ahead of Newcastle in the battle for fourth place but they will have to start winning games to keep a spot in the UEFA Champions League next season.

2. Manchester United (1)

Manchester United fell behind early at Stamford Bridge against Chelsea but came back late to force a 3-3 draw.

Two Wayne Rooney penalties combined with a Chicharito 84th-minute header into the back of the net gave United a much-deserved point on the road.

The draw did put a hindrance on United's title hopes as they fell behind leaders Manchester City once again as they sit two points behind their rivals.

1. Manchester City (3)

Manchester City eased to victory with a 3-0 win over Fulham on Saturday while their title rivals slipped up this weekend.

Sergio Aguero opened the scoring with a 10th-minute penalty, which along with a Chris Baird own goal and a goal from Edin Dzeko in the 72nd minute provided the scoring for City.

Ahead of their trip to Villa Park on Saturday, City sit atop the Premier League table, two points ahead of Manchester United.