Barclays Premier League Week 8 Table: Updated Standings After Saturday's Action

Week 8 of the English Premier League saw some surprising results, which in turn caused a shift at the top of the league table.

Liverpool could only manage a draw against Newcastle United, while Manchester United and Southampton also ended their match in a draw. This left the door open for Arsenal, Chelsea and others to move up with wins.

There is still a lot of time remaining in the season, but the table is already starting to clear itself out. Here is an updated look at the standings with a recap of the biggest matches of the day.

Pos.	Team	Played	Points	GD
1	Arsenal	8	19	9
2	Chelsea	8	17	9
3	Liverpool	8	17	6
4	Manchester City	8	16	11
5	Southampton	8	15	5
6	Everton	8	15	2
7	Tottenham	7	13	1
8	Manchester United	8	11	1
9	Hull City	8	11	-2
10	Newcastle United	8	11	-3
11	Swansea City	8	10	1
12	Aston Villa	7	10	1
13	West Bromwich Albion	8	10	1
14	West Ham United	8	8	0
15	Stoke City	8	8	-3
16	Cardiff City	8	8	-5
17	Fulham	7	7	-4
18	Norwich City	8	7	-7
19	Crystal Palace	7	3	-8
20	Sunderland	8	1	-15

Newcastle United 2, Liverpool 2

For much of this match, it seemed as though Liverpool would be fortunate to come away with any points.

Newcastle got off to the early lead with a quality opening goal by Yohan Cabaye in the 23rd minute. Liverpool needed a penalty shot to even up the match before halftime, although it was a notable mark for Steven Gerrard:

The Reds once again fell behind at the 56th-minute mark as Paul Dummett got a tap-in to take the lead 2-1. Liverpool fortunately were able to get one more equalizer, this time by the red-hot Daniel Sturridge.

Amazingly, the road team had a chance for the win deep into stoppage time. Luis Suarez took a free kick just outside the box and put it on net, but it was saved by Tim Krul and the two sides settled for a draw.

Manchester United 1, Southampton 1

Coming into the season, few would have predicted Southampton would be ahead of Manchester United at this point of the year, but that is exactly how the table looks. 

That said, it is hard to deny the talent on the United roster, and the club were still looking for three points in the match. This did not happen despite an early goal by Robin van Persie.

With just minutes remaining in the contest, a Southampton corner kick led to a volley into the net by Adam Lallana. Dejan Lovren was originally credited for the tying goal, but it was later changed.

Either way, it was a dramatic moment that left the United crowd stunned and got the Southampton supporters on their feet:

Unfortunately, the draw still drops the surprise club out of the top four for the moment. Meanwhile, Manchester United would love to be that high in the table.

Arsenal 4, Norwich City 1

The match was certainly closer than the score indicates, although Arsenal showcased their offensive ability in this one. 

A beautiful touch from Olivier Giroud to Jack Wilshere gave the Gunners their first goal of the match in the 18th minute, although this was the only scoring of the first half. Mesut Ozil then extended the lead to 2-0 on a header, which led to this description from Bleacher Report Football:

Still, Norwich City kept it close with a Jonathan Howson goal. They also posted a number of shots on net that could have tied things late.

However, Arsenal avoided suffering that fate by getting some extra late goals from Aaron Ramsey and Ozil to ensure the victory. This put the club on top of the table by themselves and put them in great position to make a run at a title.

Chelsea 4, Cardiff City 1

Just like Arsenal's win, Chelsea's victory was not as easy as the score makes it seem. After trailing 1-0 early in the match, the Blues needed a fortunate play to even things up before halftime.

Cardiff goalkeeper David Marshall bounced the ball with Samuel Eto'o behind him, and the veteran player knocked the ball away, allowing Eden Hazard to get a goal:

The squad then looked much better in the second half, scoring three goals to put away the competition and secure the home victory. 

With the win, Chelsea move all the way up to second place in the table, just two points behind Arsenal for first place. It is clear the Blues remain top contenders for this year's league championship.

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