Barclays Premier League Table Week 13: How Early Action Impacted Standings

By this point in the Premier League campaign, just past the quarter mark with the halfway mark on the horizon, clubs are usually starting to separate from each other.

Title contenders, European berth hopefuls, the mid-table bunch and those looking to avoid relegation.

Those different tiers have been slower to develop this season. Heading into Week 12, the difference between first place (Arsenal) and eighth place (Manchester City) was just six points. The drop-off from ninth (Newcastle) to 18th (Fulham) was a mere seven points.

The overall parity within the league makes every match more important. When the campaign ends, clubs are going to look back and rue each missed opportunity, because every race is setting up to become a close one, whether it's for the title or a Europa League berth.

So let's take a look at how the table looks after the early action on Saturday. The standings are followed by a breakdown of how the early matches altered the outlook.

Rank	Club	GP	W	D	L	GD	PTS
1	Arsenal	12	9	1	2	14	28
2	Liverpool	12	7	3	2	11	24
3	Chelsea	12	7	3	2	11	24
4	Southampton	12	6	4	2	8	22
5	Everton	12	5	6	1	4	21
6	Manchester United	11	6	2	3	5	20
7	Tottenham	11	6	2	3	3	20
8	Newcastle	12	6	2	4	0	20
9	Manchester City	11	6	1	4	16	19
10	Swansea	12	4	3	5	1	15
11	West Brom	11	3	5	3	0	14
12	Aston Villa	11	4	2	5	-1	14
13	Hull	12	4	2	6	-6	14
14	Stoke	12	3	4	5	-2	13
15	Cardiff	11	3	3	5	-6	12
16	Norwich	12	3	2	7	-13	11
17	West Ham	12	2	4	6	-5	10
18	Fulham	12	3	1	8	-10	10
19	Crystal Palace	12	2	1	9	-14	7
20	Sunderland	12	2	1	9	-16	7

Back from the international break, Everton and Liverpool wasted no time putting on an entertaining show in the latest Merseyside derby. The sides traded goal for goal throughout the match, with Romelu Lukaku stealing the spotlight and giving the Toffees the lead inside the first 10 minutes.

Daniel Sturridge saved the day for Liverpool, however, finding a soft spot within the Everton back line to flick a header past Tim Howard in the final minutes to earn a draw for the Reds. It was one of the best matches of the campaign to date.

If Everton could have held on, they would have moved into the top three, at least for the time being. Instead, they moved into fifth place with the league-leading sixth draw, while Liverpool maintained their hold on second place.

Elsewhere in the early action, Arsenal put together another strong performance to strike down an in-form Southampton side 2-0. Olivier Giroud scored twice, including once from the penalty spot to seal the match late, to keep the Gunners clear atop the table.

Stoke received goals from Charlie Adam and Steven N'Zonzi to earn a 2-0 victory over Sunderland. The win gives the club some breathing room ahead of the relegation zone, which is where the Black Cats are firmly entrenched after a poor run of form.

After a lackluster first half, Swansea and Fulham picked up the pace in the second half. After exchanging goals, Jonjo Shelvey struck late to collect all three points for the Swans, and they move into the top half of the table for the time being.

Crystal Palace, which were in danger of falling way off the pace following a slow start, picked up a much-needed win over Hull courtesy of a Barry Bannan goal. It moves the Eagles level with Sunderland in points and within striking range of getting out of the relegation zone.

Loic Remy got Newcastle on the scoreboard within the first five minutes, and Yoan Gouffran added another before the break against Norwich. The Magpies didn't play as well in the second half, allowing Leroy Fer to close the gap to one, but they held on for the win to move into the logjam at 20 points.

Saturday's action finished up with Chelsea cruising past West Ham, 3-0, to move into the top three. Frank Lampard scored twice while Oscar added the other for the Blues, who sit four points off the pace.