Premier League Scores Week 12: Analysing Biggest Winners from Early Slate

Although many of the EPL's most popular teams weren't in action during Saturday's first wave of matches, there were plenty of contests with huge ramifications regarding the league table. Some teams squandered golden opportunities, while others were able to seize the moment.

There is still a ton of time remaining in the EPL season, but a handful of squads may have very well saved or made their seasons by winning on Saturday. It is still paramount that they capitalize on the momentum they created; however, they have to be feeling very good about themselves.

Here is a closer look at the sides that truly came through with massively important performances during Week 12 of the EPL season.

Home Team	Away Team	Score
Everton	Liverpool	3-3
Fulham	Swansea	2-1 Swansea
Hull City	Crystal Palace	1-0 Crystal Palace
Newcastle	Norwich	2-1 Newcastle
Stoke City	Sunderland	2-0 Stoke City
Arsenal	Southampton	2-0 Arsenal

Arsenal

There is no doubt that the biggest game of Saturday's early slate pitted first-place Arsenal against third-place Southampton. Many questioned whether or not the Saints were for real, and while they still appear to be a solid squad, the Gunners proved that they are the class of the EPL. Arsenal scored a big 2-0 win at Emirates Stadium by virtue of two goals by red-hot striker Oliver Giroud.

It's easy to overlook the Frenchman at times on a team with so much pure talent, but he may very well be the best finisher. Giroud's second goal in the 86th minute put a bow on things as he capped off Arsenal's win on a penalty, but his first-half goal was even more impressive.

As seen in this video courtesy of NBC Sports Soccer, Giroud victimized Southampton goalkeeper Artur Boruc, who couldn't make a routine clearance.

Those are the types of mistakes that teams make when they aren't quite ready for prime time. Giroud deserves plenty of credit, but Southampton beat themselves in many respects. Whatever the case, the win puts the Gunners four points ahead of Liverpool for the EPL lead, and it is blatantly obvious that Arsenal are the team to beat.

Newcastle

Newcastle have performed well beyond expectations this season, and their strong campaign continued on Saturday. The Magpies hosted struggling Norwich City at St. James' Park and came through with a win that puts them in the thick of things. The Magpies now have 20 points, which is as many as Manchester United and Tottenham. Few believe that Newcastle are truly at that level, but the record is impressive nonetheless.

Newcastle ultimately won the match 2-1 thanks to goals by Loic Remy and Yoan Gouffran. Remy struck first in the second minute and continued his fantastic first season in the EPL after coming over from QPR. According to the Premier League on Twitter, that goal gave Remy his eighth in 10 appearances this season.

Gouffran has also been a huge part of Newcastle's success this season, so it was nice to see him net another as well. Norwich made a late comeback attempt when midfielder Leroy Fer scored in the 80th minute; however, it was too little, too late for the Canaries. Even if Newcastle aren't an elite team, Norwich are the type of squad that they need to beat in order to reach that level. The Magpies took care of business on Saturday, and the future definitely looks bright.

Crystal Palace

Crystal Palace entered Saturday's match on the road against Hull City having won just once all season long. They found themselves at the bottom of the table with a mere four points, and a loss would have put them in a hole that may have been impossible to dig out of. The Eagles rose to the occasion, however, by coming through with a huge 1-0 victory to pull even with Sunderland for 19th place.

Most still believe that Crystal Palace are destined for relegation, but now they have a fighting chance. It looked like Palace would have to fight tooth and nail to avoid a loss due to a major mistake by forward Yannick Bolasie. He was red-carded in the 78th minute, according to the Premier League on Twitter, which meant that everything shifted in Hull's favor.

Despite that, Crystal Palace continued to press on. Just a few minutes after Bolasie was sent off, midfielder Barry Bannan shocked the partisan crowd by beating goalkeeper Allan McGregor. Hull threw everything they possibly could at Crystal Palace in search of an equalizer, but Palace goalkeeper Julian Speroni was up to the task. Saturday's win signaled the true arrival of Crystal Palace to the Premier League.

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