EPL Table: Latest Week 4 Results, Scores and 2014 Premier League Standings
Saturday's Matchday 4 marks the one-month mark of the 2014-15 EPL season. While there is still plenty of football left to be played, the Premier League's balance of power is starting to come into focus.
Several clubs had an opportunity to make a statement with big-time victories. Some of those teams came through and established themselves as true contenders, while others fell short and failed to improve upon their standing.
Here is a comprehensive look at the Matchday 4 results and current EPL table, along with further analysis regarding the biggest matches of Week 4.
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EPL Results
| Arsenal | Manchester City | 2-2 |
| Chelsea | Swansea City | 4-1, Chelsea |
| Crystal Palace | Burnley F.C. | 0-0 |
| Southampton | Newcastle United | 3-0, Southampton |
| Stoke City | Leicester City | 1-0, Leicester City |
| Sunderland | Tottenham Hotspur | 2-2 |
| West Bromwich Albion | Everton | 2-0, Everton |
| Liverpool | Aston Villa | 1-0, Aston Villa |
| Manchester United | Queens Park Rangers | 4-0 |
| Hull City | West Ham | 2-2 |
EPL Table
| 1 | Chelsea | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 6 | 9 | 12 |
| 2 | Aston Villa | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 10 |
| 3 | Swansea | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 9 |
| 4 | Southampton | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 3 | 5 | 7 |
| 5 | Manchester City | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 7 |
| 6 | Tottenham | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 7 |
| 7 | Arsenal | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 6 |
| 8 | Liverpool | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 6 |
| 9 | Manchester United | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 5 |
| 10 | Hull City | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 5 |
| 11 | Everton | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 9 | 10 | -1 | 5 |
| 12 | Leicester City | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 5 | -1 | 5 |
| 13 | West Ham | 4 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 5 | -1 | 4 |
| 14 | Stoke City | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | -1 | 4 |
| 15 | Sunderland | 4 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 6 | -1 | 3 |
| 16 | QPR | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 9 | -8 | 3 |
| 17 | Crystal Palace | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 8 | -3 | 2 |
| 18 | Burnley | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 4 | -3 | 2 |
| 19 | West Bromwich Albion | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 7 | -5 | 2 |
| 20 | Newcastle | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 9 | -6 | 2 |
Breaking Down Notable Results
Arsenal and Manchester City Play to Stalemate
Despite less-than-perfect starts to the 2014-15 campaign, Arsenal and Manchester City are considered two of the top contenders to take the EPL crown this season. Both squads seemed to be in position to win their marquee meeting at Emirates Stadium on Saturday, but they ultimately finished level at 2-2.
The Gunners fell behind 1-0 in the 28th minutes, but they battled back with two unanswered goals in the second half. After Jack Wilshere tied it, midfielder Alexis Sanchez put Arsenal up 2-1 in the 74th minute.
The Chilean star converted a dazzling volley, which left British journalist Piers Morgan in awe:
Arsenal seemed to be on track for a huge victory, but the Citizens wouldn't go down without a fight. Arsenal made a mess of things defensively on a corner in the 83rd minute, as unmarked defender Martin Demichelis drove a header past goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny to make it 2-2.
Demichelis often receives criticism for his defensive lapses, but former EPL star and current football pundit Stan Collymore applauded his efforts:
While the draw keeps Arsenal undefeated on the season, they still have just one victory. The Gunners were seemingly on the verge of a win Saturday, which is why manager Arsene Wenger was somewhat disappointed with the result, per Jonathan Wilson of FoxSports.com:
"We produced a game of top quality played at tremendous pace. In the end we were unlucky to be 1-0 down. We did something remarkable to come back and be in a winning position. What is frustrating for me is the way we conceded the second goal. We could have lost after. We conceded two goals and we are an offensive team. We go forward a lot, but yes, defense is where we can improve.
"
With that said, a draw against City is rarely a bad result. Both teams did a lot of good things throughout the match, but they have plenty to clean up moving forward as well. Based on the quality of football that they produced on Saturday, there is little doubt that these two clubs will be vying with Chelsea as the EPL's top sides all season long.
Chelsea Establish Dominance by Thrashing Swansea City
Entering the season, most expected Chelsea to be among the EPL's top teams, but few gave Swansea City a chance to contend. The Blues and Swans found themselves atop the table ahead of Saturday's clash with nine points apiece. Chelsea seemingly embraced their status as the heavy favorite, as they defeated Swansea comfortably by a 4-2 score.
Swans took the lead in the 11th minute off a John Terry own goal and held it until the latter stages of the first half. It was all Chelsea from there, however, with the Blues reeling off four straight goals, beginning with striker Diego Costa's marker in the 45th minute.
The Spanish national went on to score two more goals in succession during the second half to give the Blues a 3-1 advantage. Costa made history with that hat trick, as he joined an elite group of Spanish players to accomplish the feat in the Premier League, per ESPN Stats & Info:
In addition to that, Costa's performance against Swans gave him at least one goal in each of his first four EPL contests with Chelsea. That hadn't been done since 1928, according to Chelsea's official Twitter account:
"Diego Costa is the first Chelsea player to score in his first four games for the club since John Meredith in 1928. #CFCLive
— Chelsea FC (@chelseafc) September 13, 2014"
Chelsea's Loic Remy added another goal in the 81st minute to make it 4-1, but Swansea's Jonjo Shelvey answered to make the scoreline a bit more respectable. In the end, though, it became blatantly clear that the Blues are operating at a much higher level than Swansea.
In fact, there may be no team in the Premier League capable of challenging Chelsea this season. If they continue to play like this, then it is hard to imagine them suffering too many losses in 2014-15.
Everton Scores First Victory of Season vs. West Brom
Things were looking somewhat bleak for Everton at the start of Matchday 4, with two losses and a draw to their credit as well as a 16th-place standing in the table. The Toffees are clearly much better than their record suggests, and they proved that Saturday with an impressive 2-0 triumph over West Bromwich Albion.
Everton have had problems finishing games over the past couple of years, but they left little doubt on Saturday. Forward Romelu Lukaku put the Toffees on top in the second minute, and they never looked back. As pointed out by Everton's official Twitter account, it was an ideal start for the away team:
Everton carried the play for much of the match and were rewarded in the 66th minute when midfielder Kevin Mirallas netted an insurance marker. That ultimately sealed the deal, although goalkeeper Tim Howard needed only one goal of support, as he registered a clean sheet.
While the Toffees may not be on the same level as Chelsea, Manchester City and Arsenal, they are certainly capable of vying for a spot in the Champions League. They didn't get their season off on the right foot, but perhaps this victory will change things.
Everton are among the most talented teams in the EPL, and the confidence they gained from this win should be huge.
Follow @MikeChiari on Twitter
