Barclays Premier League Table: Updated 2014 EPL Outlook After Week 4 Results
The 2014-15 Premier League season returned with a vengeance following the international break, as Week 4 served up plenty of drama and goals. Chelsea took care in their clash with Swansea, winning 4-2 to take sole possession of the top spot in the standings.
Arsenal and Manchester City shared the spoils at the Emirates, but City manager Manuel Pellegrini should expect a hefty fine for his post-match comments regarding the performance of official Mark Clattenburg.
Elsewhere, Southampton may have just sealed Alan Pardew's fate with an emphatic 4-0 win over Newcastle United while Leicester City continued their great start to the season with a 1-0 win over Stoke City.
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The updated Premier League table:
| 1 | Chelsea | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 6 | 9 | 12 |
| 2 | Aston Villa | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 10 |
| 3 | Swansea City | 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 Hotspur | 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 | Everton | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 9 | 10 | -1 | 5 |
| 10 | Leicester City | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 5 | -1 | 5 |
| 11 | Hull City | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 4 |
| 12 | Stoke City | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | -1 | 4 |
| 13 | Sunderland | 4 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 6 | -1 | 3 |
| 14 | West Ham United | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 5 | -1 | 3 |
| 15 | Queens Park Rangers | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 5 | -4 | 3 |
| 16 | Manchester United | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | -1 | 2 |
| 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 United | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 9 | -6 | 2 |
Saturday's results:
| Arsenal | 2 - 2 | Manchester City |
| Chelsea | 4 - 2 | Swansea City |
| Crystal Palace | 0 - 0 | Burnley |
| Southampton | 4 - 0 | Newcastle United |
| Stoke City | 0 - 1 | Leicester City |
| Sunderland | 2 - 2 | Tottenham Hotspur |
| West Bromwich Albion | 0 - 2 | Everton |
| Liverpool | 0 - 1 | Aston Villa |
Diego Costa was on point in Chelsea's 4-2 win over Swansea City, scoring a hat-trick to cancel out John Terry's own goal that gave a shock lead to the visitors.
As shared by World Soccer Talk, manager Jose Mourinho is beyond impressed with the performances of his new striker:
Loic Remy also added a goal on his debut before Jonjo Shelvey put the final score on the board. The Blues have now scored a staggering 15 goals in their first four matches, and with top teams dropping points left and right, their lead over the expected title-contenders is already significant.
Arsenal started well at home against defending champions Manchester City but ran into a razor-sharp counter-attack from the Citizens, with Sergio Aguero scoring the only goal of the first half.
The second half became a back-and-forth affair, as Jack Wilshere and Alexis Sanchez scored two stunning goals to swing momentum in favour of the hosts. Martin Demichelis was left unmarked to score the equaliser from a corner, and City came close to a win in the dying minutes, hitting the post twice.
Pellegrini didn't hide his opinion on official Clattenburg after the match:
City have now dropped points in back-to-back games and will face an in-form Chelsea team in Week 5, and a loss at the Etihad would already see the deficit between the Citizens and Blues go up to eight points.
Arsenal could have been in much better shape in the standings had it not been for Demichelis' equaliser, but a trip to Birmingham to take on Aston Villa should help the Gunners crack the top five soon enough.
Southampton's dream start to the season continued with a 4-0 win over Newcastle United, and as shared by MailOnline Sport, Pardew's days could be numbered:
Graziano Pelle scored twice inside the first 20 minutes to ensure his team would have an easy afternoon, and FootieWriter still can't believe the kind of season the Saints are having:
Leonardo Ulloa scored the only goal in the match between Leicester and Stoke, as the Foxes recorded their first win of the season. With five points out of four fixtures, the Premier League newcomers are exceeding everyone's expectations, and their impressive run could pay big dividends in the race to avoid relegation.
Tottenham looked to be on their way to a comfortable win over Sunderland before Harry Kane put the ball in his own net with under 10 minutes left in the match, as Spurs were one of many top teams to lose ground on Chelsea on Saturday.
Gabriel Agbonlahor took advantage of some miscommunication to give Aston Villa a shock lead over Liverpool in the late match, and the claret and blue held on to record a 1-0 win at Anfield to complete a wild and wacky Saturday.
Manchester United will host Queens Park Rangers on Sunday while West Ham United will travel to take on Hull City on Monday.
