EPL Table: Updated Premier League Standings, Fixtures, Title Odds After Week 5
Another week of 2014-15 Premier League fixtures is in the books, and Week 5 threw even more upsets and drama into this year's title race. Top clubs keep dropping points, leading to some unexpected teams currently finding themselves in the top five.
The season is already shaping up to be one for the ages, and whichever team finds a way to string together a series of results in the coming weeks is likely going to take a strong option on the title. Here are the results for Week 5 of Premier League action, along with updated standings and title odds, courtesy of Oddschecker.com.
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| Queens Park Rangers | 2 - 2 | Stoke City |
| Aston Villa | 0 - 3 | Arsenal |
| Burnley | 0 - 0 | Sunderland |
| Newcastle United | 2 - 2 | Hull City |
| Swansea City | 0 - 1 | Southampton |
| West Ham United | 3 - 1 | Liverpool |
| Leicester City | 5 - 3 | Manchester United |
| Tottenham Hotspur | 0 - 1 | West Bromwich Albion |
| Everton | 2 - 3 | Crystal Palace |
| Manchester City | 1 - 1 | Chelsea |
| 1 | Chelsea | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 16 | 7 | 9 | 13 |
| 2 | Southampton | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 3 | 6 | 10 |
| 3 | Aston Villa | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 10 |
| 4 | Arsenal | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 10 | 6 | 4 | 9 |
| 5 | Swansea City | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 6 | 2 | 9 |
| 6 | Manchester City | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 8 |
| 7 | Leicester City | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 9 | 8 | 1 | 8 |
| 8 | West Ham United | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 9 | 8 | 1 | 7 |
| 9 | Tottenham Hotspur | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 7 |
| 10 | Hull City | 5 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 6 |
| 11 | Liverpool | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 8 | -1 | 6 |
| 12 | Manchester United | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 9 | 8 | 1 | 5 |
| 13 | Stoke City | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 5 | -1 | 5 |
| 14 | Everton | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 11 | 13 | -2 | 5 |
| 15 | Crystal Palace | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 8 | 10 | -2 | 5 |
| 16 | West Bromwich Albion | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 7 | -4 | 5 |
| 17 | Sunderland | 5 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 6 | -1 | 4 |
| 18 | Queens Park Rangers | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 11 | -8 | 4 |
| 19 | Burnley | 5 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 4 | -3 | 3 |
| 20 | Newcastle United | 5 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 11 | -6 | 3 |
| Chelsea | 4-6 |
| Manchester City | 11-4 |
| Arsenal | 9-1 |
| Manchester United | 16-1 |
| Liverpool | 22-1 |
Chelsea
The Blues failed to hold onto a one-goal lead against 10-men Manchester City on Sunday, but a draw at the Etihad Stadium is an excellent result nonetheless. Chelsea are still unbeaten and sit atop the Premier League standings, and as of right now, they're undoubtedly the favourites for the title.
Jose Mourinho and his squad won't blow your socks off with their performances in top matches, but they'll consistently beat the teams they're supposed to beat and take whatever they can against the likes of City and Arsenal.
It's a winning formula, and given the struggles of some of the other top clubs early in the season, there's little reason to believe it won't work in 2014-15. It's far too early to anoint anyone as champions, but the Blues remain the safest bet after Week 5.
Manchester City
The defending champions are still strong candidates to win the title this year, but three consecutive weeks without a win has to worry punters. Manuel Pellegrini was surprisingly agitated after last week's match, and via Manchester Evening News' Stuart Brennan, Sunday was no different:
City need a win against Hull City in Week 6, if only to restore some confidence to the squad. The gap with Chelsea is still just five points, after all, although Sunday's result felt more significant than that.
After just five weeks of action, it's pointless to read too much into the team's recent struggles. There are 38 weeks in the Premier League season, and the Citizens' squad is built for a marathon, not a sprint. Whether Pellegrini has international success or the Premier League title at the top of his agenda this season will likely determine how the squad will look in the coming weeks.
Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester United
Arsenal were the only team in the second tier of title candidates to win in Week 5, as both Liverpool and Manchester United suffered shock losses at the hands of West Ham and Leicester City, respectively.
Manchester United are title candidates on star power and historic competitiveness alone. Louis van Gaal has a ton of work today before this squad will be capable of consistently beating top-five squads, let alone the likes of Chelsea and City.
Lost in their dreadful start is the fact they've yet to play a single true top Premier League squad. The same doesn't hold true for Liverpool, but the Reds are dropping valuable points against clubs they simply can't afford to lose to.
As shared by ESPN FC's Miguel Delaney, Brendan Rodgers remains optimistic:
Liverpool have a strong, young squad, but they still have a long way to go to reach their potential and challenge for the title. That's not a knock on the Reds—this team is on the right path, but they've yet to reach their destination.
Arsenal needed a result and got one with a big 3-0 win over Aston Villa. The Gunners still have a ton of question marks, but with other top clubs dropping points, they're being given the time to figure things out without losing too much ground on the Blues and Citizens.
Are the Gunners serious title challengers? Depth is still an issue, and their defence can't afford any more injuries, but during a long season, anything is possible.
