Barclays Premier League Table: Updated 2014 EPL Outlook After Week 7 Results

Chelsea entered the weekend three points clear of their nearest competition in the Premier League table. The surprise wasn't the Blues' hot start but rather the fact it's Southampton, not Manchester City, Manchester United or Arsenal, keeping the closest pace.

Matchday 7 is filled with intriguing fixtures, including a trio coming up on Sunday. Manchester United welcome Everton to Old Trafford, Chelsea battle fellow contender Arsenal and Tottenham provide the latest test for the second-place Saints.

By the time play ends and the clubs head into an international break, the campaign outlook should start to become more clear. So let's check out the current table and weekly results, which will be updated through the end of play, along with a recap of the action.

Premier League Table

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

Matchday 7 Results

Date	Home Club	Road Club	Result
Oct. 4	Hull	Crystal Palace	2-0
Oct. 4	Leicester	Burnley	2-2
Oct. 4	Liverpool	West Brom	2-1
Oct. 4	Sunderland	Stoke	3-1
Oct. 4	Swansea	Newcastle	2-2
Oct. 4	Aston Villa	Manchester City	0-2
Oct. 5	Manchester United	Everton	TBD
Oct. 5	Chelsea	Arsenal	TBD
Oct. 5	Tottenham	Southampton	TBD
Oct. 5	West Ham	QPR	TBD

Week 7 Recap

Clive Brunskill/Getty Images

In Saturday's early action, Liverpool picked up a much-needed victory over West Brom. The Reds came into the week in 14th place and couldn't afford to fall even further behind the top clubs this early in the season. Now they are right back in the mix.

The effort to replace Luis Suarez continued with Mario Balotelli being dropped from the starting lineup in favor of Rickie Lambert. The results were much the same with the veteran English international being unable to convert any of his opportunities.

While that's obviously a concern moving forward, the midfield picked up the slack. Adam Lallana gave Liverpool the lead shortly before halftime. Then, after West Brom had equalized from the penalty spot, Jordan Henderson scored the winner to complete a terrific all-around performance for him.

Joe Prince-Wright of Pro Soccer Talk passed along comments from manager Brendan Rodgers after the win:

"

It was very satisfying. We had to show big character today. West Brom were arriving here on the back of a number of good results. I thought the resilience of the players was fantastic and we were helped by the crowd because they realized the team needed a lift. It was a big win for us.

"

Sunderland put together their best showing of the season so far to get in the win column for the first time. The Black Cats, who had found the net just five times in six matches, hit the net three times against a typically strong Stoke defense.

Steven Fletcher scored twice in the triumph. They are going to need him to showcase that form more frequently to make any type of progress this season. For now, they will likely be happy to get some breathing room ahead of the bottom three for a while.

Chris Young of the Sunderland Echo notes it was quite a way for Fletcher to end a skid:

Hull also picked up a victory to move into the muddled middle of the table. Nikica Jelavic scored the second of the team's two goals, which is an encouraging sign. He's a streaky player, but with two goals in three games it appears he's ready to go on a run.

Given the amount of parity throughout much of the Premier League right now, picking up these early-season wins is key. Any added margin for error during the final months of the season will be helpful for clubs like the Tigers, who are expected to sit on the relegation fringe.

Leicester and Burnley are in much the same situation, but neither side was able to earn the coveted three points. It was an entertaining encounter with three goals inside the first 40 minutes and then an equalizer from Ross Wallace on a free kick in second-half stoppage time to salvage what could be a vital point for the Clarets.

The other early draw featured Swansea and Newcastle. Papiss Demba Cisse continued to show good form with a brace for the Toon, which have otherwise struggled out of the gate. The club's continued defensive issues prevented them from getting anything more out of the match, though.

Michael Steele/Getty Images

For the first 80 minutes it looked like Manchester City would be forced to accept a draw in the Saturday finale against Aston Villa. The reigning champions failed to create many chances amid a strong defensive effort from the home side.

Then Yaya Toure stepped up to play the role of hero inside the final 10 minutes with an outstanding individual effort to place a shot between several defenders and past Brad Guzan. Sergio Aguero added another tally a few minutes later to ensure all three points and move City into second, at least for the time being.

The spotlight fixtures come Sunday. It will be interesting to see if Manchester United are able to start building some positive vibes after an up-and-down start against an Everton side desperate to start climbing the table.

Elsewhere, a clash between Chelsea and Arsenal obviously has title implications. Southampton can start to gain more widespread respect if they can keep their roll going against Tottenham. And finally, the week wraps up with West Ham taking on QPR.