EPL Table: Updated Premier League Standings, Fixtures, Title Odds After Week 11
After Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool all dropped points in Week 11 of the Premier League season, Chelsea’s stranglehold at the top of the pile is becoming increasingly vice-like.
Once again, Jose Mourinho’s men emerged from a tough venue with an excellent result, coming from a goal down to beat Liverpool 2-1 at Anfield. Gary Cahill and Diego Costa struck for the Blues to preserve a comfortable buffer atop of English football’s top flight, but another win for surprise package Southampton kept the margin to second place at four points.
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It was a hugely disappointing weekend for the rest of the regular title challengers, as no other team from last season’s top-six sides was able to muster a win. Here are the latest title odds after a weekend of ferocious action from the Premier League and a closer look at how some of the division’s most illustrious outfits fared.
| Liverpool vs. Chelsea | Sat., Nov. 8 | 12.45 p.m. | 1-2 |
| Burnley vs. Hull | Sat., Nov. 8 | 3 p.m. | 1-0 |
| Manchester United vs. Crystal Palace | Sat., Nov. 8 | 3 p.m. | 1-0 |
| Southampton vs. Leicester | Sat., Nov. 8 | 3 p.m. | 2-0 |
| West Ham vs. Aston Villa | Sat., Nov. 8 | 3 p.m. | 0-0 |
| QPR vs. Manchester City | Sat., Nov. 8 | 5.30 p.m. | 2-2 |
| Tottenham vs. Stoke | Sun., Nov. 9 | 1.30 p.m. | 1-2 |
| Sunderland vs. Everton | Sun., Nov. 9 | 1.30 p.m. | 1-1 |
| West Brom vs. Newcastle | Sun., Nov. 9 | 1.30 p.m. | 0-2 |
| Swansea vs. Arsenal | Sun., Nov. 9 | 4 p.m. | 2-1 |
| Chelsea | 1/6 |
| Manchester City | 11/2 |
| Arsenal | 40/1 |
| Manchester United | 50/1 |
| Southampton | 66/1 |
Chelsea are playing with a perpetual swagger this season, and although Mourinho won’t admit it, you may as well give them the trophy now, such is the chasm between the Blues and the rest of the sides in the Premier League.
They were made to work exceptionally hard for their victory at Anfield after falling behind to an Emre Can goal early on, but with a coalescence of enticing class and unerring fortitude, Chelsea hauled themselves back into the game to notch a 2-1 win, preserve their unbeaten record and march on at the top of the table.
Such is the quality that exudes from this Chelsea team, there has been talk of this group going unbeaten for the entirety of the Premier League season. Mourinho played down the prospect of achieving what would be a staggering landmark though, per the Premier League:
But there’s clearly a gulf between this ruthless, cohesive and incisive Chelsea squad and the remainder of the Premier League, something perhaps best illustrated here by OptaJoe:
Even if Chelsea weren’t playing that well, the chances are they’d still be favourites for the title, such are the problems that have hampered their realistic challengers. The current champions are really struggling for form as of late and had to rely on Sergio Aguero to twice bail them out against Queens Park Rangers as Manchester City snatched a 2-2.
City looked lost without the leadership of Vincent Kompany and the artistry of David Silva on their trip to Loftus Road. On this evidence, Manuel Pellegrini’s squad don't have the requisite depth or confidence to run Chelsea close, and if they continue to drop points, the Stamford Bridge club could well disappear over the horizon in the coming weeks.
Arsenal are another side that look way short of mounting a title challenge, as they crumbled in the latter stages of their match with Swansea City, eventually losing 2-1. Arsene Wenger has the effervescent Alexis Sanchez to thank for his team’s four wins from its 11 games so far this season, and while the Chilean’s acquisition has been a massive bonus, the Gunners are toiling badly.
Wenger’s reluctance to strengthen the defence looks like it may come back to haunt him this season, and Piers Morgan thinks that in itself should be a sackable offence:
With the usual challengers to Mourinho’s men falling by the wayside, perhaps we should be looking to a new contender to keep the Premier League title hopes alive? And with Southampton sitting pretty in second place, maybe they can spring a surprise this season and preserve their spot among the Premier League’s big players.
They certainly will do if results continue to go their way like they have done in Week 11, as noted here by Bleacher Report’s Sam Tighe:
While Saints’ 2-0 win against Leicester kept them within touching distance of Chelsea, Southampton don’t have the strength in depth to keep this kind of form up for the entire season. They've enjoyed a scintillating start to the campaign, but if they do find themselves a couple of key players down during the convoluted Christmas period, then they may find that things get very difficult very quickly.
We all love to see a closely run title race, but after the thrills and spills of last season, the current campaign looks set to be a procession. At this juncture it’s very much a case of “when” and not “if” Chelsea will be crowned as champions of England.
