EPL Results Week 12: Premier League Scores, Top Scorers and 2014 Table Tracker
Diego Costa is still the main challenger to Sergio Aguero as the dominant attacking force in the Premier League. The Chelsea striker bagged yet another goal, as the Blues stretched their lead at the top of the table to seven points.
But Costa wasn't the only talented striker in prolific mood. Swansea City's Wilfried Bony helped his team take a shock early lead at Manchester City. Meanwhile, fleet-footed Burnley ace Danny Ings finally bagged the goals his ability merits, as he helped the Clarets to an invaluable away win.
Here's a breakdown of the results:
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| Saturday, Nov. 22 | Chelsea vs. West Bromwich Albion | 2-0 | Diego Costa, Eden Hazard | Chelsea Win |
| Saturday, Nov. 22 | Everton vs. West Ham United | 2-1 | Romelu Lukaku, Leon Osman, Mauro Zarate | Everton Win |
| Saturday, Nov. 22 | Leicester City vs. Sunderland | 0-0 | N/A | Draw |
| Saturday, Nov. 22 | Manchester City vs. Swansea City | 2-1 | Wilfried Bony, Stevan Jovetic, Yaya Toure | City Win |
| Saturday, Nov. 22 | Newcastle United vs. Queens Park Rangers | 1-0 | Moussa Sissoko | Newcastle Win |
| Saturday, Nov. 22 | Stoke City vs. Burnely | 1-2 | Danny Ings (2), John Walters | Burnley Win |
| Saturday, Nov. 22 | Arsenal vs. Manchester United | 1-2 | Kieran Gibbs (OG), Wayne Rooney, Olivier Giroud | United Win |
| Sunday, Nov. 23 | Crystal Palace vs. Liverpool | 3-1 | Rickie Lambert, Dwight Gayle, Joseph Ledley, Mile Jedinak | Palace Win |
| Sunday, Nov. 23 | Hull City vs. Tottenham Hotspur | 1-2 | Jake Livermore, Harry Kane, Christian Eriksen | Spurs Win |
| Monday, Nov. 24 | Aston Villa vs. Southampton | 1-1 | Gabriel Agbonlahor, Nathaniel Clyne | Draw |
This is how those results have affected the table:
| 1 | Chelsea | 12 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 30 | 11 | 19 | 32 |
| 2 | Southampton | 12 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 24 | 6 | 18 | 26 |
| 3 | Manchester City | 12 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 24 | 13 | 11 | 24 |
| 4 | Manchester United | 12 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 19 | 15 | 4 | 19 |
| 5 | Newcastle United | 12 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 14 | 15 | -1 | 19 |
| 6 | West Ham United | 12 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 20 | 16 | 4 | 18 |
| 7 | Swansea City | 12 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 16 | 13 | 3 | 18 |
| 8 | Arsenal | 12 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 20 | 15 | 5 | 17 |
| 9 | Everton | 12 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 22 | 19 | 3 | 17 |
| 10 | Tottenham Hotspur | 12 | 5 | 2 | 5 | 16 | 17 | -1 | 17 |
| 11 | Stoke City | 12 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 13 | 15 | -2 | 15 |
| 12 | Liverpool | 12 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 15 | 18 | -3 | 14 |
| 13 | West Bromwich Albion | 12 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 13 | 17 | -4 | 13 |
| 14 | Sunderland | 12 | 2 | 7 | 3 | 12 | 19 | -7 | 13 |
| 15 | Crystal Palace | 12 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 17 | 21 | -4 | 12 |
| 16 | Aston Villa | 12 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 6 | 17 | -11 | 12 |
| 17 | Hull City | 12 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 14 | 17 | -3 | 11 |
| 18 | Leicester City | 12 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 11 | 18 | -7 | 10 |
| 19 | Burnley | 12 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 20 | -12 | 10 |
| 20 | Queens Park Rangers | 12 | 2 | 2 | 8 | 11 | 23 | -12 | 8 |
Chelsea's lead already looks unassailable. Jose Mourinho's team is playing with power, skill, defensive resolve and ruthless efficiency in forward areas.
However, Manchester City's narrow win over Swansea will give the current champions some hope of putting together the type of lengthy winning run that earned them last season's trophy.
The Citizens are one of the few teams in the league that can match Chelsea's Costa-led firepower.
Here's the top scorers table:
| Position | Player | Team | Goals |
| 1 | Sergio Aguero | Manchester City | 12 |
| 2 | Diego Costa | Chelsea | 11 |
| 3 | Alexis Sanchez | Arsenal | 8 |
| 4 | Saido Berahino | West Bromwich Albion | 7 |
| 5 | Charlie Austin | QPR | 6 |
| 6 | Diafra Sakho | West Ham United | 6 |
| 7 | Graziano Pelle | Southampton | 6 |
| 8 | Nacer Chadli | Tottenham Hotspur | 6 |
| 9 | Leonardo Ulloa | Leicester City | 5 |
| 10 | Romelu Lukaku | Everton | 5 |
| 11 | Wilfried Bony | Swansea City | 5 |
| 12 | Wayne Rooney | Manchester United | 5 |
Aguero holds a slender lead at the top of the scoring charts, but there's no doubt Costa is the man in form. He's bagged goals in each of Chelsea's last two league fixtures.
In the process, the one-time Atletico Madrid star has established a stunning run of dominance, as numbers from Opta Joe describe:
As good as Costa's been, Bony has been just as significant for the Swans. The powerful Ivory Coast target man is combining raw strength with a touch of class whenever he's in front of goal.
The ex-Vitesse Arnhem star is enjoying a hugely successful calendar year:
Elsewhere, Everton are starting to get the return from Romelu Lukaku that his talent demands. The pacy and towering Belgian striker thumped an equaliser to help the Toffees eventually see off West Ham.
The strike wasn't without controversy. Lukaku certainly appeared offside when he struck the ball. Hammers boss Sam Allardyce certainly thought so, per Carl Markham of the London Evening Standard:
"The first shot was blocked by Winston Reid and it falls to Lukaku who is two yards offside.
For me there will be some way forward next week for an explanation.
I have had an explanation from the referee but I won't discuss that publicly, I'll discuss it privately with the PGMOL (Professional Game Match Officials Limited) next week.
"
Despite Allardyce's consternation, Lukaku's goal stood. It gives the former Anderlecht and Chelsea prospect five league goals so far this season. Frankly, Everton need more from the precocious and skilled 21-year-old.
Meanwhile, Wayne Rooney's decisive goal for Manchester United over a dismal Arsenal squad put the England man level with Bony, Lukaku and Leonardo Ulloa. Despite frequently being moved out of position, the steadily growing return is testament to Rooney's superb natural ability. Expect to see him moving up the scoring charts in the next few weeks.
But it's the race for goals between Aguero and Costa that will keep fans glued. Both are in top form, playing for teams adept at creating multiple chances.
This is a personal duel that will not only go to the wire, it will also have a huge impact on the final standings and destination of the league title.
Rickie Lambert scored his first goal for Liverpool, but it wasn't enough to halt the Reds' slide as Crystal Palace came back to win their Sunday fixture 3-1.
Dwight Gayle tied things up before half-time and Joseph Ledley and Mile Jedinak struck in quick succession to gift the three points to the hosts, enough to momentarily leave the Premier League's relegation zone.
As shared by Squawka, Liverpool's dreadful run has them sitting closer to the bottom of the standings than the top as well:
The Reds face a must-win contest in Bulgaria in Wednesday, and with their current form at an all-time low, Ludogorets Razgrad may have a realistic opportunity of knocking Brendan Rodgers' squad out of Europe.
Tottenham looked like they might continue their poor run as well early in Hull, but Gaston Ramirez's ill-advised red card turned the tide, leading to a 2-1 win for the hosts.
Jake Livermore had opened the score before his Uruguayan decided to kick-out at Jan Vertonghen, and while the Belgium international turned minor contact into full-blown theatrics, it was no surprise to see the red card brandished.
Playing with a man advantage, Harry Kane tied things up before Christian Eriksen gave Spurs the win in the final minute of regulation with an expert finish.
Gabriel Agbonlahor scored his third goal of the season and became the first player to put the ball past Fraser Forster in Premier League action in over 400 minutes, via OptaJoe, but it wasn't enough to salvage the win for Aston Villa, who held Southampton to a 1-1 draw on Monday.
Nathaniel Clyne rewarded the relentless pressure from the visitors with 10 minutes left to play, reacting quickest to a lost cross from Ryan Bertrand and slotting home expertly.
The draw sees the gap between Saints and league-leaders Chelsea widen to six points, while Villa missed the chance to put some distance between themselves and the relegation zone by conceding late.
