EPL Table: Latest Week 17 Results, Scores and 2014 Premier League Standings

Manchester City began the 17th week of this Premier League season in fine style by thumping Crystal Palace 3-0. Two goals from David Silva and one from Yaya Toure helped striker-less City draw level with leaders Chelsea.

That result certainly ratcheted up the pressure on the men from Stamford Bridge, but Jose Mourinho's men were resilient enough to reaffirm their lead at the top after clinching a 2-0 win over Stoke City on Monday.

Mourinho's powerful-looking squad appeared a certainty to dominate this season's title race, but Manuel Pellegrini's defending champions are reminding Chelsea they won't let go of the title so easily.

Shaun Botterill/Getty Images

Here are the full results, as well as what they mean for the standings:

Home	Score	Away
Manchester City	3-0	Crystal Palace
Aston Villa	1-1	Manchester United
Hull City	0-1	Swansea City
Queens Park Rangers	3-2	West Bromwich Albion
Southampton	3-0	Everton
Tottenham Hotspur	2-1	Burnley
West Ham United	2-0	Leicester City
Newcastle United	0-1	Sunderland
Liverpool	2-2	Arsenal
Stoke City	0-2	Chelsea

Updated Standings

For the first time in a long time, Chelsea were almost made to look human this weekend after Manchester City brought their lead down to zero, but a 2-0 victory at the Britannia ensured the Blues will be top of the order this Christmas.

Monday evening's trip to the Britannia was predicted to give the west Londoners some concern, but Cesc Fabregas once again ran the show as his side claimed a crucial away victory under cold conditions.

Not for the first time this season, the Spaniard was involved in both of Chelsea's goals, Squawka and WhoScored.com providing an update on his offensive influence this term:

Fabregas set up captain John Terry for the fixture's opener before netting the second himself with 12 minutes remaining.

As Sky Sports Monday Night Football depicts, Stoke remain sat in 13th after the result, although WhoScored shows the tie may have been closer than the scoreline would suggest:

Sunday's action saw Liverpool play host to Arsenal in a fixture that could breath new life into the Reds' campaign, with a 2-2 draw at Anfield leaving both teams in mixed moods.

Jon Super/Associated Press

The Reds started as the more threatening side and took the lead on 45 minutes through Philippe Coutinho, however Brendan Rodgers' side didn't even make it to half-time before Mathieu Debuchy bagged the equaliser.

The Guardian's Alex Hess outlined the lack of a vicious streak in Rodgers' line-up, making note of what he saw as a particularly poor performance for Martin Skrtel:

It was 19 minutes into the second period that Olivier Giroud played a one-two with Santi Cazorla before swiping home Arsenal's second of the evening, pushing them back into the top six as a result.

Nooruddean Choudry of The Guardian provided images of the poor marking which allowed the Frenchman to ghost in on Brad Jones' net:

Fabio Borini came on in the 74th minute, but was back in the changing rooms just 18 minutes later after picking up two yellow cards in as many minutes, an advantage one would think sealed the result for Arsenal.

Against all the odds, though, the 10 men of Liverpool rallied with battered and bandaged Skrtel bagging the equaliser with 97th minutes on the clock. The Mirror's Brian McNally said it was a deserved share of the spoils:

The result sends Rodgers' side back into the top half of the table, but Liverpool now face a tricky Boxing Day trip to Turf Moor, where Burnley will be eager to ensure their winless league run—now three games deep—is prolonged.

Earlier in the day, Sunderland took a 1-0 win away from St. James' Park to leave bitter northeast rivals Newcastle United feeling down in the dumps going into the Christmas period.

Scott Heppell/Associated Press

Adam Johnson struck a 90th-minute winner for the Black Cats to see his side move up to 14th and take a crucial step away from the relegation zone, a result which couldn't have come against sweeter opposition.

Per BBC Sport, Newcastle boss Alan Pardew said he was left feeling "hurt" by the result, decided so late in the day, while Sunderland can be content with having now gone unbeaten against the Magpies in their last six league meetings:

With that 1-0 win over Chelsea earlier in December now their only win in their last six, Newcastle are on a slippery slope as they struggle to contend with a packed winter fixture list.

Pardew will be eager to see his side—now ninth—put the braked on their fall from grace, lest the previous hopes for a top-four finish be replaced by ones merely to end up in the top half of the table.

Position	Team	P	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Points
1	Chelsea	17	13	3	1	37	13	+24	39
2	Manchester City	17	12	3	2	36	14	+22	39
3	Manchester United	17	9	5	3	30	18	+12	32
4	West Ham	17	9	4	4	29	19	+10	31
5	Southampton	17	9	2	6	28	13	+15	29
6	Arsenal	17	7	6	4	30	21	+9	27
7	Tottenham	17	8	3	6	22	23	-1	27
8	Swansea	17	7	4	6	22	19	+3	25
9	Newcastle United	17	6	5	6	18	23	-5	23
10	Liverpool	17	6	4	7	21	24	-3	22
11	Everton	17	5	6	6	27	27	0	21
12	Aston Villa	17	5	5	7	11	21	-10	20
13	Stoke	17	5	4	8	18	23	-5	19
14	Sunderland	17	3	10	4	15	24	-9	19
15	West Bromwich Albion	17	4	5	8	17	23	-6	17
16	Queens Park Rangers	17	5	2	10	20	32	-12	17
17	Crystal Palace	17	3	6	8	19	27	-8	15
18	Burnley	17	3	6	8	12	26	-14	15
19	Hull	17	2	7	8	15	24	-9	13
20	Leicester	17	2	4	11	15	29	-14	10

City were in a dominant mood on Saturday, and it's an ominous sign the team can win so convincingly despite strikers Sergio Aguero, Edin Dzeko and Stevan Jovetic all being injured.

That meant Pellegrini had to rely on a false-nine model of attack. Initially, midfield workhorse James Milner was the focal point, but the real beauty of City's performance came from rotation.

Schemers such as Silva, Samir Nasri and Jesus Navas shifted positions at will. The former pair were particularly effective, as Manchester Evening News reporter Paul Handler noted:

While the flair and guile of Silva and Nasri overwhelmed Palace defenders, it was Toure's power that proved decisive. He was so decisive, in fact, that WhoScored.com dubbed him Man of the Match:

Pellegrini is fortunate to be blessed with such ample reserves of creative midfield talent. He'll need all of his playmakers at their best to capitalise on a favourable run of fixtures during the festive period.

The Citizens face West Brom away before hosting Burnley and Sunderland. On current form, the Champions should make short work of those fixtures.

That means there's no margin for error for Chelsea.

Elsewhere, City's neighbours Manchester United blew the chance to establish themselves as genuine title contenders. The Red Devils were held to a 1-1 draw at Aston Villa, despite the Villains being reduced to 10 men when Gabriel Agbonlahor was sent off in the second half.

United did get a goal from marquee loanee Radamel Falcao. The ex-Porto and Atletico Madrid ace equalised Christian Benteke's impressive first-half strike.

Falcao, who has struggled to get on the pitch amid injuries, is now proving he hasn't lost the knack for scoring, per Squawka Football:

However, United will certainly rue a missed opportunity to close the gap on City and Chelsea at the top. With Wayne Rooney, Robin van Persie, Juan Mata and eventually Angel Di Maria and Falcao entering the fray, United had the firepower to find the net more than once.

That they didn't is a credit to Paul Lambert's plucky Villa team. The men from Birmingham played a smart rearguard action and always posed a threat on the break when they were a player short.

That result means West Ham, winners again, are now just a point behind. Sam Allardyce's team maintained its grip on fourth spot with a comfortable win over bottom side Leicester, a team that already looks destined for a quick return to the Championship.

But the biggest takeaway from the early results is City keeping the pressure on Chelsea. Mourinho's men need to be ruthlessly efficient over the congested festive period to hold off City's stunning run.