Premier League Table: Updated 2014 EPL Standings Following Matchday 17 Results
Manchester City beat Crystal Palace 3-0 on Saturday to temporarily tie things up at the top of the 2014-15 Premier League standings, as Chelsea won't be playing until Monday, when they visit Stoke City.
Manchester United's win streak came to an end in a 1-1 draw against Aston Villa, while Southampton returned to their winning ways by beating Everton.
Liverpool and Arsenal played out a thrilling 2-2 draw on Sunday, while Chelsea will travel to Stoke on Monday to close out Week 17. The full schedule:
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| Saturday, Dec. 20 | Manchester City | 3 - 0 | Crystal Palace |
| Saturday, Dec. 20 | Aston Villa | 1 - 1 | Manchester United |
| Saturday, Dec. 20 | Hull City | 0 - 1 | Swansea City |
| Saturday, Dec. 20 | Queens Park Rangers | 3 - 2 | West Bromwich Albion |
| Saturday, Dec. 20 | Southampton | 3 - 0 | Everton |
| Saturday, Dec. 20 | Tottenham Hotspur | 2 - 1 | Burnley |
| Saturday, Dec. 20 | West Ham United | 2 - 0 | Leicester City |
| Sunday, Dec. 21 | Newcastle United | 0 - 1 | Sunderland |
| Sunday, Dec. 21 | Liverpool | 2 - 2 | Arsenal |
| Monday, Dec. 22 | Stoke City | 0 - 2 | Chelsea |
The current Premier League standings:
| 1 | Chelsea | 17 | 13 | 3 | 1 | 38 | 13 | 25 | 42 |
| 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 United | 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 Hotspur | 17 | 8 | 3 | 6 | 22 | 23 | -1 | 27 |
| 8 | Swansea City | 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 City | 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 City | 17 | 2 | 7 | 8 | 15 | 24 | -9 | 13 |
| 20 | Leicester City | 17 | 2 | 4 | 11 | 15 | 29 | -14 | 10 |
Monday Recap
Chelsea survived a tricky challenge at the Britannia Stadium on Monday, beating Stoke City to take sole possession of the top spot in the Premier League standings.
The Blues had a dream start, grabbing the lead after just two minutes. John Terry rose highest to meet a Cesc Fabregas cross, putting the ball out of reach of Asmir Begovic.
As shared by Squawka Football, the veteran defender is still a big asset on set pieces:
Chelsea dominated the early proceedings, finding great success out wide. Eden Hazard routinely beat Philip Bardsley one-on-one, and the Stoke defender took out his frustrations on the Belgium international with a cynical foul.
Jose Mourinho was furious, and his anger didn't die down when official Neil Swarbrick brandished the yellow card.
Former USA international Alexi Lalas understood the frustration, as the tackle just as easily could have warranted a dismissal:
The Blues grew even more annoyed with Swarbrick when a good counter-attack came to a sudden halt, with the official accidentally blocking a pass, per the Potters' Twitter account:
Stoke had a strong spell midway through the first half, but playmaker Bojan Krkic couldn't work his usual magic as he was being forced to gather the ball far too deep. The Brittannia was none too happy with the way the match was playing out, and they became even louder after Bardsley went down in obvious pain.
Chelsea played on, and via Get West London's Dan Levene, the crowd voiced its disapproval:
Chelsea had the better chances throughout the first half, and the pattern continued in the second, with Willian forcing Begovic into a good save after 52 minutes. Peter Crouch had little room to work with against a strong Chelsea defence, and he made way for Mame Biram Diouf, adding some pace to the hosts' attack.
Stoke again had a strong spell midway through the second half, and they came close to tying things up in the 71st minute. Nemanja Matic gave up the ball close to his own box, and Charlie Adam sliced his shot just wide of the post.
But just as it looked Stoke would have a real chance at grabbing a result, the Premier League leaders doubled their advantage. Hazard played in Fabregas beautifully, and while the Spain international completely fluffed his shot, the ball caught Begovic wrong-footed and trickled into the net.
The former Barcelona star makes a strong case as the top summer Premier League arrival, via WhoScored.com:
The goal seemed to sink the hosts' spirits, and while both teams still had chances to increase the score, Chelsea's win was never truly in doubt.
The Premier League will return with a full slate of fixtures on Boxing Day, before the final matches of 2014 take place on Matchday 19.
Sunday Recap
Adam Johnson scored a late goal to give Sunderland a 1-0 win over Newcastle United in the Tyne-Wear derby, scoring at St. James Park for the third consecutive season.
As shared by BBC Sport, it marks the Black Cats' fourth consecutive derby win:
The hosts certainly had their chances to break the losing streak, settling far better than Sunderland in the early stages. Costel Pantilimon was kept busy throughout the afternoon, but the Magpies lacked sharpness in front of goal, and the better chances were for the visitors.
Connor Wickham could—and perhaps should—have opened the score after 22 minutes, inexplicably heading wide on an open goal from just three yards out. The Daily Telegraph's Luke Edwards couldn't believe it:
Steven Taylor became the hero for the hometown fans when he put his body on the line to keep the ball out of the net, clashing with the post after making a clearance. Taylor smashed into the woodwork head-first and needed treatment for a severe cut on his cheek, but after a spell on the sidelines, he returned to a standing ovation.
Both teams threw their full weight forward in the final 15 minutes, and the visitors eventually broke the deadlock, with Johnson blasting the ball into the net in the dying moments. Afterwards, manager Gus Poyet had a simple message for the match-winner, per the Premier League's official Twitter feed:
Alan Pardew's derby record is starting to look rather dreadful, via Squawka Football:
Arsenal couldn't hold onto a one-goal lead late in the match, as Liverpool came back at home to earn a well-deserved 2-2 draw.
The hosts pushed the Gunners back throughout the first half but once again struggled in front of goal. It took until the 44th minute for Philippe Coutinho to open the score, taking advantage of a dreadful pass from Olivier Giroud.
Incredibly, Liverpool's lead lasted all of one minute. A free-kick on the other end of the pitch just before the half-time whistle was met by Mathieu Debuchy, and the Gunners tied things up heading into the dressing room.
Even Wayne Rooney was shocked:
The Gunners hardly impressed during the first half and didn't fare much better in the second, with little possession in the dangerous areas. But Arsene Wenger's men were exceptionally clinical, as Giroud proved by prodding home the 2-1 in the 64th minute.
As shared by Premier League Stuff, you can't knock Arsenal's finishing in recent weeks:
Fabio Borini saw a red card during Liverpool's late offensive, and while it looked like the Gunners would hold on for a big win, Martin Skrtel found space to head home the equaliser deep in injury time.
Saturday Recap
Sergio Aguero and Edin Dzeko may have been unavailable for City's match against Crystal Palace, but Spain international David Silva stepped up in the second half with a brace, and Yaya Toure completed the scoring with a fine strike as the defending champions won 3-0.
The Eagles has a goal from James McArthur ruled out for offside, and per Betfair, the decision may just rank among the very worst of the 2014-15 campaign:
Palace had little difficulty containing the Citizens in the first half, with Mile Jedinak once again leading the way in midfield. The hosts changed gears in the second half, however, with Silva finally breaking the deadlock after 49 minutes.
He doubled his tally after one hour of play before Toure unleashed a shot to make it 3-0. As shared by WhoScored.com, the Ivorian is starting to find his form after a difficult start to the season:
Manager Manuel Pellegrini was satisfied with the way his squad adapt to the new system, as City were forced to play without a real striker. Per TV commentator Kelechi Nkoro, he said:
Manchester United battled to a 1-1 draw against Aston Villa despite playing the majority of the second half with a man-advantage, as Gabriel Agbonlahor was dismissed for what appeared to be a 50-50 challenge on Ashley Young.
The London Times' Rory Smith thought it was another typical decision from Lee Mason:
Southampton finally looked like their early-season counterparts again in a 3-0 win over Everton, taking advantage of a lack of wide players from the Toffees and an early own-goal from Romelu Lukaku.
Roberto Martinez made no substitutions to turn the tide, and ESPN FC's Austin Lindberg is starting to fear for the manager's job security:
West Bromwich Albion opened up a 2-0 lead at Loftus Road before Queens Park Rangers stormed back to win 3-2, powered by a hattrick from Charlie Austin. The 25-year-old is now the Premier League's third-leading scorer, and ranks first among British players.
His form over the course of the past two months has been impeccable, via Football_Tweet:
West Ham United defeated Leicester City 2-0 thanks to goals from former Liverpool duo Andy Carroll and Stewart Downing, while Sung-Yueng Ki's first-half goal was enough to give West Ham a 1-0 win over Hull City. Tottenham and Burnley scored thrice in the first half, with Spurs winning 2-1.
Sunday's slate of fixtures will be headlined by Arsenal and Liverpool, who will do battle at Anfield after the conclusion of the match between Newcastle United and Sunderland.
