Premier League Table: Updated 2014 EPL Standings Following Matchday 18 Results

Few days are more frantic and exciting for English Premier League fans than Boxing Day as all 20 clubs are in action Friday.

With so many huge contests on the slate, Friday could very easily shape the landscape of the EPL for the remainder of the season.

The standings promise to fluctuate from top to bottom throughout the day, but EPL enthusiasts will be able to stay up to date by checking this article for results and standings movement throughout the day.

Here is a look at how things currently stand, along with a recap of the action that has already taken place.

Matchday 18 Results

Time (ET)	Time (GMT)	Home Team	Away Team	Result
7:45 a.m.	12:45 p.m.	Chelsea	West Ham United	Chelsea, 2-0
10 a.m.	3 p.m.	Burnley	Liverpool	Liverpool, 1-0
10 a.m.	3 p.m.	Crystal Palace	Southampton	Southampton, 3-1
10 a.m.	3 p.m.	Everton	Stoke City	Stoke City, 1-0
10 a.m.	3 p.m.	Leicester City	Tottenham Hotspur	Tottenham, 2-1
10 a.m.	3 p.m.	Manchester United	Newcastle United	Manchester United, 3-1
10 a.m.	3 p.m.	Sunderland	Hull City	Hull City, 3-1
10 a.m.	3 p.m.	Swansea City	Aston Villa	Swansea City, 1-0
10 a.m.	3 p.m.	West Bromwich Albion	Manchester City	Manchester City, 3-1
12:30 p.m.	5:30 p.m.	Arsenal	Queens Park Rangers	Arsenal, 2-1

Updated EPL Table

Pos.	Team	GP	W	D	L	GD	Pts
1	Chelsea	18	14	3	1	27	45
2	Manchester City	18	13	3	2	24	42
3	Manchester United	18	10	5	3	14	35
4	Southampton	18	10	2	6	17	32
5	West Ham United	18	9	4	5	8	31
6	Arsenal	18	8	6	4	10	30
7	Tottenham Hotspur	18	9	3	6	0	30
8	Swansea City	18	8	4	6	4	28
9	Liverpool	18	7	4	7	-2	25
10	Newcastle	18	6	5	7	-7	23
11	Stoke City	18	6	4	8	-4	22
12	Everton	18	5	6	7	-1	21
13	Aston Villa	18	5	5	8	-11	20
14	Sunderland	18	3	10	5	-11	19
15	West Bromwich Albion	18	4	5	9	-8	17
16	Queens Park Rangers	18	5	2	11	-13	17
17	Hull City	18	3	7	8	-7	16
18	Crystal Palace	18	3	6	9	-10	15
19	Burnley F.C.	18	3	6	9	-15	15
20	Leicester City	18	2	4	12	-15	10

Friday Recap

Chelsea continued to establish their dominance atop the EPL Friday as they defeated surprise package West Ham United by a score of 2-0 at Stamford Bridge to kick off the Boxing Day slate.

The Blues are engaged in a tough battle for Premier League supremacy with Manchester City, but their Boxing Day victory ensures that they will remain in first place through Matchday 18 at the very least.

Chelsea essentially dominated the match from start to finish, and they didn't look back after taking the lead in the 31st minute off a goal from ageless defender John Terry.

Superstar forward Diego Costa notched the insurance marker in the 62nd minute and continued his spectacular play at home in the process, according to OptaJoe:

While the Hammers undoubtedly knew that Friday's match would be a major challenge, the fact that they weren't overly competitive proves that they have a long way to go before reaching elite status in the EPL.

In one of the most surprising results of the Boxing Day marathon, Everton fell at home to Stoke City 1-0.

The lone goal in that contest came on a Bojan Krkic penalty in the 38th minute. The bigger story, though, was the fact that Toffees superstar goalkeeper Tim Howard was forced to leave the match with a calf injury, per Joe Prince-Wright of Pro Soccer Talk:

This loss was a major setback for Everton as it dropped them to a disappointing 12th in the table, and things won't get any easier if their stud keeper is forced to miss additional time.

Liverpool have struggled in much the same way as Everton this season, but they had a much better fate Friday in defeating Burnley F.C. 1-0.

Forward Raheem Sterling put the Reds on top in the 62nd minute, and they never looked back as they held on for the victory.

The final score is somewhat deceiving, though, as the Clarets actually controlled much of the game and were better statistically, according to Squawka Football:

Getting in the win column is the only thing that truly matters, however, and the Reds found a way to do precisely that.

Southampton continued their strong run near the top of the EPL table by throttling Crystal Palace 3-1 on the road.

It marked the continuation of the Saints' recent offensive potency as they have found the net plenty as of late after a lengthy dry spell, per OptaJoe:

Sadio Mane, Ryan Bertrand and Toby Alderweireld were the scorers for Southampton, who won largely due to their attacking depth, which has been the case all season long.

Tottenham Hotspur seemed poised to blow out Leicester City Friday after Harry Kane put them on top 1-0, but things got a bit trickier than expected.

The Foxes knotted the score at 1-1 when Leonardo Ulloa scored in the 48th minute, however, Spurs answered in the 71st minute when Christian Eriksen added to his impressive scoring total, according to ESPN FC:

That tally proved to be enough for Tottenham to hang on and remain within striking distance of a top-four position in the EPL standings.

Manchester United's return to the EPL elite has been fun to watch this season, and it continued Friday with a 3-1 win over Newcastle United at Old Trafford.

The Red Devils received some big performances from their star players as Wayne Rooney and Robin van Perise were responsible for all of their goals.

Rooney was especially impressive with two markers, which furthered his career dominance over the Magpies, per WhoScored.com:

United maintained their third-place billing in the Premier League, and they are in fine enough form that a run toward the top isn't out of the question despite the fact that Chelsea currently have a 10-point advantage.

Things initially looked bad for Hull City Friday when Sunderland jumped out to a 1-0 lead at home in the first minute of their match, according to Squawka Football:

The Tigers showed a ton of resiliency after that, though, as they scored three unanswered goals and ultimately won by a 3-1 margin.

Gaston Ramirez tied the match in the 32nd minute before James Chester put Hull on top in the 51st minute, and Nikica Jelavic put it away in stoppage time.

That win allowed the Tigers to move past Crystal Palace and at least temporarily outside the relegation zone.

Midfielder Gylfi Sigurdsson has been the driving force behind Swansea City's success this season, and that continued Friday in the Swans' 1-0 triumph over Aston Villa.

Sigurdsson netted the lone goal in the 13th minute on a gorgeous free kick, and he has now had a hand in nearly half of his team's goals this season, per Squawka Football:

Swansea have fought hard to stay in the top half of the table this season, and their win over Aston Villa undoubtedly went a long way toward keeping them in that spot.

Manchester City needed a win Friday in order to keep pace with Chelsea, and they certainly delivered in that regard by defeating West Bromwich Albion 3-1 on the road.

The Citizens struck early and often with Fernando, Yaya Toure and David Silva all scoring within the first 34 minutes to put City on top for good.

As evidenced by this stat courtesy of OptaJoe, the Sky Blues have made themselves at home in hostile environments this season:

Manchester City and Chelsea have proven to be the class of the Premier League all year long, and nothing that happened on Boxing Day changed that notion.

In Friday's grand finale, Arsenal hosted Queens Park Rangers. Most expected the Gunners to rout QPR, but the match ended up being much closer than anticipated.

Arsenal led 1-0 thanks to an Alexis Sanchez goal in the 37th minute, however, the complexion of the match changed when striker Olivier Giroud was red carded in the 53rd minute, according to Henry Winter of The Daily Telegraph:

The Gunners extended their lead to 2-0 on a Tomas Rosicky goal in the 65th minute, but Charlie Austin converted a penalty kick in the 79th minute to make it 2-1.

QPR pressured shorthanded Arsenal heavily in the closing minutes, but the Gunners were able to hang on and move into sixth place in the EPL table.

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