EPL Table: Updated Premier League Standings, Fixtures , Title Odds After Week 18
All top title contenders in the Premier League took care of businessin Week 18, with Chelsea, Manchester United and Manchester City comfortably winning their Boxing Day fixtures.
The Blues beat West Ham United 2-0 to avenge last year's disappointing 0-0 draw at Stamford Bridge, United easily handled Newcastle United and City overcame injuries and a veritable blizzard to beat West Bromwich by the same score.
Little changed in the title race in Week 18, and neither did the odds. Here are the full results for Boxing Day action:
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| Chelsea | 2 - 0 | West Ham United |
| Burnley | 0 - 1 | Liverpool |
| Crystal Palace | 1 - 3 | Southampton |
| Everton | 0 - 1 | Stoke City |
| Leicester City | 1 - 2 | Tottenham Hotspur |
| Manchester United | 3 - 1 | Newcastle United |
| Sunderland | 1 - 3 | Hull City |
| Swansea City | 1 - 0 | Aston Villa |
| West Bromwich Albion | 1 - 3 | Manchester City |
| Arsenal | 2 - 1 | QPR |
The current Premier League standings:
| 1 | Chelsea | 18 | 14 | 3 | 1 | 40 | 13 | 27 | 45 | 1 |
| 2 | Manchester City | 18 | 13 | 3 | 2 | 39 | 15 | 24 | 42 | 2 |
| 3 | Manchester United | 18 | 10 | 5 | 3 | 33 | 19 | 14 | 35 | 3 |
| 4 | Southampton | 18 | 10 | 2 | 6 | 31 | 14 | 17 | 32 | 4 |
| 5 | West Ham United | 18 | 9 | 4 | 5 | 29 | 21 | 8 | 31 | 5 |
| 6 | Arsenal | 18 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 32 | 22 | 10 | 30 | 6 |
| 7 | Tottenham Hotspur | 18 | 9 | 3 | 6 | 24 | 24 | 0 | 30 | 7 |
| 8 | Swansea City | 18 | 8 | 4 | 6 | 23 | 19 | 4 | 28 | 8 |
| 9 | Liverpool | 18 | 7 | 4 | 7 | 22 | 24 | -2 | 25 | 9 |
| 10 | Newcastle United | 18 | 6 | 5 | 7 | 19 | 26 | -7 | 23 | 10 |
| 11 | Stoke City | 18 | 6 | 4 | 8 | 19 | 23 | -4 | 22 | 11 |
| 12 | Everton | 18 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 27 | 28 | -1 | 21 | 12 |
| 13 | Aston Villa | 18 | 5 | 5 | 8 | 11 | 22 | -11 | 20 | 13 |
| 14 | Sunderland | 18 | 3 | 10 | 5 | 16 | 27 | -11 | 19 | 14 |
| 15 | West Bromwich Albion | 18 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 18 | 26 | -8 | 17 | 15 |
| 16 | Queens Park Rangers | 18 | 5 | 2 | 11 | 21 | 34 | -13 | 17 | 16 |
| 17 | Hull City | 18 | 3 | 7 | 8 | 18 | 25 | -7 | 16 | 17 |
| 18 | Crystal Palace | 18 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 20 | 30 | -10 | 15 | 18 |
| 19 | Burnley | 18 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 12 | 27 | -15 | 15 | 19 |
| 20 | Leicester City | 18 | 2 | 4 | 12 | 16 | 31 | -15 | 10 |
The Premier League title odds, courtesy of Oddschecker.com:
| Chelsea | 2/5 |
| Manchester City | 5/2 |
| Manchester United | 18/1 |
| Arsenal | 66/1 |
| Liverpool | 500/1 |
Chelsea
John Terry and Diego Costa gave the Blues a routine 2-0 win over West Ham United, and the Blues will certainly end 2014 at the top of the Premier League standings.
While their path to the title isn't as clear as it was four weeks ago, Chelsea are still cruising in the majority of their matches, and with a deep and talented squad, there's little reason to believe it won't last until the end of the season.
Scorer Terry certainly believes it will be difficult to beat the Blues if they continue their form, per the Premier League's official Twitter feed:
Complacency hasn't been an issue for the Blues—the biggest reason the title race has tightened in the past few weeks is simply the increased form of other contenders as well.
Chelsea's depth still gives them an edge over the likes of City and United, and stats like these don't hurt, either, per Football Stuff:
Will Chelsea's incredible form last? Only time will tell, but until the Blues drop a few matches, there's no reason not to see them as title favourites.
Manchester City
A host of injured strikers, the absence of captain Vincent Kompany and a blizzard at the Hawthorns couldn't halt the defending champions' march, as City booked a simple 3-1 win over West Bromwich Albion on Friday.
How bad was the weather? This image shared by The Times' Rory Smith gives you some idea:
They say you can't win the title in December, but you certainly can lose it. The Citizens could have dropped points in these difficult circumstances, and they didn't. For Manuel Pellegrini's men, that's a huge win.
Sergio Aguero is still out with an injury, and it will take time for the Argentinian star to find his form when he returns. The Citizens still have more questions than the Blues, but so far, they've found all the answers in timely fashion.
The gap at the top of the table remains three points heading into 2014's final round of fixtures. City would love to reduce that gap, but even down three points, things are still looking up for the squad heading into 2015.
Manchester United
The Red Devils gave a master-class in how to bounce back from a disappointing result on Boxing Day, beating Newcastle United 3-1 days after their draw against Aston Villa.
Wayne Rooney was phenomenal playing in midfield, scoring twice and adding an assist to give United an unassailable lead. As one might expect, Louis van Gaal confirmed his captain will remain in midfield for the foreseeable future, per the club's official Twitter feed:
Like Chelsea and City, United's form over the past few weeks has been nearly impeccable. But because their main rivals aren't dropping points by the handful, the gap between the top two and the Red Devils remains significant, with City sporting a seven-point lead.
United shouldn't be counted out of the race just yet, but Van Gaal's men need both favourites to slip up, and that's a big ask. The latter stages of the UEFA Champions League will put some extra pressure on Chelsea's and City's squad, but as of right now, United are still very much outsiders.
