Premier League Table: Updated 2015 EPL Standings Following Matchday 22 Results
Premier League leaders Chelsea increased the pressure on the other teams vying for the 2014-15 title with a 5-0 thrashing of Swansea City on Saturday, a final score that could have been far worse for the hosts.
The Blues led 4-0 at half-time and cruised to an easy win, opening up a five-point gap over closest competitors Manchester City, who lost 2-0 to Arsenal on Sunday.
Manchester United beat Queens Park Rangers 2-0 in a sloppy performance, while Liverpool beat Aston Villa by the same score. The full results for Matchday 22 of the 2014-15 Premier League season:
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| Saturday, Jan. 17 | Aston Villa | 0 - 2 | Liverpool |
| Saturday, Jan. 17 | Burnley | 2 - 3 | Crystal Palace |
| Saturday, Jan. 17 | Leicester City | 0 - 1 | Stoke City |
| Saturday, Jan. 17 | Queens Park Rangers | 0 - 2 | Manchester United |
| Saturday, Jan. 17 | Swansea City | 0 - 5 | Chelsea |
| Saturday, Jan. 17 | Tottenham Hotspur | 2 - 1 | Sunderland |
| Saturday, Jan. 17 | Newcastle United | 1 - 2 | Southampton |
| Sunday, January 18 | West Ham United | 3 - 0 | Hull City |
| Sunday, January 18 | Manchester City | 0 - 2 | Arsenal |
| Monday, Jan. 19 | Everton | 0-0 | West Bromwich Albion |
The current standings:
| 1 | Chelsea | 22 | 16 | 4 | 2 | 51 | 19 | 32 | 52 |
| 2 | Man City | 22 | 14 | 5 | 3 | 45 | 22 | 23 | 47 |
| 3 | So'ton | 22 | 13 | 3 | 6 | 37 | 16 | 21 | 42 |
| 4 | Man Utd | 22 | 11 | 7 | 4 | 36 | 21 | 15 | 40 |
| 5 | Arsenal | 22 | 11 | 6 | 5 | 39 | 25 | 14 | 39 |
| 6 | Tottenham | 22 | 11 | 4 | 7 | 32 | 30 | 2 | 37 |
| 7 | West Ham | 22 | 10 | 6 | 6 | 35 | 25 | 10 | 36 |
| 8 | Liverpool | 22 | 10 | 5 | 7 | 31 | 27 | 4 | 35 |
| 9 | Swansea | 22 | 8 | 6 | 8 | 26 | 30 | -4 | 30 |
| 10 | Stoke | 22 | 8 | 5 | 9 | 23 | 27 | -4 | 29 |
| 11 | Newcastle | 22 | 7 | 6 | 9 | 26 | 35 | -9 | 27 |
| 12 | Everton | 22 | 5 | 8 | 9 | 30 | 34 | -4 | 23 |
| 13 | C Palace | 22 | 5 | 8 | 9 | 25 | 33 | -8 | 23 |
| 14 | W Brom | 22 | 5 | 7 | 10 | 20 | 29 | -9 | 22 |
| 15 | A Villa | 22 | 5 | 7 | 10 | 11 | 25 | -14 | 22 |
| 16 | S'land | 22 | 3 | 11 | 8 | 19 | 33 | -14 | 20 |
| 17 | Burnley | 22 | 4 | 8 | 10 | 21 | 36 | -15 | 20 |
| 18 | Hull City | 22 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 20 | 30 | -10 | 19 |
| 19 | QPR | 22 | 5 | 4 | 13 | 23 | 39 | -16 | 19 |
| 20 | Leicester | 22 | 4 | 5 | 13 | 20 | 34 | -14 | 17 |
Monday Recap
Kevin Mirallas missed a first-half penalty for Everton as West Brom put in a staunch defensive display to earn themselves a 0-0 draw at Goodison Park on Monday. The Toffees' run without a league win stretches to six matches as a result.
The missed spot-kick was by far the best opportunity of the game for either side as Everton controlled possession but were frustrated by the Baggies' back-line work.
Tony Pulis has yet to lose a match in his three-match spell in charge of West Brom and Monday's point could be very valuable in the fight against relegation, while Everton desperately need a turnaround in form after failing to win yet again.
Everton completely dominated proceedings in the first half, per Squawka, but they were limited to efforts from long range as the West Brom defence held firm:
However, in the 44th minute former Toffee Joleon Lescott handled the ball in the box and Everton had their chance.
Bizarrely, per BBC Sport's Phil McNulty, Mirallas stepped up to take the spot-kick instead of the regular—and largely reliable—Leighton Baines and the Belgian pulled it onto the post:
Mirallas was switched out for Bryan Oviedo at half-time but it was much the same after the break, Everton making all the moves forward but failing to make it count in the final third, per football writer Miguel Delaney:
Pulis' Baggies got what they came for with the game ending in a draw and are now three points clear of the bottom three.
But Everton continue to struggle and are currently sitting an unexpectedly lowly 12th after a run of poor results.
Sunday Recap
Arsenal beat Manchester City 2-0 in Week 22's marquee matchup, giving their London-neighbours Chelsea a five-point lead at the top of the Premier League standings over the Citizens.
So often unable to keep up with the top clubs of English football, Arsenal produced a fantastic first-half performance at the Etihad on Sunday. The Gunners allowed City to dominate possession but defended with majority and broke out with pace, putting a lot of pressure on the back four.
Vincent Kompany brought down Nacho Monreal inside the box after 23 minutes, and Santi Cazorla didn't hesitate from the spot, giving the Gunners the lead via penalty.
The Daily Telegraph's Henry Winter was impressed:
Olivier Giroud doubled the Gunners' advantage in the second half, meeting a perfect free kick from Cazorla. As shared by Squawka Football, the France international continued showing his poaching instincts with the goal:
Arsenal held on for the 2-0 win, leaping back over Tottenham and into the Premier League top five. The loss means City now chase Chelsea by five points, possibly a deciding margin as the Blues look in fine form after their 5-0 win over Swansea City.
West Ham United easily handled Hull City earlier in the day, winning 3-0 thanks to goals from Andy Carroll, Morgan Amalfitano and Stuart Downing. Sam Allardyce's men in complete control throughout the match, and former England international Gary Lineker has been impressed with the Hammers this season:
The Hammers manager told Sky Sports he was satisfied with how his squad performed in the second half:
The win sees the club leap back over Liverpool and into seventh on the standings, just four points out of the Champions League spots.
Everton and West Bromwich Albion will conclude Week 22 action when they meet on Monday.
Saturday Recap
Oscar and Diego Costa both scored twice in the first half and Andre Schurrle added a goal of his own late in Chelsea's rout of Swansea City, winning 5-0 in Wales.
Get West London's Dan Levene came away hugely impressed:
The Blues looked just as good as they did early in the season, hardly giving up any chances and finishing their own with ruthless efficiency. Oscar and Cesc Fabregas combined superbly in midfield—Costa finished just about every chance he got.
Jose Mourinho was understandably excited after the match, per the club's official Twitter feed:
Manchester United's 2-0 win over QPR was anything but perfect, as Louis van Gaal was forced to listen to fans jeering his 3-5-2 formation throughout the first half. Substitute Marouane Fellaini finally gave the Red Devils the lead in the second half, and James Wilson scored his first goal of the season to salvage three points.
ESPN FC's John Brewin didn't think too highly of the performance:
Jonny Evans' injury forced Van Gaal to switch to a more conventional 4-4-2 formation, but given the Dutchman's love for the three-man back line, don't be surprised if the 3-5-2 returns in the coming weeks.
Fabio Borini and Rickie Lambert both scored to hand Liverpool a 2-0 win over Aston Villa, extending the Reds' unbeaten run in the Premier League to an impressive six matches.
Italian forward Borini scored his first goal of the season, and Paddy Power couldn't help themselves:
Tottenham Hotspur had to battle to beat Sunderland 2-1, as Christian Eriksen once again saved his club in the dying stages of the match, scoring the winner.
KICKTV didn't hide their praise for the Denmark international, who is developing quite the knack for scoring dramatic winners:
"5 game-winners for Tottenham this season—3 of them after 87th minute. Christian Eriksen is the man. #THFC pic.twitter.com/gTE5roXIaP
— KICKTV (@KICKTV) January 17, 2015"
January arrival Eljero Elia scored twice to give new club Southampton a 2-1 win over Newcastle United, while Crystal Palace beat Burnley in a 3-2 thriller. Bojan Krkic scored the only goal in Stoke City's 1-0 win over Leicester City.
All eyes will be on the top clash between Manchester City and Arsenal on Sunday, the highlight of Week 22 of competition. These two clubs have combined for 20 goals in their last five meetings—fireworks are expected when they go head-to-head at the Etihad.
