EPL Table: Updated Premier League Standings, Fixtures and Title Odds After Week
Chelsea's big win over Swansea City on Saturday and Manchester City's loss against Arsenal on Sunday means the Blues have some breathing space at the top of the Premier League standings, opening up a five-point lead in their quest for the 2014-15 title.
Jose Mourinho's men looked fantastic on Saturday, and with no major injury concerns or question marks on the horizon, Chelsea's title chances look better than they have in weeks.
It's too early to count out the defending champions City, but Week 22 just may have been a decisive moment in this year's title race. The results from Week 22:
TOP NEWS
Madrid Fines Players $590K 😲
'Mbappé Out' Petition Gaining Steam 😳
Star-Studded World Cup Ad 🤩
| 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, Jan. 18 | West Ham United | 3 - 0 | Hull City |
| Sunday, Jan. 18 | Manchester City | 0 - 2 | Arsenal |
| Monday, Jan. 19 | Everton | v | West Bromwich Albion |
Here are the current Premier League standings:
| 1 | Chelsea | 22 | 16 | 4 | 2 | 51 | 19 | 32 | 52 |
| 2 | Manchester City | 22 | 14 | 5 | 3 | 45 | 22 | 23 | 47 |
| 3 | Southampton | 22 | 13 | 3 | 6 | 37 | 16 | 21 | 42 |
| 4 | Manchester United | 22 | 11 | 7 | 4 | 36 | 21 | 15 | 40 |
| 5 | Arsenal | 22 | 11 | 6 | 5 | 39 | 25 | 14 | 39 |
| 6 | Tottenham Hotspur | 22 | 11 | 4 | 7 | 32 | 30 | 2 | 37 |
| 7 | West Ham United | 22 | 10 | 6 | 6 | 35 | 25 | 10 | 36 |
| 8 | Liverpool | 22 | 10 | 5 | 7 | 31 | 27 | 4 | 35 |
| 9 | Swansea City | 22 | 8 | 6 | 8 | 26 | 30 | -4 | 30 |
| 10 | Stoke City | 22 | 8 | 5 | 9 | 23 | 27 | -4 | 29 |
| 11 | Newcastle United | 22 | 7 | 6 | 9 | 26 | 35 | -9 | 27 |
| 12 | Crystal Palace | 22 | 5 | 8 | 9 | 25 | 33 | -8 | 23 |
| 13 | Everton | 21 | 5 | 7 | 9 | 30 | 34 | -4 | 22 |
| 14 | Aston Villa | 22 | 5 | 7 | 10 | 11 | 25 | -14 | 22 |
| 15 | West Bromwich Albion | 21 | 5 | 6 | 10 | 20 | 29 | -9 | 21 |
| 16 | Sunderland | 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 | Queens Park Rangers | 22 | 5 | 4 | 13 | 23 | 39 | -16 | 19 |
| 20 | Leicester City | 22 | 4 | 5 | 13 | 20 | 34 | -14 | 17 |
The title odds for the top teams, courtesy of oddschecker.com:
| Chelsea | 1-5 |
| Manchester City | 5-1 |
| Manchester United | 40-1 |
| Arsenal | 50-1 |
| Southampton | 150-1 |
| Tottenham Hotspur | 400-1 |
| Liverpool | 500-1 |
Chelsea
Anytime you beat a Premier League opponent 5-0, there's plenty of reason for optimism. Chelsea's win over Swansea City was a thing of beauty, a perfect display of efficiency and defensive prowess coupled with blinding pace in the open spaces.
Oscar and Diego Costa scored twice and Andre Schurrle added a late goal, but in reality, the final score could have been far worse for the Welsh outfit. As shared by the Blues' official Twitter feed, even perfectionist Mourinho was impressed:
So was ESPN FC's James Dall:
At this point in time, there appears to be little standing in Chelsea's way, but things can change quickly in football. One or two key injuries or loss of form are always right around the corner. The squad remains very reliant on the midfield duo of Nemanja Matic and Cesc Fabregas—these two have to stay healthy at all costs.
There's little room for doom and gloom, however. Go ahead and celebrate Week 22, Chelsea fans. At the very least, your club can now afford to slip up slightly in their quest for the title.
Manchester City
Yes, the Citizens have been here before. The defending champions had to make up a lot of ground late last season to snatch the title out of the hand of Chelsea and Liverpool, and on talent alone, this year's squad is at the very least just as strong.
But the City team we've seen in the 2014-15 campaign does not resemble last year's team when it comes to efficiency. Manchester United have taken a lot of flak for their defensive frailty this season—making this statistic even more frightening, courtesy of football pundit and former Liverpool star Stan Collymore:
The back four looks shaky at best, and without Yaya Toure, City's usually strong possession play lacks the punch to penetrate opposing team's defences. The results speak for themselves, via ESPN FC's Paul Carr:
Is it time to panic? Of course not. But unless manager Manuel Pellegrini can find a way to return the calmness to his defensive unit—whether by transfer or the return to form of Vincent Kompany—don't expect the Citizens gain too much ground on the Blues.
Manchester United
The Red Devils' 2-0 win over Queens Park Rangers was anything but impressive, but at the end of the day, a win is a win. Louis van Gaal's squad came into Saturday's match having failed to win its last three fixtures—breaking that streak should at least lead to some optimism.
With the exception of a tricky trip to West Ham, United's schedule looks fairly manageable for the coming weeks. Stringing together a number of results and building some momentum will be key for the club, as 2015 hasn't been a wild success yet, per the team's Twitter feed:
The Premier League title seems well out of reach, however. Securing Champions League football should be Van Gaal's main priority, with Southampton and Arsenal also eyeing Europe's top club competition, and as long as Chelsea continue to win matches, the substantial gap at the top of the standings will remain.
The 2014-15 Premier League title stopped being a realistic goal after the dreadful start the club suffered at the start of the season. It's time to accept that and start building toward the future.
