Barclays Premier League Table: Updated 2015 EPL Outlook After Week 25 Results
With league leaders Chelsea and second-placed Manchester City not playing until Wednesday, Tuesday's Premier League action was all about the race for the Champions League spots and the relegation battle.
Arsenal moved up into fourth—at least for the moment—after their victory over Leicester City and Tottenham's dramatic 3-2 loss to Liverpool.
At the bottom of the table, vital victories for QPR and Hull City saw them both move out of the relegation zone while Aston Villa moved into the bottom three after being downed by the Tigers.
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Here are the results from a crucial Week 25 in the Premier League as well as the current standings:
| Date | Time | Home | Result | Away |
| Tuesday, Feb. 10 | 7:45 p.m. GMT/2:45 p.m. ET | Arsenal | 2-1 | Leicester City |
| Tuesday, Feb. 10 | 7:45 p.m. GMT/2:45 p.m. ET | Hull City | 2-0 | Aston Villa |
| Tuesday, Feb. 10 | 7:45 p.m. GMT/2:45 p.m. ET | Sunderland | 0-2 | QPR |
| Tuesday, Feb. 10 | 8 p.m. GMT/3 p.m. ET | Liverpool | 3-2 | Tottenham Hotspur |
| Wednesday, Feb. 11 | 7:45 p.m. GMT/2:45 p.m. ET | Chelsea | Everton | |
| Wednesday, Feb. 11 | 7:45 p.m. GMT/2:45 p.m. ET | Manchester United | Burnley | |
| Wednesday, Feb. 11 | 7:45 p.m. GMT/2:45 p.m. ET | Southampton | West Ham United | |
| Wednesday, Feb. 11 | 7:45 p.m. GMT/2:45 p.m. ET | Stoke City | Manchester City | |
| Wednesday, Feb. 11 | 8 p.m. GMT/3 p.m. ET | Crystal Palace | Newcastle | |
| Wednesday, Feb. 11 | 8 p.m. GMT/3 p.m. ET | West Brom | Swansea City |
| # | Team | Pl | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts |
| 1 | Chelsea | 24 | 17 | 5 | 2 | 54 | 21 | 33 | 56 |
| 2 | Man City | 24 | 14 | 7 | 3 | 47 | 24 | 23 | 49 |
| 3 | Southampton | 24 | 14 | 3 | 7 | 38 | 17 | 21 | 45 |
| 4 | Arsenal | 25 | 13 | 6 | 6 | 47 | 28 | 19 | 45 |
| 5 | Man Utd | 24 | 12 | 8 | 4 | 40 | 23 | 17 | 44 |
| 6 | Tottenham | 25 | 13 | 4 | 8 | 39 | 34 | 5 | 43 |
| 7 | Liverpool | 25 | 12 | 6 | 7 | 36 | 29 | 7 | 42 |
| 8 | West Ham | 24 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 36 | 28 | 8 | 37 |
| 9 | Swansea | 24 | 9 | 7 | 8 | 28 | 31 | -3 | 34 |
| 10 | Stoke | 24 | 9 | 6 | 9 | 27 | 29 | -2 | 33 |
| 11 | Newcastle | 24 | 8 | 7 | 9 | 30 | 36 | -6 | 31 |
| 12 | Everton | 24 | 6 | 9 | 9 | 31 | 34 | -3 | 27 |
| 13 | C Palace | 24 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 26 | 34 | -8 | 26 |
| 14 | S'land | 25 | 4 | 12 | 9 | 22 | 36 | -14 | 24 |
| 15 | Hull City | 25 | 5 | 8 | 12 | 23 | 34 | -11 | 23 |
| 16 | W Brom | 24 | 5 | 8 | 11 | 22 | 34 | -12 | 23 |
| 17 | QPR | 25 | 6 | 4 | 15 | 26 | 43 | -17 | 22 |
| 18 | A Villa | 25 | 5 | 7 | 13 | 12 | 34 | -22 | 22 |
| 19 | Burnley | 24 | 4 | 9 | 11 | 23 | 40 | -17 | 21 |
| 20 | Leicester | 25 | 4 | 5 | 16 | 22 | 40 | -18 | 17 |
Champions League Battle Tightens
Spurs' victory over Arsenal at the weekend had seen them move above their north London rivals in the table.
However, a late Mario Balotelli goal condemned Tottenham to a 3-2 loss at Anfield, and the Gunners' 2-0 win moved them up into fourth.
While Spurs sit just two points back from Arsenal in fifth, Liverpool's victory sees them move to within just one point of Mauricio Pochettino's men.
As former Red Dietmar Hamann notes, Brendan Rodgers' side are now genuine contenders for a top-four spot having endured a terrible start to the season:
Liverpool have now gone undefeated in the league in nine matches, and Balotelli's crucial goal—his first league goal for the club—sealed a momentous win at the end of a match that had seen Spurs equalise twice.
With Chelsea and City likely to take the top two spots, it is now between Spurs, Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester United and Southampton—and perhaps West Ham—for the last two Champions League places.
Saints and United play on Wednesday and will feel huge pressure to win after Tuesday's results made the battle for the top four even tighter, per the Manchester Evening News' Samuel Luckhurst:
The key come the end of the season will be which teams can handle the pressure better and come up with crucial goals at the right time.
Daley Blind claimed a point late on for United on Sunday against West Ham, and Balotelli's strike on Tuesday showed Liverpool have the character to take points when it matters.
Such instances will be vital in the closing stages of the season, and unfortunately for Spurs, their inability to hold on against Liverpool on Tuesday may see them fall just short come the summer.
The Relegation Battle
Though they have only just dropped into the relegation zone after their 2-0 loss to Hull City—and QPR's first away win of the season at Sunderland—Villa look set to be fighting it out at the bottom of the table come the end of the season.
They have scored just once in their last eight league games and seem destined for the drop. A lack of any fighting spirit is a real worry for Paul Lambert, per The Times' Oliver Kay:
Similarly, a fourth loss in succession sees the Foxes remain bottom of the league, five adrift of safety, and Nigel Pearson's men just don't look to have quality enough to survive.
On the contrary, QPR finally showed some spirit to win 2-0 away at the Black Cats, a result that moved them out of the bottom three and could prove a catalyst for further improvement.
Hull are similarly on the up, having picked up a first league win in five against Villa, and such vital wins at this time of year can make all the difference come the season's end.
With Villa and Leicester looking primed for the drop, Burnley could well be joining them. The Clarets have not won in their last four league games and have a horrible set of fixtures coming up, per the Football Cafe:
Should QPR and Hull kick on from their victories on Tuesday, Sunderland could be dragged into the mire along with West Brom.
However, the current bottom three clubs will have to turn their form around significantly to avoid dropping into the Championship next season.
