EPL Table: Updated Premier League Standings, Fixtures, Title Odds After Week 25

Chelsea clung onto their seven-point lead atop of the Premier League after a late Willian goal gave them all three points against Everton at Stamford Bridge. In patented style, the Blues ground out a 1-0 win, and the momentum accrued from this victory will be vital with some big challenges to come.

It was especially important given the result from the Britannia Stadium, where Manchester City hammered Stoke City 4-1. Sergio Aguero was the star of the show for the visitors as he bagged two goals; Manuel Pellegrini will be hoping a return to form for the striker can help fire the champions back into the race to retain their crown.

Here’s a look at how the bookmakers are seeing the title race and a closer examination of the fortunes of both contenders as we approach the business end of the Premier League season.

	Team	P	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
1	Chelsea	25	18	5	2	55	21	+34	59
2	Manchester City	25	15	7	3	51	25	+26	52
3	Manchester United	25	13	8	4	43	24	+19	47
4	Southampton	25	14	4	7	38	17	+21	46
5	Arsenal	25	13	6	6	47	28	+19	45
6	Tottenham	25	13	4	8	39	34	+5	43
7	Liverpool	25	12	6	7	36	29	+7	42
8	West Ham	25	10	8	7	36	28	+8	38
9	Swansea	25	9	7	9	28	33	-5	34
10	Stoke	25	9	6	10	28	33	-5	33
11	Newcastle United	25	8	8	9	31	37	-6	32
12	Everton	25	6	9	10	31	35	-4	27
13	Crystal Palace	25	6	9	10	27	35	-8	27
14	West Bromwich Albion	25	6	8	11	24	34	-10	26
15	Sunderland	25	4	12	9	22	36	-14	24
16	Hull	25	5	8	12	23	34	-11	23
17	Queens Park Rangers	25	6	4	15	26	43	-17	22
18	Aston Villa	25	5	7	13	12	34	-22	22
19	Burnley	25	4	9	12	24	43	-19	21
20	Leicester	25	4	5	16	22	40	-18	17

Home	Result	Away
Arsenal	2-1	Leicester City
Hull City	2-0	Aston Villa
Sunderland	0-2	QPR
Liverpool	3-2	Tottenham Hotspur
Chelsea	1-0	Everton
Manchester United	3-1	Burnley
Southampton	0-0	West Ham United
Stoke City	1-4	Manchester City
Crystal Palace	1-1	Newcastle
West Brom	2-0	Swansea City

Team	Odds
Chelsea	1/8
Manchester City	13/2
Manchester United	66/1
Arsenal	100/1
Southampton	300/1

Chelsea Show Title Mettle

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Even though the Blues had toiled for long spells against a belligerent Toffees defence and even though they were lacking the incisive edge of top scorer Diego Costa, there was an unerring sense of inevitability about Chelsea’s late winner.

A lesser side would have run out of patience after it seemed they’d chucked all they could at the visitors, but Mourinho’s men kept probing, kept doing the right things and eventually they were rewarded with a stroke of luck. It’s that kind of calculated mindset that makes them worthy favourites for the title and a team who look unlikely to let a seven-point gap slip.

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As noted here by by OptaJoe, the Blues’ home form is somewhat immaculate:

The fact that they were without Costa, Thibaut Courtois and that Cesc Fabregas was only available from the substitutes bench meant that this was an extra significant win for the Stamford Bridge faithful, and they look to have an irrepressible initiative at this juncture. 

But as Mourinho admitted himself afterward, every championship-winning team has late wins on their way to glory, per the club’s official Twitter account:

With key players to come back, this Chelsea team look as though they’re going to extend their lead at the top if anything. Odds of 1/8 are perilously short, but after this clinical display you’d be misguided to back against anyone else hoisting the league title aloft come the end of the campaign.

City Rediscover Their Talisman

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The Britannia Stadium has been a very tough place to visit for City down the years, and on the cusp of this one they’d failed to win at the home of Stoke in their last six visits. But with Aguero in inspired form, the reigning champions tore into the Potters to notch an emphatic 4-1 win.

Aguero took to Twitter to express his delight in the aftermath of the victory:

The Argentine has 16 goals for the season after his double against Stoke, and City will be hoping this display is a catalyst for him rediscovering the scintillating form he showcased prior to his injury layoff. If Pellegrini’s men stand any chance of catching Chelsea, you suspect Aguero’s goals will form the bedrock of their charge.

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City have come back from this kind of deficit before as well. They rallied from way back to overhaul Liverpool last season and did the same to Manchester United in 2011/12, meaning that if Chelsea were to become complacent they could well sneak back into contention. But they’ve showcased too many inconsistencies throughout the campaign.

Indeed, as noted here by Squawka Football, they’re a team that have become too reliant on excellent individual performances:

Given City’s history for chasing down leaders, any other year a price of 13/2 might represent some value. But Chelsea are mechanical in their duties and in Mourinho, they have a manager who will ensure they remain focused right up until the moment they clinch glory. Expect this result to spark a good run for the champions, but not one that’ll lead to successful defence of their crown.