Barclays Premier League Table: Updated 2015 EPL Outlook After Week 26 Results

Week 26 of the Premier League season was the cue for a minor shakeup a the top of the table. Chelsea squandered two points at home to Burnley, a result that let second-placed Manchester City reduce the gap at the top.

The Citizens obliterated Newcastle United 5-0 at the Etihad Stadium. The emphatic display from the reigning champions came just moments after the dust had settled on Chelsea's controversial 1-1 stalemate at Stamford Bridge.

City are now just five points behind the west London club.

Jon Super/Associated Press

Elsewhere, Arsenal moved up to third after securing an impressive 2-1 away win over Crystal Palace. The Gunners stayed in control for the majority of play, but still had to survive a late scare at Selhurst Park.

That result meant Manchester United had twice the reason to rue a 2-1 away defeat at Swansea City. The frenetic race for a top-four finish has taken another turn.

Here are the complete results from Saturday, followed by what they mean for the table:

Date	Match	Result
Saturday, February 21	Aston Villa vs. Stoke City	1-2
Saturday, February 21	Chelsea vs. Burnley	1-1
Saturday, February 21	Crystal Palace vs. Arsenal	1-2
Saturday, February 21	Hull City vs. Queens Park Rangers	2-1
Saturday, February 21	Sunderland vs. West Bromwich Albion	0-0
Saturday, February 21	Swansea City vs. Manchester United	2-1
Saturday, February 21	Manchester City vs. Newcastle United	5-0

Position	Club	Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	Goal Difference	Points
1	Chelsea	26	18	6	2	34	60
2	Manchester City	26	16	7	3	31	55
3	Arsenal	26	14	6	6	20	48
4	Manchester United	26	13	8	5	18	47
5	Southampton	25	14	4	7	21	46
6	Tottenham Hotspur	25	13	4	8	5	43
7	Liverpool	25	12	6	7	7	42
8	West Ham United	25	10	8	7	8	38
9	Swansea City	26	10	7	9	-4	37
10	Stoke City	26	10	6	10	-4	36
11	Newcastle United	26	8	8	10	-11	32
12	Everton	25	6	9	10	-4	27
13	Crystal Palace	26	6	9	11	-9	27
14	West Bromwich Albion	26	6	9	11	-10	27
15	Hull City	26	6	8	12	-10	26
16	Sunderland	26	4	13	9	-14	25
17	Queens Park Rangers	26	6	4	16	-18	22
18	Burnley	26	4	10	12	-19	22
19	Aston Villa	26	5	7	14	-23	22
20	Leicester City	25	4	5	16	-18	17

Tighter at the Top

So this title race won't be a Chelsea procession after all. At least that's not how things appear after Jose Mourinho's team were held by Burnley.

The circumstances were certainly controversial. Steady Chelsea dominance was broken by the red card given to midfield enforcer Nemanja Matic in the second half.

The Serbian powerhouse reacted to a reckless challenge from Ashley Barnes by shoving the Clarets man to the floor. Mourinho was left typically unimpressed by the decision, per Squawka football:

The Portuguese gaffer continued to bemoan what he sees as his side's bad luck, per the club's official Twitter feed:

While this is a rare occasion when Mourinho's sour grapes may have some merit, there's no denying Chelsea have let City back into this title race.

Given just a hint of a chance, the Citizens responded superbly. They simply tore through a bewildered Newcastle defence. Multiple chances were created and two goals were scored, courtesy of Sergio Aguero and Samir Nasri, inside the opening 15 minutes.

City's dominance during the first half was breathtaking. Squawka carried the details:

On this form, City are well capable of producing the type of winning run last season's champions will still need to overhaul Chelsea's five-point advantage. But there's certainly a wobble or two coming from Stamford Bridge.

United Lose Ground in Top-Four Race

United haven't been playing particularly well recently, but the Old Trafford club has still been grinding out results. That run came to an end at Swansea's Liberty Stadium.

The Red Devils' 2-1 defeat left the door ajar for Arsenal to leapfrog them into third place. While United remain fourth, they are just a point ahead of Southampton.

The general race to earn qualification for next season's Champions League is congested. Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool are also well and truly in the mix.

So when there's little margin for error, any dropped points could prove fatal. United striker Wayne Rooney seems to know that. He expressed his disappointment via the club's Twitter account:

Speaking of United's strikers, the high-profile group continues to struggle, according to Manchester Evening News reporter Samuel Luckhurst:

It is quite frankly baffling that a team boasting Rooney, Robin van Persie and Radamel Falcao should be struggling as much up front. United have little trouble controlling possession and creating opportunities, but the club's marquee earners have lost their ruthless streak in front of goal.

United's loss proved Arsenal's gain, as Arsene Wenger's team notched another creditable away win. The Gunners glided into a 2-0 lead courtesy of Santi Cazorla and Olivier Giroud.

But Wenger's men were very nervous late on after Palace halved the deficit. The Arsenal chief felt his team's concentration waned at a vital moment, per the club's official Twitter account:

Wenger certainly won't want to see a repeat of the late slip that may have proved very costly. Ultimately though, he'll be delighted to be back in the top four.

The current Gunners squad is too talented to be on the outside looking in at the Champions League places come the end of this season. But that has to be proved by results.

Currently, Arsenal are in solid form and have certainly shook things up in the second most important race at the top end of the table.