Premier League Table: Updated 2015 EPL Standings Following Matchday 31 Results
Liverpool were dealt a serious blow in their race for a top-four finish on Saturday after a 4-1 defeat at Arsenal left them five points adrift of the Champions League places.
Chelsea beat Stoke City 2-1 at Stamford Bridge on Saturday evening to reclaim a seven-point lead at the top of the table, having slipped to within four points of the Gunners' reach earlier in the day.
Arsene Wenger's hosts were on top form at the Emirates Stadium in what will certainly be regarded as one of their best performances of the campaign, thanks in no small part to their creative midfield maestros.
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League leaders Chelsea play host to Stoke City Saturday evening in the hopes of defending their perch, and the pressure is starting to tell, with the Gunners surging alongside the Manchester titans.
We provide a breakdown of all of Week 31's latest results along with recap of the Premier League's biggest storylines this weekend.
| Saturday, April 4 | 12:45 p.m. BST/7:45 a.m. ET | Arsenal | 4 - 1 | Liverpool |
| Saturday, April 4 | 3 p.m. BST/10 a.m. ET | Everton | 1 - 0 | Southampton |
| Saturday, April 4 | 3 p.m. BST/10 a.m. ET | Leicester City | 2 - 1 | West Ham United |
| Saturday, April 4 | 3 p.m. BST/10 a.m. ET | Manchester United | 3 - 1 | Aston Villa |
| Saturday, April 4 | 3 p.m. BST/10 a.m. ET | Swansea City | 3 - 1 | Hull City |
| Saturday, April 4 | 3 p.m. BST/10 a.m. ET | West Brom | 1 - 4 | QPR |
| Saturday, April 4 | 5:30 p.m. BST/12:30 p.m. ET | Chelsea | 2 - 1 | Stoke City |
| Sunday, April 5 | 1:30 p.m. BST/8:30 a.m. ET | Burnley | 0-0 | Tottenham Hotspur |
| Sunday, April 5 | 4 p.m. BST/11 a.m. ET | Sunderland | 1-0 | Newcastle United |
| Monday, April 6 | 8 p.m. BST/3 p.m. ET | Crystal Palace | 2-1 | Manchester City |
| Tuesday, April 7 | 7:45 p.m. BST/2:45 p.m. ET | Aston Villa | vs. | QPR |
| 1 | Chelsea | 30 | 21 | 7 | 2 | 63 | 26 | +37 | 70 |
| 2 | Arsenal | 31 | 19 | 6 | 6 | 62 | 32 | +30 | 63 |
| 3 | Manchester United | 31 | 18 | 8 | 5 | 55 | 28 | +27 | 62 |
| 4 | Manchester City | 31 | 18 | 7 | 6 | 63 | 30 | +33 | 61 |
| 5 | Liverpool | 31 | 16 | 6 | 9 | 45 | 36 | +9 | 54 |
| 6 | Tottenham | 31 | 16 | 6 | 9 | 50 | 45 | +5 | 54 |
| 7 | Southampton | 31 | 16 | 5 | 10 | 42 | 22 | +20 | 53 |
| 8 | Swansea | 31 | 13 | 7 | 11 | 37 | 39 | -2 | 46 |
| 9 | West Ham | 31 | 11 | 9 | 11 | 41 | 39 | +2 | 42 |
| 10 | Stoke | 31 | 12 | 6 | 13 | 35 | 39 | -4 | 42 |
| 11 | Crystal Palace | 31 | 10 | 9 | 12 | 38 | 42 | -4 | 39 |
| 12 | Everton | 31 | 9 | 10 | 12 | 39 | 42 | -3 | 37 |
| 13 | Newcastle United | 31 | 9 | 8 | 14 | 33 | 49 | -16 | 35 |
| 14 | West Bromwich Albion | 31 | 8 | 9 | 14 | 28 | 43 | -15 | 33 |
| 15 | Sunderland | 31 | 5 | 14 | 12 | 24 | 44 | -20 | 29 |
| 16 | Hull | 31 | 6 | 10 | 15 | 29 | 43 | -14 | 28 |
| 17 | Aston Villa | 31 | 7 | 7 | 17 | 20 | 42 | -22 | 28 |
| 18 | Burnley | 31 | 5 | 11 | 15 | 26 | 49 | -23 | 26 |
| 19 | Queens Park Rangers | 31 | 7 | 4 | 20 | 35 | 55 | -20 | 25 |
| 20 | Leicester | 30 | 5 | 7 | 18 | 29 | 49 | -20 | 22 |
Citizens Slump to Defeat at Crystal Palace
Manchester City were unable to complete their comeback on Monday evening after slipping to a two-goal deficit at Selhurst Park, losing 2-1 to the Eagles after Yaya Toure's second-half consolation.
The visiting outfit were poor for great stretches, certainly, but nothing should be taken fro the host outfit as Richard Jolly of ESPN details what a miraculous impact Alan Pardew has had on Crystal Palace:
While Manuel Pellegrini's men now have to make do with fourth and make their way to Old Trafford on Sunday in what's just become a more intense clash, Palace are overjoyed to be 11th.
City's major crime was in letting their opponents off the hook with so many attacking opportunities, with Squawka detailing just how tight a grip City had on the shooting chances in particular:
In the end, Pellegrini's side now retreat to lick their wounds after an outing that showcased plenty of huff, but was unfortunately not backed up with an equal measure of puff.
Defoe Volley Wins Tyne-Wear Derby For Sunderland
It is considered one of England's classic matches, with the Tyne-Wear derby always hotly contested between Sunderland and Newcastle.
And the game on Sunday was not any different to previous clashes, as striker Jermain Defoe wrote his name into Black Cats folklore, scoring to give the Black Cats a 1-0 win.
The former England international smashed a memorable volley past Tim Krul in the dying seconds of the first half, leading to jubilant scenes at the Stadium of Light that lasted long into the break before the second half kicked off.
However, Krul was on the wrong side of many Newcastle fans' opinion during half time, after the Dutchman was seen laughing with the goalscorer from the enemy in the tunnel, as captured by TV cameras and football writer Daniel Storey:
The victory is Sunderland's fifth in succession against their local rivals, per Jacob Steinberg of The Guardian, taking the Black Cats three points clear of the relegation zone and one step closer to EPL survival.
The loss sees Newcastle sucked into the dogfight to stay up, and an end-of-season collapse could see the Geordies facing the worst-case scenario on the final day of the season.
Gunners Blaze a Trail Past Helpless Reds
Despite the best efforts of Liverpool No. 1 Simon Mignolet, the Reds were severely outclassed in north London, where a 3-0 lead at half-time provided Arsenal with the means to clinch all three points.
Hector Bellerin, Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez were each on target in the first half before Olivier Giroud rounded off the scoring in extra time, with Jordan Henderson providing the visitors' consolation.
Admittedly, Brendan Rodgers brought a damaged squad to north London that wasn't without its injury concerns, but Arsenal tend to resemble an unstoppable force in any case when in this sort of mood.
In fact, The Telegraph's Jeremy Wilson even goes so far as to suggest the Gunners will be contenders for the title against next term:
Aaron Ramsey was a man in fine form on Saturday, assisting two of the home outfit's first three goals, per WhoScored.com, but far too many avoidable errors were committed by Rodgers' men.
As Ian Darke of BT Sport notes, Steven Gerrard may no longer be the man to lead the Merseysiders forward, but the club certainly need to find a leading presence to replace the L.A. Galaxy-bound playmaker:
Manchester City face Crystal Palace on Sunday in the hopes they'll be able to reclaim second from Wenger's men while the five points now separating Liverpool from fourth looks substantial.
A seventh successive victory will undoubtedly keep Wenger and his improving north London giants in buoyant form ahead of their FA Cup semi-final against Reading later this month, looking to turn form into silverware at a crucial juncture.
QPR Confound Tony Pulis' Tactics to Boost Survival Chances
West Bromwich Albion had managed to keep clean sheets in four of their five home league games under Tony Pulis prior to Saturday, where a 4-1 dismantling at QPR's hands left some scratching their heads.
One of the English top flight's in-form home defences hosting a team with only one away victory this season prior to Week 31 seemed to have a predetermined result, and yet QPR shirked their binds to excel.
The west Londoners netted four goals in a single Premier League game for the first time this season in what was very arguably their display of the campaign thus far.
The club's official commentary team were suitably astounded with some of their players' exploits, with Bobby Zamora bagging a particularly sensational goal:
He joined Charlie Austin, Eduardo Vargas and Joey Barton on the scoresheet while Victor Anichebe was unable to offer more than a consolatory finish early in the second period.
Broadcaster Paul Sarahs insists the Baggies will be safe despite this setback, but Chris Ramsey will be overjoyed to have seen his men perform with such vigour:
"@neiluk1105 2 superb goals (Vargas & Zamora) QPR surprised me, they were very good. WBA will be alright.
— Paul Sarahs (@PaulSarahs) April 4, 2015"
QPR now sit just a single point off safety while Leicester City's victory over West Ham United on Saturday ensures the pressure is still on in the battle against relegation.
Ramsey's side take on Liverpool, Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea in four of their remaining seven matches, applying a great burden to take points from those more realistic fixtures.
