Barclays Premier League Table: Updated 2015 EPL Outlook After Week 36 Results
Manchester United's 2-1 win over Crystal Palace on Saturday saw Louis van Gaal's men come within inches of sealing a top-four finish, but fifth-place Liverpool travel to Chelsea on Sunday looking to revive their own hopes.
The hunt for a top-four finish may now be the most exciting aspect of this Premier League campaign after Chelsea clinched their title in early fashion last weekend, but there's plenty of drama left to unfold.
Week 36 also saw the relegation race heat up thanks to wins for Aston Villa, Sunderland and Leicester City, while Burnley became the first club to officially be relegated from the top flight, despite victory against Hull City.
TOP NEWS
Madrid Fines Players $590K 😲
'Mbappé Out' Petition Gaining Steam 😳
Star-Studded World Cup Ad 🤩
We provide a full look at the Week 36 results and examine how they affect matters as we close in on the end of the 2014-15 Premier League season.
| Saturday, May 9 | Everton | 0 - 2 | Sunderland |
| Saturday, May 9 | Aston Villa | 1 - 0 | West Ham |
| Saturday, May 9 | Hull City | 0 - 1 | Burnley |
| Saturday, May 9 | Leicester City | 2 - 0 | Southampton |
| Saturday, May 9 | Newcastle United | 1 - 1 | West Brom |
| Saturday, May 9 | Stoke City | 3 - 0 | Tottenham Hotspur |
| Saturday, May 9 | Crystal Palace | 1 - 2 | Manchester United |
| Sunday, May 10 | Manchester City | vs. | QPR |
| Sunday, May 10 | Chelsea | vs. | Liverpool |
| Monday, May 11 | Arsenal | vs. | Swansea |
| 1 | Chelsea | 35 | 25 | 8 | 2 | 69 | 27 | +42 | 83 |
| 2 | Manchester City | 35 | 21 | 7 | 7 | 71 | 36 | +35 | 70 |
| 3 | Arsenal | 34 | 21 | 7 | 6 | 66 | 33 | +33 | 70 |
| 4 | Manchester United | 36 | 20 | 8 | 8 | 61 | 36 | +25 | 68 |
| 5 | Liverpool | 35 | 18 | 7 | 10 | 49 | 38 | +11 | 61 |
| 6 | Tottenham | 36 | 17 | 7 | 12 | 55 | 53 | +2 | 58 |
| 7 | Southampton | 36 | 17 | 6 | 13 | 48 | 30 | +18 | 57 |
| 8 | Swansea | 35 | 15 | 8 | 12 | 43 | 44 | -1 | 53 |
| 9 | Stoke | 36 | 14 | 8 | 14 | 42 | 44 | -2 | 50 |
| 10 | West Ham | 36 | 12 | 11 | 13 | 43 | 43 | 0 | 47 |
| 11 | Everton | 36 | 11 | 11 | 14 | 46 | 48 | -2 | 44 |
| 12 | Crystal Palace | 36 | 11 | 9 | 16 | 43 | 50 | -7 | 42 |
| 13 | West Bromwich Albion | 36 | 10 | 11 | 15 | 34 | 47 | -13 | 41 |
| 14 | Aston Villa | 36 | 10 | 8 | 18 | 30 | 50 | -20 | 38 |
| 15 | Leicester | 36 | 10 | 7 | 19 | 41 | 54 | -13 | 37 |
| 16 | Sunderland | 35 | 7 | 15 | 13 | 30 | 50 | -20 | 36 |
| 17 | Newcastle United | 36 | 9 | 9 | 18 | 37 | 61 | -24 | 36 |
| 18 | Hull | 36 | 8 | 10 | 18 | 33 | 49 | -16 | 34 |
| 19 | Burnley | 36 | 6 | 11 | 19 | 27 | 53 | -26 | 29 |
| 20 | Queens Park Rangers | 35 | 7 | 6 | 22 | 39 | 61 | -22 | 27 |
Would-Be Contenders Running out of Steam
Season in, season out, we see some clubs begin their campaigns in hugely promising fashion, only to fall short of what so many hoped or expected they were capable of, and this year has been no different.
Southampton lost to Leicester City 2-0 on Saturday just as Tottenham Hotspur were dispatched 3-0 by Stoke City, leaving the Mirror's John Cross to question their motivations:
It's true that competing in the Europa League just doesn't provide the same incentive a Champions League future might, with Southampton and Spurs now a mile off top-four contention and seemingly short on morale.
Riyad Mahrez scored two for the Foxes, who have now claimed six wins from their last seven games to show what real motivation can do for a team, thanking the Leicester supporters for their contribution:
The Saints, seventh, are now just four points off Swansea City, who play Arsenal on Monday and are not yet out of the battle to surpass them or even Tottenham in sixth, just a point ahead of Ronald Koeman's men.
Bleacher Report's Samuel Marsden illustrated the difference between teams in England and Spain looking to feature in Europe's second-tier competition:
Both Southampton and Spurs may be hugely disappointed with the way their seasons have shaped up, particularly when signs earlier this season suggested both were capable of so much more.
However, Saturday's defeats leave questions as to what's inhibiting them from making that crucial step into the Champions League, be it a lack of genuine squad quality or something altogether based in the mind.
It's Tough at the Bottom
It's also true that with the Premier League title now sewn up, the entertainment near the base of the standings appears to have heated up massively.
On the same day that Burnley couldn't avoid the drop even with their 1-0 victory over Hull, per the official Premier League Twitter account, those around them appeared to find another reserve of energy:
The Foxes' rampant rise to form of late has made for astonishing entertainment, while Aston Villa's 1-0 triumph edged them past West Ham United on Saturday and Sunderland beat Everton 2-0.
Newcastle United did manage to save a point in their 1-1 draw with West Bromwich Albion, but James Ducker of The Times suggests the northeast sides may be leaving it too late to both stay up:
Dick Advocaat's side have now claimed seven points from their last possible nine, and the first career Sunderland goal for Danny Graham at Goodison Park showed perhaps everything is coming good at the club.
Until their survival is assured, however, the Black Cats won't be counting their chickens, especially with Queens Park Rangers still to face Manchester City on Sunday.
Sunderland have a game in hand, but trips to Chelsea and Arsenal in the last two games of the term are preceded by next week's do-or-die meeting with Leicester on Saturday.
That clash at the Stadium of Light will have a major impact on deciding who joins Burnley in dropping back to the Championship, while Villa, Hull and Newcastle will also cherish every point from here on out.
