EPL Table: Updated Premier League Standings and Fixtures After Week 36

Trailing by six points with two games left with a vastly inferior goal difference, Liverpool won't be playing in Europe's premier club competition next season. That has to serve as a major blow to manager Brendan Rodgers' attempts to revamp his squad this summer.

It says a lot about how far Rodgers' team has fallen this season that they couldn't overcome a Chelsea team Mourinho rotated with the title already in the bag.

Blues centre-back John Terry headed Chelsea in front from a corner. The goal put maestro Cesc Fabregas two short of the Premier League assist record set by Arsenal striker Thierry Henry during the 2002/03 season, per OptaJoe:

Outgoing Reds skipper Steven Gerrard answered with a header of his own as the first half drew to a close. But a Liverpool team typically short of firepower couldn't break down Chelsea's weakened squad after the break. 

Earlier, City sent Queens Park Rangers crashing out of the Premier League following a 6-0 thumping at the Etihad Stadium. The result has done wonders for City's attempts to secure a second-place finish after surrendering the title to Chelsea.

Manuel Pellegrini's free-scoring team now has a far superior goal difference over rivals Arsenal and Manchester United. Of course, the former has a game in hand, a home clash with Swansea City that will close out the fixtures for Week 36.

Meanwhile, champions Chelsea were held to a tame 1-1 draw at home by Liverpool. The result all but condemns the Reds from missing out on UEFA Champions League football next season.

Here's what the standings look like after Week 36:

Position	Team	Played	Won	Draw	Lost	Goals For	Goals Against	Goal Difference	Points
1	Chelsea	36	25	9	2	70	26	42	84
2	Manchester City	36	22	7	7	77	36	41	73
3	Arsenal	34	21	7	6	66	33	33	70
4	Manchester United	36	20	8	8	61	36	25	68
5	Liverpool	36	18	8	10	50	39	11	62
6	Tottenham Hotspur	36	17	7	12	55	53	2	58
7	Southampton	36	17	6	13	48	30	18	57
8	Swansea City	35	15	8	12	43	44	-1	53
9	Stoke City	36	14	8	14	42	44	-2	50
10	West Ham United	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 City	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 City	36	8	10	18	33	49	-16	34
19	Burnley	36	6	11	19	27	53	-26	29
20	Queens Park Rangers	36	7	6	23	39	67	-28	27

City cut through a bewildered QPR team with one of the best displays of wide-open attacking football seen in England's top flight this season. Sergio Aguero helped himself to a hat-trick, while James Milner, David Silva and Aleksandar Kolarov added to the tally. 

Another typically dire performance at the back summed up why Rangers have been condemned to the drop. OptaJoe detailed the team's historic defensive woes, as QPR joined Burnley on their way out of the league:

"

67 - QPR have conceded 67 goals this term; the most they have ever shipped in a Premier League season. Sloppy.

— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) May 10, 2015"

While the QPR defence has been far from miserly, few teams in Europe's top five leagues could handle Aguero on his current form. Not for the first time this season, the Argentinian striker was the most dominant player on the pitch, detailed by WhoScored.com: 

As the division's top scorers, City have piled the pressure on Arsenal and United in the race to finish as close to Chelsea as possible. The Gunners and Red Devils have to stay prolific in front of goal if they're going to overtake City.

That process will begin in the marquee match of next week's fixtures. 

Next Week's Fixtures

Date	Time	Match
Saturday, May 16	12:45 p.m.	Southampton vs. Aston Villa
Saturday, May 16	3 p.m.	Burnley vs. Stoke City
Saturday, May 16	3 p.m.	QPR vs. Newcastle United
Saturday, May 16	3 p.m.	Sunderland vs. Leicester City
Saturday, May 16	3 p.m.	Tottenham Hotspur vs. Hull City
Saturday, May 16	3 p.m.	West Ham United vs. Everton
Saturday, May 16	5:30 p.m.	Liverpool vs. Crystal Palace
Sunday, May 17	1:30 p.m.	Swansea City vs. Manchester City
Sunday, May 17	4 p.m.	Manchester United vs. Arsenal
Monday, May 18	8 p.m.	West Bromwich Albion vs. Chelsea

Arsenal's trip to Old Trafford will prove decisive in the race for second. The Gunners can end United's hopes with a win.

Having beaten United away from home in the FA Cup quarter-final, manager Arsene Wenger's team will be more confident than usual ahead of a trip to a venue that's been a nightmare visiting ground in recent seasons.

At the other end of the table, Newcastle United's dreadful run under John Carver simply has to come to an end at relegated QPR. Yet points have been beyond hard to come by since Carver took over, according to Squawka Football:

If Carver can't stem the tide against a very disappointing Rangers squad, Newcastle may not save themselves from the drop.

With the title wrapped up and two of the three relegated teams confirmed, there isn't much left to settle in this Premier League season. Week 37 could see one team eliminated from the race for second, while at least one more will have inched closer to the drop.