Barclays Premier League Table: Updated 2015 EPL Outlook After Week 37 Results
Steven Gerrard's Anfield farewell didn't go as planned, as Liverpool fell to Crystal Palace 3-1 in Week 37 to end their hopes of qualifying for next year's UEFA Champions League.
Chelsea have already locked up the title, and the Champions League spots have been filled, so the focus now shifts to the battle for the Europa League tickets and the race against relegation on the final matchday.
Tottenham Hotspur and Southampton are still in the running for the European spots after both teams won in Week 37, while Aston Villa and Leicester can no longer be relegated to the Championship.
TOP NEWS
Madrid Fines Players $590K 😲
'Mbappé Out' Petition Gaining Steam 😳
Star-Studded World Cup Ad 🤩
The results from Week 37:
| Saturday, May 16 | Southampton | 6-1 | Aston Villa |
| Saturday, May 16 | Sunderland | 0-0 | Leicester |
| Saturday, May 16 | Spurs | 2-0 | Hull City |
| Saturday, May 16 | QPR | 2-1 | Newcastle |
| Saturday, May 16 | West Ham | 1-2 | Everton |
| Saturday, May 16 | Burnley | 0-0 | Stoke |
| Saturday, May 16 | Liverpool | 1-3 | Crystal Palace |
| Sunday, May 17 | Swansea | tbd | Man City |
| Sunday, May 17 | Man Utd | tbd | Arsenal |
| Monday, May 18 | WBA | tbd | Chelsea |
The current Premier League standings:
| 1 | Chelsea | 36 | 25 | 9 | 2 | 70 | 28 | 42 | 84 |
| 2 | Manchester City | 36 | 22 | 7 | 7 | 77 | 36 | 41 | 73 |
| 3 | Arsenal | 35 | 21 | 7 | 7 | 66 | 34 | 32 | 70 |
| 4 | Manchester United | 36 | 20 | 8 | 8 | 61 | 36 | 25 | 68 |
| 5 | Liverpool | 37 | 18 | 8 | 11 | 51 | 42 | 9 | 62 |
| 6 | Spurs | 37 | 18 | 7 | 12 | 57 | 53 | 4 | 61 |
| 7 | Southampton | 37 | 18 | 6 | 13 | 54 | 31 | 23 | 60 |
| 8 | Swansea | 36 | 16 | 8 | 12 | 44 | 44 | 0 | 56 |
| 9 | Stoke | 37 | 14 | 9 | 14 | 42 | 44 | -2 | 51 |
| 10 | Everton | 37 | 12 | 11 | 14 | 48 | 49 | -1 | 47 |
| 11 | West Ham | 37 | 12 | 11 | 14 | 44 | 45 | -1 | 47 |
| 12 | Crystal Palace | 37 | 12 | 9 | 16 | 46 | 51 | -5 | 45 |
| 13 | WBA | 36 | 10 | 11 | 15 | 34 | 47 | -13 | 41 |
| 14 | Leicester | 37 | 10 | 8 | 19 | 41 | 54 | -13 | 38 |
| 15 | Aston Villa | 37 | 10 | 8 | 19 | 31 | 56 | -25 | 38 |
| 16 | Sunderland | 36 | 7 | 16 | 13 | 30 | 50 | -20 | 37 |
| 17 | Newcastle | 37 | 9 | 9 | 19 | 38 | 63 | -25 | 36 |
| 18 | Hull City | 37 | 8 | 10 | 19 | 33 | 51 | -18 | 34 |
| 19 | Burnley | 37 | 6 | 12 | 19 | 27 | 53 | -26 | 30 |
| 20 | QPR | 37 | 37 | 37 | 37 | 37 | 37 | 37 | 37 |
The Race for Europe
One round before the conclusion of the 2014-15 Premier League season, the four Champions League spots have already been divided. Champions Chelsea, Manchester City, Arsenal and Manchester United will all have the chance to play in Europe's top competition, with one of these four entering the play-offs and the other three progressing directly to the group stages.
Liverpool had the chance to close the gap with Manchester United to just three points, but their 3-1 loss against Crystal Palace means the Red Devils will finish in the top four, per the club's official Twitter account:
It was an unfortunate afternoon for Gerrard, who played his last-ever match at Anfield as a member of the Reds. Adam Lallana gave the hosts the lead, but Jason Puncheon, Wilfried Zaha and Glenn Murray spoiled the party.
As Bleacher Report UK shared, the longtime club captain was very emotional during his post-match press conference:
Liverpool are still in pole position in the race for the Europa League, leading Tottenham and Southampton by one and two points, respectively. Spurs beat Hull City 2-0 on Saturday, while Saints crushed Aston Villa 6-1.
If Arsenal beat Aston Villa in the FA Cup final, all three will qualify for next year's Europa League. If the Villans pull off the upset, however, one of these three will stay behind empty-handed.
Spurs travel to Everton on the final matchday, while Liverpool take on Stoke City and Southampton face Manchester City.
The Battle Against Relegation
After Matchday 37, the race to avoid the drop is all but over, as Aston Villa became the latest team to clinch their spot in next year's Premier League following losses from Hull City and Newcastle United.
As shared by talkSPORT, the same holds true for Leicester City:
As things stand, Newcastle United and Hull City are the most likely clubs to join Burnley and Queens Park Rangers in the Championship next season, while Sunderland need just one more point to avoid the drop. Unfortunately for the Black Cats, they'll visit both Arsenal and Chelsea in their final two matches.
The Magpies could have done themselves a huge favour by simply clinging on to a one-goal lead against QPR, but once again, John Carver's men fell short of the mark. A win against West Ham United on the final matchday would secure safety for Newcastle, but with the way they've played lately, one may wonder whether that would be a good thing for the league.
Paddy Power couldn't help himself:
Hull haven't fared much better, and the Tigers now need to beat Manchester United at home on the final matchday to have any chance of passing Newcastle in the standings.
Stranger things have happened, but if you're a betting man, your money should be on Newcastle to stay up. Hull are unlikely to beat the Red Devils anytime soon, and while they do have the advantage in goal differential should they manage the feat, you should expect United to take care of business and at least manage a draw.
