Premier League Results: 2016 EPL Week 26 Scores, Table and Revised Title Odds
Arsenal grabbed a massive 2-1 win over Leicester City during Sunday's Premier League action to close the gap at the top of the standings to just two points, and oddsmakers have rewarded the Gunners by giving them the best odds of winning the league in 2015-16.
Tottenham Hotspur aren't too far behind, as Arsenal's biggest rivals beat Manchester City 2-1 at the Etihad Stadium to move into second place in the standings, ahead of the Gunners on goal difference.
Meanwhile, Liverpool crushed Aston Villa 6-0, yet another blow in what has been a disappointing season for the Villans. Here's a look at Sunday's results:
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| Arsenal | 2-1 | Leicester City |
| Aston Villa | 0-6 | Liverpool |
| Manchester City | 1-2 | Tottenham Hotspur |
The current Premier League standings:
| 1 | Leicester | 26 | 15 | 8 | 3 | 48 | 29 | +19 | 53 |
| 2 | Tottenham | 26 | 14 | 9 | 3 | 47 | 20 | +27 | 51 |
| 3 | Arsenal | 26 | 15 | 6 | 5 | 41 | 23 | +18 | 51 |
| 4 | Manchester City | 26 | 14 | 5 | 7 | 48 | 28 | +20 | 47 |
| 5 | Manchester United | 26 | 11 | 8 | 7 | 33 | 24 | +9 | 41 |
| 6 | Southampton | 26 | 11 | 7 | 8 | 34 | 24 | +10 | 40 |
| 7 | West Ham | 26 | 10 | 10 | 6 | 40 | 31 | +9 | 40 |
| 8 | Liverpool | 26 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 38 | 36 | +2 | 38 |
| 9 | Watford | 26 | 10 | 6 | 10 | 29 | 28 | +1 | 36 |
| 10 | Stoke | 26 | 10 | 6 | 10 | 27 | 32 | -5 | 36 |
| 11 | Everton | 26 | 8 | 11 | 7 | 46 | 35 | +11 | 35 |
| 12 | Chelsea | 26 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 38 | 36 | +2 | 33 |
| 13 | Crystal Palace | 26 | 9 | 5 | 12 | 27 | 32 | -5 | 32 |
| 14 | West Bromwich Albion | 26 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 24 | 32 | -8 | 32 |
| 15 | Bournemouth | 26 | 7 | 7 | 12 | 30 | 44 | -14 | 28 |
| 16 | Swansea | 26 | 6 | 9 | 11 | 24 | 34 | -10 | 27 |
| 17 | Norwich | 26 | 6 | 6 | 14 | 30 | 50 | -20 | 24 |
| 18 | Newcastle United | 26 | 6 | 6 | 14 | 27 | 49 | -22 | 24 |
| 19 | Sunderland | 26 | 6 | 5 | 15 | 32 | 50 | -18 | 23 |
| 20 | Aston Villa | 26 | 3 | 7 | 16 | 20 | 46 | -26 | 16 |
The latest title odds, courtesy of Oddschecker.com:
| Arsenal | 6-4 |
| Tottenham | 11-4 |
| Leicester | 3-1 |
| Manchester City | 11-2 |
| Manchester United | 150-1 |
| Chelsea | 400-1 |
Recap
Danny Welbeck saved the day for Arsenal, scoring a late goal deep into stoppage time to break the hearts of the Foxes and hand his team a 2-1 win.
The former Manchester United man was an unlikely hero, given his lengthy absence due to injury and the fact he has only just returned to full health. Per Tom Williams of Agence France-Presse, manager Arsene Wenger told reporters just what the goal meant for everyone in the dressing room:
Controversy and drama filled Sunday's opening match, with Jamie Vardy opening the score from the penalty spot and Danny Simpson getting sent off early in the second half.
The man-advantage proved to be the difference for the hosts, who pulled level through Theo Walcott and kept prodding for a winner. Their efforts appeared to be for naught, until Welbeck popped up to head home an excellent free-kick and send the Emirates Stadium into a frenzy.
Following the win, the Gunners find themselves within two points of Leicester City, and with plenty of matches left on the schedule, the race to the title appears to be wide open.
Gunners fan and TV personality Piers Morgan thought the mentality his favourite team showed was exactly what you'd expect from title contenders:
The oddsmakers appear to agree, installing the Gunners as favourites to win the Premier League following the result. Momentum surely seems to be with Arsenal, who have been involved in more title battles than Leicester City and will feel as if they have the advantage.
The added strain of the UEFA Champions League will complicate matters, but Wenger's squad has enough depth to compete on multiple fronts at once.
Harry Kane and Christian Eriksen came up huge for Spurs in their win over Manchester City, with the latter scoring the winner seven minutes before the end of regulation. Per former England international Gary Lineker, the 2015-16 campaign is the gift that keeps on giving:
The oddsmakers place Spurs just behind Arsenal in the Premier League title race, although that may be a bit of a knee-jerk reaction. Leicester still sit at the top of the standings and only sport the third-best odds, while City have more title-winning experience than the rest of the top four combined.
Liverpool have been out of the title race for some time, but the Reds are still battling for a UEFA Europa League ticket and should take plenty of momentum from their 6-0 blowout of Aston Villa.
Daniel Sturridge, James Milner, Emre Can, Divock Origi, Nathaniel Clyne and Kolo Toure all found the net for the visitors, who were greatly aided by Villa's utter incompetence on the defensive end. Per BBC Sports' Ben Smith, the hosts hadn't lost this badly at home in a long time:
Liverpool now sit in eighth place in the standings, just three points behind fifth-placed Manchester United, and the battle for the Europa League tickets looks as if it will be just as tight as the title race. The Reds still have to worry about their Europa League campaign as well, and a win there would see the team qualify for the Champions League.
Villa sit eight points behind Norwich City and Premier League safety and are playing worse than ever. Barring a minor miracle, the storied club will be playing in the Championship next season.
