Premier League Table: 2016 Standings, Week 15 Fixtures After Week 14 Results
Middlesbrough capped a spectacular 14th week of this Premier League season by beating Hull City 1-0 at the Riverside Stadium on Monday. Gaston Ramirez scored on the hour mark to move Boro up to 13th in the table.
The result also keeps Hull mired in the relegation zone. City are one place off the bottom and a point shy of safety. Middlesbrough's win was just the exclamation point to a potentially decisive weekend in the title race.
Chelsea top the standings after thrashing Manchester City 3-1 at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday. The Blues won on the same day Arsenal climbed to second by beating West Ham United 5-1 away from home.
TOP NEWS
Report: ESPN Trying To Land Steve Kerr
New MLB Power Rankings 🔢
Buying or Selling Every NFL Contender or Pretender 📊
Here are the full and final scores from Week 14 with all the results now confirmed:
| Home | Score | Away |
| Manchester City | 1-3 | Chelsea |
| West Bromwich Albion | 3-1 | Watford |
| Tottenham Hotspur | 5-0 | Swansea City |
| Sunderland | 2-1 | Leicester City |
| Stoke City | 2-0 | Burnley |
| Crystal Palace | 3-0 | Southampton |
| West Ham United | 1-5 | Arsenal |
| Bournemouth | 4-3 | Liverpool |
| Everton | 1-1 | Manchester United |
| Middlesbrough | 1-0 | Hull City |
Here's what the standings look like after Week 14:
| Position | Club | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goal Difference | Points |
| 1 | Chelsea | 14 | 11 | 1 | 2 | 21 | 34 |
| 2 | Arsenal | 14 | 9 | 4 | 1 | 19 | 31 |
| 3 | Liverpool | 14 | 9 | 3 | 2 | 17 | 30 |
| 4 | Manchester City | 14 | 9 | 3 | 2 | 15 | 30 |
| 5 | Tottenham Hotpsur | 14 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 14 | 27 |
| 6 | Manchester United | 14 | 5 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 21 |
| 7 | West Bromwich Albion | 14 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 20 |
| 8 | Everton | 14 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 20 |
| 9 | Stoke City | 14 | 5 | 4 | 5 | -1 | 19 |
| 10 | Bournemouth | 14 | 5 | 3 | 6 | -3 | 18 |
| 11 | Watford | 14 | 5 | 3 | 6 | -6 | 18 |
| 12 | Southampton | 14 | 4 | 5 | 5 | -2 | 17 |
| 13 | Middlesbrough | 14 | 3 | 6 | 5 | -2 | 15 |
| 14 | Crystal Palace | 14 | 4 | 2 | 8 | -2 | 14 |
| 15 | Burnley | 14 | 4 | 2 | 8 | -11 | 14 |
| 16 | Leicester City | 14 | 3 | 4 | 7 | -7 | 13 |
| 17 | West Ham United | 14 | 3 | 3 | 8 | -14 | 12 |
| 18 | Sunderland | 14 | 3 | 2 | 9 | -10 | 11 |
| 19 | Hull City | 14 | 3 | 2 | 9 | -18 | 11 |
| 20 | Swansea City | 14 | 2 | 3 | 9 | -15 | 9 |
Here are the fixtures for next week:
| Date | Time (GMT/ET) | Match |
| Saturday, December 10 | 12:30 p.m./7:30 a.m. | Watford vs. Everton |
| Saturday, December 10 | 3 p.m./10 a.m. | Arsenal vs. Stoke City |
| Saturday, December 10 | 3 p.m./10 a.m. | Burnley vs. Bournemouth |
| Saturday, December 10 | 3 p.m./10 a.m. | Hull City vs. Crystal Palace |
| Saturday, December 10 | 3 p.m./10 a.m. | Swansea City vs. Sunderland |
| Saturday, December 10 | 5:30 p.m./12:30 p.m. | Leicester City vs. Manchester City |
| Sunday, December 11 | 12 p.m./7 a.m. | Chelsea vs. West Bromwich Albion |
| Sunday, December 11 | 2:15 p.m./9:15 a.m. | Manchester United vs. Tottenham Hotspur |
| Sunday, December 11 | 2:15 p.m./9:15 a.m. | Southampton vs. Middlesbrough |
| Sunday, December 11 | 4:30 p.m./11:30 a.m. | Liverpool vs. West Ham United |
Recap
Chelsea deservedly sit top after demolishing Manchester City with a stunning display in the second half at the Etihad Stadium. When Diego Costa, Willian and Eden Hazard struck on the break to cancel out Gary Cahill's own goal, they laid down a marker in the title race.
Costa in particular was magnificent against the Citizens. He's now playing at a level above the Premier League's other top strikers, including City's Sergio Aguero.
Former Chelsea striker Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink told Sky Sports' Premier League Daily (h/t James Dale of Sky Sports) why Costa is exceeding Aguero: "He [Costa] is much more ahead. He is scoring more, he is participating more in the game. It's confidence, he knows what he is doing. When it is one v one, [there is] no goalkeeper he is afraid of."
Thanks to Costa, the Blues are now the team to beat.
Arsenal are beginning to look like the biggest threat among those trying to beat Chelsea to the big prize. The Gunners were irresistible on the break when they put five past West Ham United on their own pitch.
Arsenal have become major players in the title race because of hat-trick hero Alexis Sanchez's performances as a converted centre-forward. The Chilean has already scored 11 times in England's top flight this season, according to WhoScored.com.
More than his goals, though, Sanchez has added an extra dimension to the whole of Arsenal's attack. His pace and constant pressing are proving a nightmare for defenders, none of whom can risk a careless pass or clumsy touch with Sanchez around.
Having Sanchez alongside Theo Walcott and Mesut Ozil gives the Gunners arguably the Premier League's most accomplished attack.
Arsenal and Chelsea are clicking, but it's a different story for fellow title contenders Liverpool and Manchester City. The latter were brought crashing back down to earth by Chelsea's ruthlessness in Manchester.
The defeat exposed the paucity of talent at key areas within City's squad. Specifically, the defence is a shambles, with neither John Stones nor Nicolas Otamendi looking capable of starting every week.
The picture is just as murky up front, where City lack quality alternatives to Aguero. It's an issue manager Pep Guardiola needs to resolve now Aguero has received a four-match suspension after his red card against Chelsea, per BBC Sport.
As for Liverpool, manager Jurgen Klopp is still feeling the sting of seeing his side twice blow a two-goal lead against Bournemouth. The Reds went 2-0, then 3-1 ahead but still lost 4-3 at the Vitality Stadium.
Goalkeeper Loris Karius was at fault for at least one of the goals, and Klopp has been prompted to defend the stopper, according to the Guardian's Dominic Fifield:
"I have no concerns [with Karius]. If you make mistakes, you get criticised. That’s what happens in life, so I have no problem with that. So if people want to say we’re blind, silly, not good enough, then do it. We missed chances today but do we have good strikers? Yes we do. And the last goal was not easy for a goalkeeper. It says nothing about him as a goalkeeper. It happens.
"
Regardless of Klopp's defiance, he'll know Liverpool won't stay in the title race long if they keep leaking goals at such an alarming rate.
All four of the main title contenders will be in action this week. They all face fixtures they should win, with Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool each playing at home.
City's task looks a little tougher away to champions Leicester City. Yet the Foxes are struggling mightily, just two points above the drop zone.
City's title bid will be called into question if they can't take advantage of last season's champions.
.jpg?w=600 "Browns Rejected Cowboys Trade Offer")
