EPL Results Week 15: Saturday's 2016 Premier League Scores, Top Scorers, Table
For at least one day, Leicester City played like the reigning Premier League champions as the Foxes dominated Manchester City en route to a 4-2 triumph in Saturday's marquee match. It's the type of performance that's been missing for most of the club's league campaign so far.
Elsewhere, Arsenal moved to the top of the table for the time being with a victory over Stoke. The Gunners' most recent display of attacking efficiency helped highlight an offensive-minded day around the EPL as every fixture featured at least one side scoring three goals.
Let's check out the complete set of results from the first day of Week 15. That's followed by a look at the goal scorers, the updated league standings and a recap of the action.
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Week 15 Results
| Dec. 10 | Watford | Everton | 3-2 |
| Dec. 10 | Arsenal | Stoke | 3-1 |
| Dec. 10 | Burnley | Bournemouth | 3-2 |
| Dec. 10 | Hull | Crystal Palace | 3-3 |
| Dec. 10 | Swansea | Sunderland | 3-0 |
| Dec. 10 | Leicester | Manchester City | 4-2 |
| Dec. 11 | Chelsea | West Brom | Sunday |
| Dec. 11 | Manchester United | Tottenham | Sunday |
| Dec. 11 | Southampton | Middlesbrough | Sunday |
| Dec. 11 | Liverpool | West Ham | Sunday |
Week 15 Goal Scorers
| 3 | Jamie Vardy | Leicester |
| 2 | Stefano Okaka | Watford |
| 2 | Romelu Lukaku | Everton |
| 2 | Fernando Llorente | Swansea |
| 1 | Sebastian Prodl | Watford |
| 1 | Theo Walcott | Arsenal |
| 1 | Mesut Ozil | Arsenal |
| 1 | Alex Iwobi | Arsenal |
| 1 | Charlie Adam | Stoke |
| 1 | Jeff Hendrick | Burnley |
| 1 | Stephen Ward | Burnley |
| 1 | George Boyd | Burnley |
| 1 | Benik Afobe | Bournemouth |
| 1 | Charlie Daniels | Bournemouth |
| 1 | Robert Snodgrass | Hull |
| 1 | Adama Diomande | Hull |
| 1 | Jake Livermore | Hull |
| 1 | Christian Benteke | Crystal Palace |
| 1 | Wilfried Zaha | Crystal Palace |
| 1 | Fraizer Campbell | Crystal Palace |
| 1 | Gylfi Sigurdsson | Swansea |
| 1 | Andy King | Leicester |
| 1 | Aleksandar Kolarov | Manchester City |
| 1 | Nolito | Manchester City |
Updated League Table
| 1 | Arsenal | 15 | 10 | 4 | 1 | 21 | 34 |
| 2 | Chelsea | 14 | 11 | 1 | 2 | 21 | 34 |
| 3 | Liverpool | 14 | 9 | 3 | 2 | 17 | 30 |
| 4 | Manchester City | 15 | 9 | 3 | 3 | 13 | 30 |
| 5 | Tottenham Hotspur | 14 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 14 | 27 |
| 6 | Manchester United | 14 | 5 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 21 |
| 7 | Watford | 15 | 6 | 3 | 6 | -5 | 21 |
| 8 | West Bromwich Albion | 14 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 20 |
| 9 | Everton | 15 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 20 |
| 10 | Stoke City | 15 | 5 | 4 | 6 | -5 | 19 |
| 11 | Bournemouth | 15 | 5 | 3 | 7 | -4 | 18 |
| 12 | Southampton | 14 | 4 | 5 | 5 | -2 | 17 |
| 13 | Burnley | 15 | 5 | 2 | 8 | -10 | 17 |
| 14 | Leicester City | 15 | 4 | 4 | 7 | -5 | 16 |
| 15 | Crystal Palace | 15 | 4 | 3 | 8 | -2 | 15 |
| 16 | Middlesbrough | 14 | 3 | 6 | 5 | -2 | 15 |
| 17 | Swansea City | 15 | 3 | 3 | 9 | -12 | 12 |
| 18 | West Ham United | 14 | 3 | 3 | 8 | -14 | 12 |
| 19 | Hull City | 15 | 3 | 3 | 9 | -18 | 12 |
| 20 | Sunderland | 15 | 3 | 2 | 10 | -13 | 11 |
Saturday Recap
The magic returned for Leicester on Saturday. Jamie Vardy scored goals seemingly at will en route to a hat trick, the side's relentless counterattacking strategy worked to perfection and they knocked off one of the league's top clubs to leave the relegation zone in the rearview mirror for a while.
Manchester City scored two late goals to make the scoreline look more respectable. But the Sky Blues were completely unprepared for the challenge, falling behind 3-0 in the first 20 minutes. That makes two consecutive clunkers after their 3-1 loss to Chelsea last week.
OptaJoe noted it was a rare sight for City boss Pep Guardiola:
On the flip side, it was a much-needed result for the Foxes. Although they've placed an emphasis on the Champions League, and their form has been better in that competition, getting things back on track domestically before the new year was key.
Vardy led the charge by hitting the net three times for the first time since 2012 when he was at a completely different point in his career, per BBC Sport:
Everton looked like a serious contender for a European berth next season after a five-match unbeaten streak to open the campaign. The Toffees' fortunes have fallen off dramatically since that point, however, as they've registered just a single victory over their last 10 fixtures through Saturday.
Romelu Lukaku opened the scoring against Watford inside the first 20 minutes with his first of two goals on the day. But Everton lacked the necessary sense of urgency to put the Hornets away when they had the chance, which left the door open for the home side to eventually secure the comeback victory.
Afterward, Everton manager Ronald Koeman lamented his squad's recent inability to play its best football unless its back is against the wall, as noted by the club's official website:
"The start was good. We were the dominant team and scored a good goal, but then the problems started. We weren't the same in controlling the game, we had bad mistakes in our ball possession and not good communication.
It could have been a draw in the end. We did everything and took the risk, but maybe that's the big problem at the moment—that if we are down, we have a good reaction. But why not earlier in the game?
"
While Watford deserve full credit for fighting back, led by a pair of goals from Stefano Okaka, there's no doubt the main takeaway from the match is Everton's continued struggles. Things certainly don't get any easier Tuesday when they welcome Arsenal to Goodison Park.
The Gunners' effort to edge Stoke was the direct opposite of Everton. They came out sluggish in the opening half hour, falling behind 1-0 in the process, before storming back to take over the match starting with a Theo Walcott tally shortly before halftime.
Arsenal's ability to overcome adversity is a critical reason for their early rise to the league lead. They are confident their possession-based style, which resulted in holding the ball for 64.4 percent of Saturday's win, and short-passing approach can overwhelm an opponent over the course of 90 minutes.
WhoScored.com pointed out the result has been one of Europe's most impressive streaks:
Mesut Ozil has generated the most attention during the run of success, and deservedly so. But it's the collaboration with the likes of Walcott and Alexis Sanchez that's made the side virtually unstoppable once it settles into any given match in recent months.
Saturday's most entertaining battle came from an unlikely source as Hull and Crystal Palace played to a 3-3 draw. Fraizer Campbell played the role of hero for the Eagles with a goal in the final moments to secure what could end up being an important point away from home.
Five of the six goals came in the second half, including four in the final 20 minutes after a relatively routine first 70. But the attacking explosion also illustrated the defensive weaknesses that have held both clubs back with the halfway mark of the term on the horizon.
Nevertheless, it was a fun game to watch for a neutral observer, as Squawka Football spotlighted:
Swansea cruised past Sunderland and Burnley survived a late rally by Bournemouth to end a three-game losing skid in the day's other fixtures.
Looking ahead, Manchester United and Tottenham headline Sunday's matches. While there's still plenty of time left in the season, the Red Devils need to start making some progress in the table if they want to push for a Champions League spot. Beating Spurs could represent the spark they sorely need.
Chelsea could leapfrog Arsenal back into the Premier League lead with a win or draw against West Brom, who are on a four-game unbeaten streak. Liverpool will also look to keep pace in the crowded title chase by collecting all three points against West Ham.
All match statistics are courtesy of the Premier League's official website.
