Weekly Standings

© Barclays Premier League

Hi everyone, sorry I never got around to making a pre-weekend guide, so here I am with the most current standings as the seasons starts to get into crunch time.  With the exception of the top and bottom teams, every team has 6 matches left (Chelsea and Leicester City both have 7 left).  Here's some quick blurbs about each match from last weekend.

Swansea 1 - 1 Everton

Not a whole lot going on in this match unfortunately, and it really doesn't matter for either team, as they are both safely above the relegation zone but are not challenging for a top 4 finish.

Southampton 2 - 0 Hull City

Southampton will be extremely happy for the victory here, as it keeps them in contention for a top 5 finish, which would be an extraordinary accomplishment for a club that lacks the players and resources of the other clubs near the top of the table.  Hull, meanwhile, are unfortunately still very much in the relegation battle, and will need every possible point they can manage from here on out to avoid dropping.

Sunderland 1 - 4 Crystal Palace

Lots of goals in game that most probably would have expected a drab, low scoring affair.  New manager Alan Pardew has been having great success at Crystal Palace since he took over in the middle of the season.  Crystal Palace are on track for one the their greatest Premier League seasons ever, especially considering they just were promoted back up two seasons ago.

Tottenham 0 - 1 Aston Villa

This is a very bad loss for Tottenham, as Aston Villa are not that good, and Spurs were hoping for top 4 finish this season.  Striker Christian Benteke has made the most of his limited opportunities this season, following a hat trick last week with the only goal in this match, as he spent most of the season out due to injury.

West Bromwich Albion 2 - 3 Leicester City

This is a huge result for Leicester, as they are mired at the bottom of the table, so every point might be crucial if they are to miraculously stay up come the end of the season.  The goals had to come late, but luckily for the Foxes, they did come.  West Brom, on the other hand, will be embarrassed, but they are most likely safe from relegation, so they have little left to play for anyways.

West Ham United 1 - 1 Stoke City

Pretty much the same situation as the Everton - Swansea match: two mid-table teams playing meaningless soccer at the end of the season.

Burnley 0 - 1 Arsenal

It was a valiant effort by Burnley to hold on as they did against the Premier League's hottest team, but in the end, the more talented team prevailed, and Arsenal will be trying to make a serious push against Chelsea for the top spot in the coming weeks.  That being said, they'll need Chelsea to lose quite a bit in their next few matches.  Burnley, however, are likely to be heading back down to the Championship, unless they can string together some massive victories in a hurry.

QPR 0 - 1 Chelsea

These are two teams who do not like each other at all, being that they are both West London teams and have had some issues between players in recent years.  Chelsea relied on great goalkeeping from Thibaut Courtois to repel QPR, and managed to get the one necessary goal from a masked Cesc Fabregas, who was forced to wear a facial mask after breaking his nose in the previous game.

Manchester United 4 - 2 Manchester City

Easily the biggest game of the week, Manchester is currently red after Man U eviscerated a laughably poor Man City.  Manchester City have managed to now all but entirely thrown away their change to defend their title from last season, while Manchester United seem to be getting back to the winning ways they were familiar with up until the last season or so.  The two Man City goals hardly do justice to just how one sided this game was.

Liverpool 2 - 0 Newcastle

Pretty much business as usual, as Liverpool continued to be just good enough to win matches, and they are still in the conversation for a top 4 finish potentially if they can string together a few more wins down the stretch.  Meanwhile, Newcastle is another team that really has little left to play for this season.