Chelsea are sitting at the top of the Premier League
with 7 matches remaining despite losing 1-0 at Aston Villa and drawing 1-1 at
West Brom. The Blues who defeated Manchester United 3-1 at the Bridge enjoyed a
vital 1-0 win at Manchester City before demolishing their North London visitors
4-0 and 6-0 in the shape of Tottenham and Arsenal respectively.
Liverpool who have scored 3 or more goals in 8 of
their last 12 matches are one point behind the leaders. Among their bigger
scalps at Anfield have been Everton 4-0 and Arsenal 5-1, while on their travels
they have swept Manchester United aside 3-0 and in a 9 goal thriller put 6 past
Cardiff.
Manchester City have only dropped points once this
calendar year in a goalless draw at Norwich and are only 3 points behind the
leaders with 2 games in hand. Their most impressive recent results have been
5-1 at Tottenham and 3-0 at neighbours United.
Arsenal have moved down into fourth spot after a
string of poor results with only a 1-0 win at Tottenham to show for in recent
matches. The Gunners lost 1-0 at Stoke, were torn apart 6-0 at Chelsea and
could only draw 2-2 at home to Swansea.
Everton have struggled away from home, winning only
in their most recent match 3-0 at Newcastle, but it is their home wins that
give them a chance of moving into fourth place with the visit of Arsenal still
to come.
Tottenham started the year with a 2-1 victory at
Manchester United, but have been soundly beaten at home to Manchester City 5-1
and 4-0 at Chelsea followed by a 1-0 home loss to Arsenal.
Manchester United may have earned a respectable 0-0
draw at Arsenal, but they were beaten 2-1 at Stoke and with 3-0 defeats at home
to Liverpool and Manchester City they are clearly not ready to challenge for
the title.
Newcastle United have suffered some poor results
including 3-0 and 4-0 embarrassments at home to Sunderland and Tottenham
respectively, but have had the occasional win, earning pull points with a goal
at home to Aston Villa and a 4-1 triumph at Hull.
Southampton will have mixed feelings about their 2-2
draws at Sunderland and at home to Stoke and Arsenal, but will no doubt be
disappointed to have lost 3-1 at West Ham, though with a 1-0 win at Crystal
Palace and a 4-2 victory at home to Norwich they remain in the top half of the
table.
Stoke City who lost 5-3 at home to Liverpool but sent
Manchester United back 2-1 losers have not lost since losing by a single goal
at Manchester City. The Potters have beaten Arsenal 1-0 at the Britannia
Stadium and thumped Aston Villa 4-1 at Villa Park.
West Ham United enjoyed 4 wins in a row after their
0-0 draw at Chelsea and escaped from the jaws of relegation, but are still not
mathematically safe.
Aston Villa have been inconsistent, gaining a 2-2
draw at Liverpool, but losing 2-0 at home to West Ham. In their most recent
matches which all took place at home, their 1-0 success against Chelsea was
sandwiched between a 4-1 win over Norwich and a defeat by the same scoreline at
the hands of Stoke.
Hull City have been losing most of their matches, but
cruised to a 4-0 win in Cardiff and struck twice at home to West Brom.
Norwich City who held Manchester City to a goalless
draw at Carrow Road have not bagged any points away from home since their 1-1
draw on the first day of the year at Crystal Palace, but have not lost at home
this year.
Swansea City who have been making it difficult for
some of the big names, losing narrowly 4-3 at Liverpool, 3-2 at Everton and
drawing 2-2 at Arsenal have not won since their 3-0 victory over Cardiff at the
beginning of February.
West Bromwich Albion have managed 1-1 home draws
against Everton, Liverpool and Chelsea, but have also ended up with the same
result against the bottom club Fulham and are in danger of relegation.
Crystal Palace have picked up wins at home, beating
Stoke and Hull 1-0 and West Brom 3-1 to lift themselves out of the relegation
zone, but are still in real danger having not scored in their last 3 matches.
Sunderland have slipped into the relegation zone,
having played fewer games, but have only picked up one point in a goalless draw
at home to relegation candidates Crystal Palace since their 3-0 win away to
Newcastle on the first day of February.
Cardiff City completed the double over Fulham with a
3-1 home win, but lead them by a single point and seem to be heading out of the
Premier League.
Fulham
are at the bottom of the Premier League, but the appointment of Felix Magath as
manager has given them a glimmer of hope. A 2-2 draw at Manchester United and a
narrow 3-2 defeat at home to Liverpool plus a recent 1-0 home win over
Newcastle has shown their fighting spirit and with a relatively kind remaining
fixture list, they may feel able to pick up some vital points.
