A three-horse race

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.

Tight at midway

The English Premier League moves into 2014 at the halfway point with Arsenal at the top of the table. The Gunners have found it difficult to beat their closest rivals, losing by a single goal at Manchester Untied and drawing 1-1 and 0-0 at home to Everton and Chelsea respectively, but most notably suffering a 6-3 thrashing at second placed Manchester City who have been invincible at home putting 6 past Tottenham without reply but not so convincing on their travels, losing 1-0 at Sunderland.

Chelsea are still unbeaten at home after making it 2-2 from the penalty spot deep into stoppage time against West Brom. A 3-2 defeat at Stoke showed further vulnerabilities but after a goalless draw at Arsenal, they finished the year with 2 home wins, beating Swansea 1-0 and getting the better of Liverpool 2-1 to move into 3rd place.

Everton were denied victory by a late goal in a 3-3 thriller at home to Liverpool but struck late to win at Manchester United and earned a draw at Arsenal. The Toffees enjoyed a 2-1 win at Swansea but were stunned 1-0 at home to Sunderland before ending on a high with a 2-1 victory at home to Southampton.

Liverpool suffered a shock 3-1 loss at Hull, but the prolific Luis Suarez helped them move briefly to the top of the table thumping hosts Tottenham 5-0 on the way before losing 2-1 at Manchester City and Chelsea.

Manchester United who drew 2-2 at Cardiff and Tottenham before losing 1-0 at home to Everton and Newcastle were getting dragged towards the middle of the table until 4 straight wins won them some respectability and put them in touching distance with the top teams.

Tottenham who were hit for 6 at Manchester City parted with their manager Andre Villas Boas after being humiliated 5-0 at home to Liverpool, but bounced back with a 3-2 victory at Southampton.

Newcastle have had a good run of results marred only by a 3-0 setback at Swansea and their latest 1-0 loss at home to league leaders Arsenal and lie in 8th spot with a 6 point gap separating them from Southampton who despite playing some refreshing football had failed to win since sending Hull back 4-1 losers until their recent 3-0 cruising at Cardiff. Among their losses were 3-2 defeats to Aston Villa and Tottenham.

Hull City lost 1-0 at home to Crystal Palace but put Liverpool to the sword 3-1 at the KC Stadium a week later and have been difficult to beat, losing only 3-2 at home to Manchester United. A week later they filled their boots firing 6 past Fulham in their last match of the year.

Swansea City shared 6 goals with their visitors from Stoke after conceding a stoppage-time penalty and drew 1-1 at home to Hull and away to Norwich and Aston Villa, but will remember with fondness their 3-0 home win over Newcastle.

Stoke City fell 4-0 at Everton but overcame Chelsea 3-2 and Aston Villa 2-1 at the Britannia Stadium. The Potters ended the year with heavy defeats, losing 5-1 at Newcastle and 3-0 at Tottenham.

Aston Villa enjoyed a 3-2 win at Southampton, but then suffered 4 consecutive defeats including 2-0 at Fulham and 1-0 at home to Crystal Palace before ending the year with a 1-1 draw at home to Swansea.

Norwich City were swept away 5-1 at Liverpool but bounced back to win 2-0 at West Brom, but after drawing at home to Swansea and away to Sunderland they suffered a 2-1 disappointment at home to Fulham and ended the year with a narrow 1-0 defeat to Manchester United.

West Bromwich Albion who were seconds away from ending Chelsea's unbeaten home record and let a 2 goal lead slip a week later at home to Aston Villa suffered 4 consecutive defeats followed by 3 draws ending in a 3-3 draw at West Ham.

Cardiff City earned a 2-2 home draw against Manchester United and were 1-0 winners at home to West Brom, but the dismissal of manager Malky Mackay has plunged their future into uncertainty.

Crystal Palace have not drawn since their goalless match at home to Everton in early November. Their 1-0 wins at Hull and Aston Villa plus a 1-0 home wins over West Ham and a 2-0 victory at home to Cardiff have kept them outside the relegation zone, albeit on goal difference.

Fulham have had a string on poor results leading to the sacking of manager Martin Jol.  A 2-1 win at Norwich gave them temporary solace, but their 6-0 humiliation at Hull has sent them into the relegation zone.

West Ham United ended the year with a 3-3 draw at home to West Brom, but with their only other points in the last 11 matches coming from a 3-0 home win against Fulham and a goalless draw against Sunderland, they find themselves in a battle for survival.

Sunderland are at the bottom of the table despite creditable 1-0 victories at home to Manchester City and away to Everton. The Black Cats have been difficult to beat, losing 4-3 at home to Chelsea and picking up several draws and are only 2 points from safety.        

Top guns

Ten weeks into the 2013-14 Premier League season Arsenal are 5 points ahead of Chelsea, Liverpool and Tottenham. Since their 3-1 home defeat on day one, right up to their 2-0 home victory over Liverpool, the only points dropped by the Gunners was in a 1-1 draw at W.B.A.

Chelsea had been unable to defeat their closest rivals drawing 0-0 at Manchester United and 1-1 at Tottenham and suffering a 1-0 defeat at Everton until a last minute blunder handed them a 2-1 win over Manchester City at the Bridge, but that was followed by a disappointing 2-0 loss at Newcastle.

Liverpool began with three 1-0 wins including at home to Manchester United before drawing 2-2 at Swansea and suffering a shock 1-0 defeat at home to Southampton. The partnership of Sturridge and Suarez helped the Reds to several healthy wins marred by a 2-2 draw at Newcastle and their setback at Arsenal.

Tottenham began with a 1-0 win at Crystal Palace thanks to a controversial penalty but that has been their only win in London, losing 1-0 at neighbours Arsenal and drawing 1-1 at home to Chelsea before being hammered 3-0 at home to West Ham.

Manchester City have been formidable at home, thumping Newcastle 4-0, crushing Manchester United 4-1 and beating Everton 3-1 before humiliating Norwich 7-0, but away from home they have lost 3-2 to Cardiff and Aston Villa and drawn 0-0 at Stoke City.

Southampton have won at Liverpool and drawn 1-1 at Manchester United. Their only defeat has been by a single goal at Norwich, though they will be disappointed with their home draws against Sunderland 1-1 and West Ham 0-0 earlier in the season.

Everton began with three draws against Norwich, Cardiff and West Brom before picking up their first win 1-0 at home to Chelsea. Since then their only loss of points have been a 3-1 defeat away to Manchester City and a goalless match at home to Tottenham.

Manchester United are in 8th place after ten matches having dropped home points in a goalless draw against Chelsea, a 2-1 defeat to West Brom and a 1-1 draw against Southampton.

Newcastle have had a mixed season so far, starting slowly before winning 2-1 at Aston Villa, but then going down 3-2 at home to Hull. Their 2-1 setback at lowly neighbours Sunderland was followed by a handsome 2-0 home win over Chelsea.

Hull City have had mostly close matches with predictable results and lie in the middle of the Premier League table. They lost home points in draws against Cardiff 1-1 and Aston Villa 0-0 but earned a 3-2 win at Newcastle.

West Bromwich Albion drew 0-0 at Everton and famously conquered Manchester United 2-1 at Old Trafford but crashed 4-1 at Liverpool.

Cardiff City celebrated their home debut with a 3-2 victory over Manchester City and sent Everton home with a goalless draw a week later but in recent matches they have lost 2-1 at home to Newcastle and were taken apart 4-1 at Chelsea, though a 1-0 win at home to Swansea would have put the smile back on their faces.

Swansea City drew 2-2 at home to Liverpool but have otherwise found it difficult to match the big boys. They have had 2-0 wins at West Brom and Crystal Palace and have put 4 past Sunderland without reply at the Liberty Stadium.

Aston Villa began by punishing Arsenal 3-1 at the Emirates but then suffered 3 straight defeats and since their 3-2 triumph at home to Manchester City 5 matches ago have failed to score.

West Ham United opened with a 2-0 win at home to Cardiff, but since then have only enjoyed one win, hammering Tottenham 3-0 at White Hart Lane.

Fulham have avoided the relegation zone thanks to 1-0 wins away to Sunderland and at home to Stoke and a spectacular 4-1 victory at Crystal Palace but have otherwise been mostly on the receiving end.

Stoke City earned narrow wins at home to Crystal Palace and away to West Ham but since then drawn or suffered narrow defeats including 3-2 at Manchester United.

Norwich City have enjoyed 1-0 wins at home to Southampton and away to Stoke but been finding it difficult to defend against the bigger teams recently losing 3-1 at home to Chelsea, 4-1 at Arsenal and finally 7-0 at Manchester City.

Sunderland earned a 1-1 draw at Southampton, but several defeats later parted company with manager Paolo di Canio and picked up their first win of the season 2-1 at home to Newcastle.

Crystal Palace who are currently managerless after the departure of Ian Holloway have lost most of their matches by 2 goals and are rooted to the bottom of the table with 3 points from their 3-1 win at home to Sunderland.