Premier League interesting rankings: Hull make a push
In a light week attributable to other competitions, Bournemouth emerged as perhaps the biggest victor. How does the rest of the league stand?
20. Sunderland (LW: 19)
A week without a Sunderland match is a good week, for you, for me and especially for David Moyes. The Black Cats manager reportedly took a trip to Scotland, utilizing his weekend away to study potential transfer targets — namely, Celtic defender Efe Ambrose.
19. Middlesbrough (LW: 20)
Let the fire sale begin. Though still fighting for their Premier League future, the Boro are already entertaining transfer offers; both Chelsea and Manchester City have declared their interest in defender Ben Gibson, which will allow Middlesbrough to pit the giants against one another for optimal financial benefit. How about the open market, folks.
18. Watford (LW: 16)
Given the week off, Hornets fans were able to witness former Watford and current Fulham manager Slavisa Jokanovic defeat Newcastle 3-1 in the Championship, inspiring some to call for his return to Vicarage Road. Meanwhile, current Watford manager Walter Mazzarri’s hunger for success at the club seems to have turned into a fast.
17. Stoke (LW: 15)
Stoke got the weekend off, but faced Manchester City on Wednesday, as the rest of the world was concentrating on Barcelona’s Champions League round of 16 comeback against Paris Saint-Germain. Perhaps that was just as well. The Potters performed admirably in holding City to a 0-0 draw, but riveting it was not.
16. Chelsea (LW: 14)
The league title well within their sights, Chelsea have already begun looking toward the summer transfer window. Among their targets is Middlesbrough defender Ben Gibson, whom his parent club has already reportedly tagged with a hefty price. With Real Madrid lurking in the wings for Eden Hazard, the Blues will do well to get ahead of the summer window opportunists.
15. Hull (LW: 17)
On the pitch, former Everton man Oumar Niasse scored twice off the bench in nine minutes. Off it, after defeating Swansea for the third time on Saturday, manager Marco Silva insisted he doesn’t feel the pressure to beat relegation before criticizing the state of Hull’s field due to rugby competition the night previous.
14. Bournemouth (LW: 18)
In defeating West Ham, the Cherries have begun to solidify their place in the top flight for next season. Bournemouth, who have been awarded the most penalties in the Premier League this season, missed two in the first half against the Hammers, but the three goals they put up ended up being enough.
13. West Brom (LW: 13)
In losing to Everton, the Baggies likely let their best chance at European play slide through their fingertips Saturday. It must’ve hurt that much more that January transfer target Morgan Schneiderlin scored against them, reminding the club of what they don’t have.
12. Southampton (LW : 12)
With their match against United postponed, the Saints mostly relaxed during the down weekend, at least on the pitch. Off it, they reportedly took a number to join the line for England national team keeper Joe Hart, apparently fearing that Fraser Forster will leave. Given how little help Forster has received in the form of goals from his teammates, he may have this one right.
11. Everton (LW: 11)
The Toffees enjoyed a relatively leisurely 3-0 victory over West Brom on Saturday, likely solidifying Everton’s place in European play next season. The biggest obstacle now is for Ronald Koeman to sign Romelu Lukaku to a long-term contract.
10. Manchester City (LW: 9)
Perhaps concerned with keeping eyes on disgruntled Bundesliga players, Pep Guardiola’s squad drew with Stoke last Wednesday in an altogether unimpressive match. Still, the Blues have a game in hand on Liverpool and are firmly ensconced in the top four.
9. Arsenal (LW: 8)
Arsenal’s omnipresent dysfunction and paranoia aside, this slot really ought to go to Lincoln City, the Gunners’ fifth-tier opponent in the FA Cup. Lincoln, who hold the record for most seasons in the Football League without ever reaching the top tier (104), stuck around to vacuum their own locker room in the Emirates following a 5-0 loss to Arsenal. Arsene Wenger no doubt found the exercise inefficient and costly.
8. West Ham (LW: 10)
Following the loss to Bournemouth, club co-chairman David Sullivan insisted Slaven Bilic and the Hammers must improve. Michail Antonio and Andre Ayew pitched in a goal apiece, but they couldn’t hang on through stoppage time. A relatively light run lies in the weeks ahead.
7. Manchester United (LW: 6)
Though a 10-man United lost to Chelsea in their FA Cup quarterfinal tie, they still sit in a decent position in the league. Of the five clubs sitting ahead of them in the standings, the Red Devils have a game in hand on the top three as well as two on Liverpool. Plus, Jose Mourinho remains the king of the touchline spat.
6. Burnley (LW: 7)
Immediately after Ashley Barnes scored the opener against Liverpool, the Clarets seemed to go into a shell, just the kind of fearful approach that does NOT work against a top club. Still, Burnley are a squad that usually play up to their opponents, always making for an entertaining watch.
5. Tottenham (LW: 5)
A dreadful bit of luck may have hit Spurs during their 6-0 FA Cup victory over Millwall on Sunday, as Harry Kane left the field on crutches with an apparent ankle injury. The striker had been on a tear of late, scoring eight in Tottenham’s previous five games.
4. Crystal Palace (LW: 4)
Palace may be the biggest losers of the abridged Premier League weekend, with both Hull and Bournemouth claiming victories among the bottom-half clubs. Still, the Eagles have a game in hand on the former and plenty of time to make up the difference on the latter.
3. Swansea (LW: 3)
After losing to Hull, Swansea remain right at the edge of the relegation zone. The good news is they face only one team, Tottenham, currently in the top four the rest of the way. Nevertheless, inconsistency has been the Swans’ hallmark this season.
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2. Leicester (LW: 2)
Having won their last two in league play, the Foxes appear poised to play spoiler over the final two months of the season. With regard to the Champions League, Jamie Vardy promised Sevilla a rough go of things during the return leg of their Round of 16 clash on Tuesday. Every little boost matters at this point.
1. Liverpool (LW: 1)
The only top four club to play on the weekend, Liverpool escaped with a victory after going down early to Burnley. Jurgen Klopp was quick to point out he’s fine with how the team played, so long as they got the win. Elsewhere at that exact moment, Pep Guardiola was said to have shuddered violently.