On differing trajectories when they met Monday, Arsenal fell to Crystal Palace, whose fans serenaded Arsene Wenger. How does the rest of the league stand?
20. Sunderland (LW: 20)
Not even a week removed from one threat, David Moyes was accused of abusing another reporter. To pile on, former Arsenal striker Ian Wright said Moyes has a distinct motivation problem and that his squad suffers from a lack of confidence. Someone save Jermain Defoe from this nightmare.
19. Middlesbrough (LW: 19)
Boro were mostly punchless against Burnley, but one player to watch for the rest of the season will be Patrick Bamford, who made runs and pressured defenders like his side were hoping Alvaro Negredo would do all season. Bamford failed to score in his seven minutes, but don’t be surprised to see his name pop up on the score sheet before season’s end.
18. Stoke (LW: 18)
Peter Crouch received a special award for scoring 100 Premier League goals, and at this rate, there’s no reason to believe he won’t continue scoring right to the end of time. Unfortunately, his side couldn’t maintain their lead over Liverpool, but Arsenal are their only remaining opponent from the top half of the table. The Potters should be just fine.
17. Burnley (LW: 15)
With a chance at inching into the top half of the table, the Clarets stumbled against a woeful Boro side. A difficult stretch lies ahead, beginning with Everton, and Sean Dyche is going to have to be clever if Burnley are to push the teams ahead of them in the table.
16. Watford (LW: 16)
Hornets fans are up in arms over the reports that Slavisa Jokanovic may move to West Ham this summer. Further discouraging is what lies in the immediate future. Though already in decent position, Watford may have the most difficult remaining schedule of any side and could very well fall precipitously from their current 10th-place slot by mid-May.
15. Southampton (LW : 17)
The Saints have two games in hand on West Brom, currently in the midst of a tough slide. We already have Southampton to thank, however, for a rogue stroke of honesty, confirming what all of us common peasants believe anyway: former Saints striker Graziano Pelle recently admitted that he only left the club last summer for China because of money.
14. Bournemouth (LW: 14)
Joshua King’s deflected goal cut Chelsea’s lead in half just before halftime, but the Blues simply overmatched the Cherries. Of note: defender Steve Cook continues to play up to competition, drumming interest in a possible summer switch to one of the bigger clubs.
13. Chelsea (LW: 12)
Following their loss to Palace a week ago, the Blues came up with two big victories to maintain their lead at the top. Losses make this team more interesting, frankly; with no other competitions left on their radar, barring a spectacular collapse, there is no reason Chelsea shouldn’t win the league.
12. West Brom (LW: 11)
Albion are suffering right now from a lack of firepower, having gone three games without scoring a single goal. While not in danger of … anything, really, it would still benefit Tony Pulis’ side to gain some momentum toward the end of the season.
11. West Ham (LW: 13)
A 1-0 victory over Swansea may quell talk of replacing Slaven Bilic, which has already begun at London Stadium. Fulham skipper (and former Watford head man) Slavisa Jokanovic is reportedly the top target, but the Hammers have enough tenacity to break into the top half of the table, which may be enough to keep Bilic around for the time being.
10. Liverpool (LW: 4)
Magic from Philippe Coutinho can strike at any moment, which was the case with his equalizer against Stoke. Mere minutes later, Roberto Firmino scored to take the lead and then subsequently earned himself a yellow card. That’s as well-rounded a performance as you’ll ever see, and the Reds are in solid standing for a top four finish.
9. Manchester City (LW: 6)
City rebounded from their midweek loss to Chelsea with a win over Hull, which began with a strike of luck when they were the beneficiaries of an own goal. Staying in the top four may entice one Alexis Sanchez, who reportedly prefers the Blues to other potential summer suitors.
8. Everton (LW: 10)
In one of the most entertaining games of the season thus far, the Toffees prevailed over Leicester, kicking a two-game winless skid. In doing so, Ronald Koeman’s men also tied their club record for consecutive home wins in the Premier League era, with seven. Afterward, Romelu Lukaku celebrated with Paul Pogba, while Ross Barkley got punched out in a Liverpool bar.
7. Manchester United (LW: 9)
A lazy run of play meant United had to rely on a late Zlatan Ibrahimovic penalty to salvage a home draw last week. As penance, the Red Devils shellacked Sunderland nearly back to 1879 over the weekend, keeping dim hopes for a top four finish alive.
6. Swansea (LW: 8)
Why are Swansea this high, when they’re on a month-long skid without a win? This is when it’ll get good for Paul Clement’s men. They are within striking distance of beating the drop, so they’ll be desperate. Similarly, Gylfi Sigurdsson has to finish the season strong if he wants to continue impressing the likes of potential suitors Everton.
5. Hull (LW: 7)
Not unlike the Swans before them, the Tigers must play tidily if they want to stay in the Premier League for next season. Andrea Ranocchia’s late goal was far too little against City, but it will take plays like that for Marco Silva’s men to escape the cold clutches of relegation.
4. Arsenal (LW: 5)
Arsenal are fun to watch because they’re ridiculous and cannot help but be themselves. Between Arsene Wenger’s unnecessarily surreptitious vows and the general ass-clownery that accompanies peak late-season Gunners matches, it’s usually a party in the Emirates for anyone who doesn’t have a vested interest in the club’s results.
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3. Leicester (LW: 2)
Picture this: the defending champions, in serious danger of relegation until only recently, sat several starters in preparation for their Champions League quarterfinal. Perhaps the wildest 10 minutes all season kicked off the Foxes’ match against Everton, which they ended up losing. Nevertheless, these guys have been eminently watchable under Craig Shakespeare, despite the current absence of captain Wes Morgan.
2. Tottenham (LW: 3)
For all practical purposes, Spurs are locked into second for the home stretch. Their thorough, 4-0 defeat of Watford, however, showed a team unwilling to let Chelsea coast at the top, and if a few things break their way, well … stranger things have happened. Just ask Mauricio Pochettino, roughly a year ago.
1. Crystal Palace (LW: 1)
The midweek loss to Southampton aside, the Eagles have been unimpeachable over the past two months. Big Sam Allardyce has his squad pressuring and picking their spots, resulting in goals like Yohan Cabaye’s finish against Arsenal. For toppling giants to beat relegation, Palace retain their top spot.