The Season 2014/15: Chelsea lead from start to finish

(C) CHELSEA (P38 W26 D9 L3 F73 A32 Pts 87)
PL: WWWWDWWWDWWWDWLWWWDLWWDWWDWDWWWWDWWDLW
FA Cup: lost 2-4 v Bradford City (H) in fourth round
League Cup: won 2-0 v Tottenham Hotspur in Final at Wembley
Europe: lost on away goals after 3-3 on agg v Paris Saint-Germain (1-1a, 2-2h aet) in UCL Last 16
Manager: Jose Mourinho (since June 2013) Top scorer: Diego Costa (21)
Chelsea led the League from start to finish as the Blues picked up a third Premier League crown under Jose Mourinho. An excellent start saw the Chelsea lose just once in the league before Christmas - and, although defending champions Manchester City kept pace up until the turn of the year, Mourinho's men remained relentless in their pursuit. It was not always the prettiest stuff - and Chelsea's position as pacesetter allowed them to nullify their main rivals by settling for draws home and away against Manchester City, and away to Manchester United and Arsenal. That point from the stalemate at the Emirates left the Blues on the verge - as was abundantly clear from the celebrations of their players - and they reached the required mark in their next match, a game in hand at Leicester City, in a fine comeback win. Predictably, under Mourinho, the title win was built on the strength of statistically the best defence in the league - but that should not detract from an excellent first season in England for Diego Costa, nor from PFA Player of the Year Eden Hazard's record of 13 goals and eight assists. Undoubtedly, though, there were also some disappointments - no one would have expected Chelsea to concede as many goals as they did in their shock exits to Bradford City and Paris Saint-Germain. Nevertheless, this was still another highly successful campaign for Chelsea and Mourinho, who has begun the trophy haul in his second spell at Stamford Bridge in exactly the same way as he did in his first - with a Premier League and League Cup double. 

2 MANCHESTER CITY (P38 W24 D7 L7 F83 A38 Pts 79)
PL: WWLDDWWWLWDWWWWWWWDWDLDDWWLWLWLLWWWWWW
FA Cup: lost 0-2 v Middlesbrough (H) in fourth round
League Cup: lost 0-2 v Newcastle United (H) in fourth round
Europe: lost 1-3 on agg v Barcelona (1-2h, 0-1a) in UCL Last 16
Manager: Manuel Pellegrini (since June 2013) Top scorer: Sergio Agüero (32)
For the second time in three years, Manchester City made an awful hash at defending their title, although they did still finish again as Premier League top scorers. That latter fact was, in no small part, down to Sergio Aguero who finished as the division's individual top scorer for the first time with 26 goals in the league. But, while City just about kept pace with Chelsea heading into the New Year, they were neutralised in a 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge at the end of January. Shortly afterwards, four consecutive away defeats - at Liverpool, Burnley, Crystal Palace, and Manchester United - left Manuel Pellegrini's men in fourth, 12 points behind the leaders having played a game more. A finish of six consecutive wins ensured City avoided the Champions League qualifiers and closed the final gap to eight points - but poor performances in both domestic cups and an inevitable defeat to Barcelona in Europe rendered this a seriously under-par trophyless season at Eastlands.   

3 ARSENAL (P38 W22 D9 L7 F71 A36 Pts 75)
PL: WDDDWDLDWWLLWWLWDWWLWWWLWWWWWWWWDWLDDW
FA Cup: won 4-0 v Aston Villa in Final at Wembley
League Cup: lost 1-2 v Southampton (H) in third round
Europe: lost on away goals after 3-3 on agg v Monaco (1-3h, 2-0a) in UCL Last 16
Manager: Arsene Wenger (since October 1996) Top scorer: Alexis Sanchez (24)
A season which began at Wembley - with a 3-0 win over Manchester City in the Community Shield - ended just as happily under the arch as Arsenal became only the fourth team in history to have retained the FA Cup on two separate occasions. Chilean Alexis Sanchez capped a brilliant first season in English football with a stunning drive to put the Gunners 2-0 up against Aston Villa, and that goal effectively killed the game off shortly after half time. But success for Sanchez and Arsenal in the Cup was not replicated in the Premier League as a spate of early draws and defeats at home to Manchester United and away to Chelsea, Swansea City and Stoke City left Arsene Wenger's men with far too much to do. Form picked up after Christmas with 13 wins out of 15 - though one of the two defeats came away in the derby against Tottenham Hotspur. Nevertheless, that fine run lifted Arsenal into second before a combination of cup distraction and the inevitability of Chelsea winning the league meant the Gunners settled for third.

4 MANCHESTER UNITED (P38 W20 D10 L8 F62 A37 Pts 70) 
PL: LDDWLWWDDLWWWWWWDWDDLWWDWLWWWWWWLLLWDD
FA Cup: lost 1-2 v Arsenal (H) in QF
League Cup: lost 0-4 v Milton Keynes Dons (H) in second round
Manager: Louis Van Gaal (since July 2014) Top scorer: Wayne Rooney (14)
It was never likely to be easy - and this was not an unprecedented success for Louis Van Gaal - but the Dutchman did at least ensure that the absence of Manchester United from the Champions League was limited to just one season - provided he can win the early-season playoff, of course. Not only because of that, Van Gaal will want the Red Devils to start next season much better than they did this campaign in which three early defeats and a humiliating League Cup exit to Milton Keynes Dons left him with a worse early-season record than his much-maligned predecessor David Moyes. The difference between the pair was that Van Gaal was able to retain the confidence of his squad - and, slowly but surely, the wins started coming with more regularity - six in a row shortly before Christmas and another six in a row during the spring. It was that second run which pretty much ensured Man United would be back on the big stage in Europe, culminating as it did in a 4-2 beating of rivals Manchester City at Old Trafford. But a late-season wobble of three league defeats on the bounce showed that this team in its present form is still well short of being a credible title challenger.

5 TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR (P38 W19 D7 L12 F58 A53 Pts 64)
PL: WWLDLDWLLWLWWLDWWWDWLWWWLDWWLWDLWDLLWW
FA Cup: lost 1-2 v Leicester City (H) in fourth round
League Cup: lost 0-2 v Chelsea in Final at Wembley
Europe: lost 1-3 on agg v Fiorentina (1-1h, 0-2a) in UEL Last 32
Manager: Mauricio Pochettino (since May 2014) Top scorer: Harry Kane (31)
Tottenham Hotspur went forwards in terms of position but backwards in terms of points in a patchy first season under Argentine boss Mauricio Pochettino. Harry Kane was the undoubted star of the show, becoming the first Spurs player since Gary Lineker to hit more than 30 goals in a single campaign. The season, though, was plagued throughout by problems at the other end of the field. Only Leicester City, Aston Villa, Newcastle United and Queens Park Rangers conceded more goals than Spurs who also lost more league games in 2014-15 than in any of the previous five seasons. Six of the 12 defeats came in the first 14 games and the North Londoners spent much of the early part of the season in mid-table. Form picked up either side of Christmas, culminating in a 2-1 home win over Arsenal and a League Cup Final appearance. But defeat at Wembley led to another slight downturn - before wins on both of the last two weekends ensured Tottenham avoided the early season Europa League qualifiers.

6 LIVERPOOL (P38 W18 D8 L12 F52 A48 Pts 62)
PL: WLWLLDWWDLLLWWDLDWWDWWWDWWWWWLLWDLWDLL
FA Cup: lost 1-2 v Aston Villa in SF at Wembley
League Cup: lost 1-2 on agg v Chelsea (1-1h, 0-1a) in SF
Europe: lost 4-5 on pens after 1-1 on agg v Besiktas (1-0h, 0-1aet a) in UEL Last 32. Knocked out of UCL group stage (W1 D3 L2 F5 A9) 
Manager: Brendan Rodgers (since June 2012) Top scorer: Steven Gerrard (13)
For the second time in six seasons, Liverpool have followed up a title challenge with a season as an also-ran. In 2008-09, the Reds finished a close second to Manchester United before finishing seventh in 2009-10 - and, this time, Brendan Rodgers' side only did marginally better to finish sixth, although they were actually one point worse off. It went wrong from the start - seven league defeats by Christmas were more than the Reds had suffered in the whole of the previous campaign. And, although there was a resurgence in the New Year, a faint Champions League push effectively ended when Manchester United won 2-1 at Anfield. Liverpool ended up winning just two and losing five of their last nine games, including a 3-1 defeat to Crystal Palace in Steven Gerrard's last home match and a 6-1 humiliation on the last day of the season at Stoke City. It could have also easily been Rodgers' last game but, after a difficult season all round, American owners the Fenway Group are keeping the faith for now.

7 SOUTHAMPTON (P38 W18 D6 L14 F54 A33 Pts 60)
PL: LDWWWWLWWWWDLLLLWWDWWWLWDLLWDWLWLDLLWL
FA Cup: lost 2-3 v Crystal Palace (H) in fourth round
League Cup: lost 0-1 v Sheffield United (A) in QF
Manager: Ronald Koeman (since June 2014) Top scorer: Graziano Pelle (16)
Southampton completely confounded expectations by recovering from the pillaging of more than £90m of squad assets to enjoy the best season in decades. For a while, it looked as if it was going to be even better as an autumn run of eight wins out of nine, including an 8-0 thrashing of Sunderland, left the Saints in second place behind only Chelsea. A harsh dose of reality followed in December after four consecutive defeats - but, still, Ronald Koeman's men were not finished, as a run which began before Christmas and lasted until February brought a haul of 16 points out of 18. It included a draw against Chelsea, a home win against Arsenal and an away win against Manchester United - but, ultimately, the blinding form could not be sustained. Indeed, half of Southampton's 14 league defeats came in the last 13 games and main striker Graziano Pelle looked less razor sharp than he did in the first two-thirds of the campaign. Of course, Southampton could still play on their day as Aston Villa found to their cost in a 6-1 mauling in the Saints' last home game. Saido Mane scored the fastest ever Premier League hat-trick in that match and, with Arsenal winning the FA Cup, Southampton qualified for Europe for the first time since 2003.  

8 SWANSEA CITY (P38 W16 D8 L14 F46 A49 Pts 56)
PL: WWWLLDDLWDWLDWLLWWLDDLWDLWWLLWWDLWWWLL
FA Cup: lost 1-3 v Blackburn Rovers (A) in fourth round
League Cup: lost 1-2 v Liverpool (A) in fourth round
Manager: Garry Monk (since February 2014) Top scorer: Bafetimbi Gomis (10)
Swansea City finished with their highest Premier League points total and a place in the top eight of the top division for the first time since 1982. Yes, this was a superb season for Garry Monk's men from the very first day which saw the Swans upset Manchester United 2-1 at Old Trafford immediately prior to two more wins which made them the pacesetters alongside Chelsea. Of course, that was never likely to last but this was still a season of little panic, if any, in south Wales. After all, the Swans never recorded more than two league defeats in a row - and, while their overall total of 46 league goals was hardly prolific, Monk could count on a couple of hotshot strikers to keep his team on the fringes of the top seven for most of the season. In the first half of the campaign, it was Wilfried Bony who took most of the plaudits - but, even when he was allowed to leave for Manchester City, up stepped summer signing Bafetimbi Gomis to finish the club's top scorer in league and cup with 10 goals.

9 STOKE CITY (P38 W15 D9 L14 F48 A45 Pts 54)
PL: LDWLDWLWLDWLLLWDLWWDLWWDLWWWLLLDWDLWDW
FA Cup: lost 1-4 v Blackburn Rovers (A) in fifth round
League Cup: lost 2-3 v Southampton (H) in fourth round
Manager: Mark Hughes (May 2013) Top scorer: Mame Biram Diouf (12)
Stoke City recorded back-to-back top-10 finishes in the top flight for the first time since 1975 after another fine season under Mark Hughes. The Potters' 54 points is their highest Premier League total and, following a glorious 6-1 thrashing of Liverpool on the final day, this was also the first Premier League campaign in which Stoke ended up with a positive goal difference. A slow-ish start was never enough to put Stoke in trouble - but consecutive league wins did not arrive until after Christmas. Then, at the end of December, the Potters beat Everton and West Bromwich Albion - and, at the end of January, repeated the feat against Leicester City and Queens Park Rangers. In February, three wins in a row - against Aston Villa, Hull City and Everton again - lifted Stoke to eighth and took them past the 40-point mark. Thereafter, the inconsistency returned - but Stoke seemed to save their best for the big occasion, easily beating Tottenham Hotspur 3-0 before that unforgettable final afternoon against Brendan Rodgers' Reds. 

10 CRYSTAL PALACE (P38 W13 D9 L16 F47 A51 Pts 48)
PL: LLDDWWLLDLLWDLDDLLDDWWLWDLWLWWWWLLLLWW
FA Cup: lost 1-2 v Liverpool (H) in fifth round
League Cup: lost 2-3 aet v Newcastle United (H) in third round
Manager: Alan Pardew (since January 2015) Top scorer: Dwight Gayle (10)
Crystal Palace began the first ever occurrence of them playing a second successive Premier League season as if it would be their last top flight season for a while. Manager Tony Pulis left on the eve of the campaign, citing irreconcilable differences with the board over transfer targets - and, not for the first time, his replacement, Neil Warnock, struggled in the Premier League. Indeed, Palace won only three of their first 18 games, and a Boxing Day defeat to Southampton dropped the Eagles into the bottom three to signal the end for Warnock. The New Year heralded the return of a prodigal son to south London as Alan Pardew escaped Newcastle United for a club where he feels much more at home. The impact of Pardew was immediate as a mini-revival of four wins out of eight was followed by an even better run of form - four successive wins, including a 2-1 defeat of Manchester City. By this stage, Palace were safe - and four successive defeats pointed towards a repeat of the bi-polar runs which Pardew enjoyed and endured in the north east. But back-to-back wins over Liverpool at Anfield and Swansea City at home on the last day ensured everyone at Selhurst Park waltzed off into the summer with a smile on their face. 

11 EVERTON (P38 W12 D11 L15 F48 A50 Pts 47)
PL: DDLWLDLWWDDWLDLWLLLLDDWDLDLLWWWDWWLLWL
FA Cup: lost 8-9 on pens v West Ham United (A) in third round replay (after 1-1h, 2-2aet a)
League Cup: lost 0-3 v Swansea City (A) in third round
Europe: lost 4-6 on agg v Dynamo Kiev (2-1h, 2-5a) in UEL Last 16
Manager: Roberto Martinez (since July 2013) Top scorer: Romelu Lukaku (20)
Everton finished in the bottom half of the Premier League for the first time since 2006 leaving Roberto Martinez under pressure heading into next season. The Spaniard may have done well in leading the Merseysiders to a fifth place finish in his first campaign at Goodison - but he has pretty much wiped out all that credit after the flop of 2014-15. It was the four consecutive defeats in the Christmas fixtures which first properly highlighted the Merseysiders' woes - and they came in a wider sequence of just two wins and nine defeats in 16 games. A heavy defeat to Dynamo Kiev in the Europa League last 16 in March arguably came as a blessing as, immediately afterwards, the Toffees finally put some decent league form together. Two 3-0 home wins over Newcastle United and Manchester United bookended a run of 16 points out of 18 as Everton moved away from a relegation battle in which they never should have been involved. But a rickety, ageing backline was exposed again as Martinez's men lost three of their last four games to drop back out of the top 10.

12 WEST HAM UNITED (P38 W12 D11 L15 F44 A47 Pts 47)
PL: LWLDWLWWWDDLWWWDWLLDDWLDDDLLLWLDLDWLLL
FA Cup: lost 0-4 v West Bromwich Albion (A) in fifth round
League Cup: lost 4-5 on pens v Sheffield United (H) in second round (after 1-1aet)
Manager: vacant Top scorer: Diafra Sakho (12)
It is easy to forget now that, on Christmas Day, West Ham United sat fourth in the table and looked set for an unexpected tilt at the European places. Manager Sam Allardyce appeared to have bowed to his owners' wishes and produced a more pacy and attacking side. But successive festive defeats to Chelsea and Arsenal were the beginnings of a run of just three wins - all at home - in the league to the end of the season. Those three wins, against Sunderland and relegated pair Burnley and Hull City - and just 16 points from the last 21 games - was relegation form and manager Sam Allardyce, already on that warning from the owners, has unsurprisingly not had his contract renewed. Whoever takes over - former Hammer, Croatian Slaven Bilic, is the current odds-on favourite - will find the raw materials of a top-half side. First, though, the club needs awakening from its stupor ahead of what is expected to be a last season at the Boleyn Ground prior to a controversial move to the Olympic Stadium.  

13 WEST BROMWICH ALBION (P38 W11 D11 L16 F38 A51 Pts 44)
PL: DDLLWWLDDWLLLLDWLLLDWDLDWDWLWLLLWDWDWL
FA Cup: lost 0-2 v Aston Villa (A) in QF
League Cup: lost 1-2 v AFC Bournemouth (A) in fourth round
Manager: Tony Pulis (since January 2015) Top scorer: Saido Berahino (20)
Tony Pulis was at it again this season, this time rescuing West Bromwich Albion from a dangerous slide under the unfancied Alan Irvine towards the bottom three. Pulis, who maintains a proud record of having never been relegated as a manager, officially took over Albion on New Year's Day with West Brom outside of the relegation zone in 16th, but having taken just four points out of the previous 27. Welshman Pulis, however, oversaw only six defeats from the final 18 games and the Baggies easily secured a sixth successive top flight season for the first time since the 1980s. Still, there is plenty of room for improvement - even under Pulis, West Brom failed to win consecutive league games. Meanwhile, certain results and performances - such as the two defeats to Aston Villa inside four days and the 4-1 home reverse to Queens Park Rangers - left a lot to be desired. Against that, the landmark second successive win at Old Trafford was undoubtedly the highlight of the Baggies' recovery.
 
14 LEICESTER CITY (P38 W11 D8 L19 F46 A55 Pts 41)
PL: DLDWWLDLLLLDLLLLLLWDWLLLLDLDLWWWWLWWDW
FA Cup: lost 1-2 v Aston Villa (A) in fifth round
League Cup: lost 0-1 v Shrewsbury Town (H) in second round
Manager: Nigel Pearson (since November 2011) Top scorer: Leonardo Ulloa (13)
Leicester City left it late to start playing - but, boy, could the Foxes play well when they finally got around to it. An encouraging start saw two points gained at Everton and Arsenal, an away win at Stoke City, and a brilliant comeback to defeat Manchester United 5-3 at the King Power Stadium. But there followed an autumn of discontent with just two points gained from the next 39 to leave Leicester bottom and stranded at Christmas. A mini-revival brought seven points out of nine either side of the New Year - but another winless run and two points out of 24 left Nigel Pearson's men seven points adrift of safety. Pearson too was making some unfortunate headlines after a scuffle with Crystal Palace's James McArthur in February and an unseemly "ostrich" tirade against a journalist in April. The latter incident, though, came after Leicester's only defeat in their last nine games, and that was against champions Chelsea. Seven of those nine matches were wins and thus City remarkably picked up more than half of their total points in the two months from Easter until the end of the season.
 
15 NEWCASTLE UNITED (P38 W10 D9 L19 F40 A63 Pts 39)
PL: LDDLDLDWWWWWLDWLLLWDLLWDDLWLLLLLLLLDLW
FA Cup: lost 0-1 v Leicester City (A) in third round
League Cup: lost 0-4 v Tottenham Hotspur (A) in QF
Manager: John Carver (interim since January 2015) Top scorer: Papiss Cisse (11)
Newcastle United just about got away with it then, earning a misleadingly safe-looking 15th-placed finish with victory on the last day against a disinterested West Ham United team. On New Year's Day, the Magpies had sat safely in mid-table on 27 points, thanks primarily to a brilliant run of six successive league wins in October and November. But, after the turn of the year, the Magpies contrived to taste victory just three more times. Alan Pardew, unwanted by the fans and belatedly disillusioned by the restraints put on him by owner Mike Ashley, left for the bright lights of London - and, having dallied over appointing a replacement and done nothing in the transfer market to strengthen a porous defence, the Newcastle board simply gritted its teeth and kept faith with caretaker coach John Carver. The situation became more and more farcical as a club-record sequence of eight consecutive Premier League defeats culminated in a 3-0 thrashing at Leicester City in which United ended up with nine-men. Then-Derby manager Steve McClaren was hastily approached before his rejection left Newcastle basically hoping just one more half-decent performance would emerge out of nowhere. It did - and now McClaren is on the verge of being appointed after all. While hardly inspirational, much more depends on how much Ashley is willing to spend on a threadbare squad whose confidence has been well and truly shattered.

16 SUNDERLAND (P38 W7 D17 L14 F31 A53 Pts 38)
PL: DDLDDDWLLWDDDLDDWLDLLLWDLDLDLLWLDWWDDL
FA Cup: lost 0-2 v Bradford City (A) in fifth round
League Cup: lost 1-2 v Stoke City (H) in third round
Manager: Dick Advocaat (since March 2015) Top scorers: Connor Wickham, Jordi Gomez (6)
Sunderland pulled off another dramatic survival to ensure a ninth consecutive top flight season, their best run since the 1950s - but the Black Cats are running out of lives after a third successive relegation dog-fight. Last season's dramatic escape included wins at Stamford Bridge and Old Trafford - and this, along with a derby double and a first Cup final appearance since 1992, gave Gus Poyet a fair bit of credit with supporters heading into 2014-15. A fourth successive win over Newcastle United followed in December - but this was only Sunderland's third win of a season full of draws - and, when the draws started turning more regularly into defeats, yet another mid-season change of manager was required. A 4-0 home defeat to Aston Villa proved to be final straw and Poyet was replaced by Dick Advocaat. The Dutchman began with yet another Sunderland win over Newcastle and, after further wins over Southampton and Everton away, a 0-0 draw at the Emirates against Arsenal guaranteed Premier League status with a game to go. Advocaat initially turned down the chance to stay on - and so Sunderland appeared to be heading for the managerial merry-go-round once again - but the experienced coach has now agreed to sign a rolling one-year extension.  

17 ASTON VILLA (P38 W10 D8 L20 F31 A57 Pts 38)
PL: WDWWLLLLLLDDDWWLDLDDLLLLLLLWWLLDWLWWLL
FA Cup: lost 0-4 v Arsenal in Final at Wembley
League Cup: lost 0-1 v Leyton Orient (H) in second round
Manager: Tim Sherwood (since February 2015) Top scorer: Christian Benteke (15)
The late-season resurgence under Tim Sherwood ground to a dramatic halt on the big stage as Aston Villa lost 4-0 to Arsenal in the FA Cup Final. At least Sherwood can take some credit for guiding Villa there in the first place, beating local rivals Leicester City and West Bromwich Albion on the way, before a 2-1 shock of Liverpool in the semi final. In the league too, Sherwood took over with the club in a perilous state, in the bottom three after a winless run of 10 league games in which they had scored just two goals. Indeed, Villa's goals record had become something of an embarrassment with the team having scored just 13 league goals in 27 games at the end of February. But, unlike his predecessor Paul Lambert, Sherwood was able to get the best out of Christian Benteke and wins over West Brom, Sunderland, Tottenham Hotspur, Everton and West Ham United were able to secure survival - before a thrashing at the hands of Southampton, a home defeat to Burnley, and the Cup Final mauling left Sherwood under no illusions just how tough it will be to make Villa properly competitive once again. 

(R) 18 HULL CITY (P38 W8 D11 L19 F33 A51 Pts 35)
PL: WDLDDLWDDLLLLDDLLWLWLLLDWWLDDLLLWWLLLD
FA Cup: lost 0-2 v Arsenal (A) in third round
League Cup: lost 2-3 v West Bromwich Albion (A) in third round
Europe: lost on away goals after 2-2 on agg v Lokeren (0-1a, 2-1h) in UEL qualifying playoff Manager: Steve Bruce (since June 2012) Top scorer: Nikica Jelavic (8)
From Wembley in the Cup Final last year to relegation this year - it would be incorrect to describe Hull City's last 12 months as being like a rollercoaster, as it has generally just been one big dip. The Tigers' season actually began on the last day of July last year with a UEFA Europa League qualifier - but defeat in the final qualifying round meant that they did not even make it into the group stage. Then, after a reasonable enough start, a winless run of 10 league games plunged Hull into a relegation scrap from which they never again escaped. Ultimately, a 1-0 defeat to relegated Burnley on the third-last weekend of the season proved to be the difference with the creditable point in a 0-0 draw against Manchester United on the last day not enough for survival. A lack of goals has haunted Hull in all four of their Premier League campaigns to date - and, as such, it was no surprise to see this latest top division adventure end just like the last one - with relegation in the second season. 

(R) 19 BURNLEY (P38 W7 D12 L19 F28 A53 Pts 33)
PL: LLDDDLDLLLWWDDLWLLDDWLLDLDLLWLDLLLLWDW
FA Cup: lost 2-4 v Tottenham Hotspur (A) in third round replay (after 1-1h)
League Cup: lost 0-1 v Sheffield Wednesday (H) in second round
Manager: Sean Dyche (since October 2012) Top scorer: Danny Ings (11)
Burnley battled hard for much of the season but badly ran out of steam in the vital last few weeks. A worrying start brought only four points, all from draws, in the first 10 games - but the Clarets rallied to win four and draw four of their next 11. Into the New Year, Dyche's men found it tougher again - and, indeed, the Lancastrians won just three more times all season. Striker Danny Ings enhanced his reputation by scoring 11 of Burnley's paltry total of 28 - but, when the 22-year-old hit his own personal drought, no one else took up the slack. Burnley scored some impressive results across the season as a whole - with draws away at Chelsea and Manchester City, and a superb 1-0 home win over City in March. Nevertheless, George Boyd's winner was one of only three goals which Burnley scored in their last 12 games - and, though the other two also brought 1-0 wins, away against Hull City and Aston Villa in May, by then it was already too late.  

(R) 20 QUEENS PARK RANGERS (P38 W8 D6 L24 F42 A73 Pts 30) 
PL: LLWLDLLLWLDLWLWLWLDDLLLLWLLLLLWDLDLLWL
FA Cup: lost 0-3 v Sheffield United (H) in third round
League Cup: lost 0-1 v Burton Albion (A) in second round
Manager: Chris Ramsey (since February 2015) Top scorer: Charlie Austin (18)
A second bottom-placed finish out of three seasons for Queens Park Rangers then - despite the efforts of Charlie Austin who, single-handedly at times, did his best to keep the Hoops in the top flight. Thanks to Austin, Rangers won twice as many games as last time and scored more goals - but they also contrived to lose more often and concede more often, leaking 77 in all competitions. It was not as if the warning signs were not there - consecutive 4-0 away defeats to Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United came as early as September - but decent home form kept QPR outside the bottom three on Christmas Day. By the time Harry Redknapp abdicated in early February, though, the west London club were already back in trouble - and, except for one fine day at West Bromwich Albion, caretaker Chris Ramsey never looked like turning it around. Appropriately, the season ended with two away thrashings - 6-0 at Manchester City and, less forgivably, 5-1 at Leicester City. Now Ramsey himself has been tasked with picking up the pieces in the Championship, presumably without Austin.

ENGLAND
Premier League
Champions Chelsea
Runners-up Manchester City
Champions League Arsenal, Manchester United
Europa League Tottenham Hotspur, Liverpool, Southampton, West Ham United
Relegation Hull City, Burnley, Queens Park Rangers

Championship
Champions AFC Bournemouth
Runners-up Watford
Playoff winners Norwich City (beat Middlesbrough 2-0 in the Final)
Relegation Millwall, Wigan Athletic, Blackpool

League One
Champions Bristol City
Runners-up Milton Keynes Dons
Playoff winners Preston North End (beat Swindon Town 4-0 in the Final)
Relegation Notts County, Crawley Town, Leyton Orient, Yeovil Town

League Two
Champions Burton Albion
Runners-up Shrewsbury Town
Also promoted Bury
Playoff winners Southend United (beat Wycombe Wanderers 7-6 on pens in the Final, after 1-1aet)
Relegation Cheltenham Town, Tranmere Rovers

Conference Premier
Champions Barnet
Playoff winners Bristol Rovers (beat Grimsby Town 5-3 on pens in the Final, after 1-1aet)
Relegation Alfreton Town, Dartford, AFC Telford United, Nuneaton Town

Conference North
Champions Barrow
Playoff winners Guiseley (beat Chorley (A) 3-2 in the Final)
Relegation Colwyn Bay, Leamington, Hyde

Conference South
Champions Bromley
Playoff winners Boreham Wood (beat Whitehawk (H) 2-1 in the Final)
Relegation AFC Farnborough, Staines Town

Domestic Cup Finals
All matches played at Wembley
FA Cup Final Arsenal 4-0 Aston Villa
League Cup Final Chelsea 2-0 Tottenham Hotspur
FA Community Shield Arsenal 3-0 Manchester City
Johnstone's Paint Trophy Bristol City 2-0 Walsall
FA Trophy North Ferriby United 3-3 Wrexham (after extra time). North Ferriby United won 5-4 on pens
FA Vase North Shields 2-1 Glossop North End

SCOTLAND
Premier League
Champions Celtic
Runners-up Aberdeen
Europa League Aberdeen, Inverness Caledonian Thistle, St Johnstone
Relegation St Mirren

Championship
Champions Hearts
Runners-up (promoted) Hibernian
Relegation Cowdenbeath

League One
Champions Morton
Runners-up (not promoted) Stranraer
Relegation Stirling Albion

League Two
Champions Albion Rovers
Runners-up (not promoted) Queen's Park

Domestic Cup Finals
FA Cup Final Inverness Caledonian Thistle 2-1 Falkirk
League Cup Final Celtic 2-0 Dundee United
Challenge Cup Final Livingston 4-0 Alloa Athletic

WALES/NORTHERN IRELAND
Welsh Premier League
Champions The New Saints
Europa League Bala Town (runners-up), Airbus UK Broughton (third), Aberystwyth Town (Cup runners-up), Newtown (playoff winners)
Relegation Cefn Druids, Prestatyn Town

NIFL Premiership
Champions Crusaders
Europa League Linfield (runners-up), Glenavon (third), Glentoran (cup winners)
Relegation Institute

Domestic Cup Finals
Welsh FA Cup Final The New Saints 2-0 Newtown
Welsh League Cup Final The New Saints 3-0 Bala Town
IFA Cup Final Glentoran 1-0 Portadown
Northern Irish League Cup Final Cliftonville 3-2 Ballymena United

EUROPE
UEFA Finals
Champions League Barcelona (Spa) 3-1 Juventus (Ita) in Berlin
Europa League Sevilla (Spa) 3-2 Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk (Ukr) in Warsaw
Super Cup Real Madrid (Spa) 2-0 Sevilla (Spa) in Cardiff

Major European League champions
Spain Barcelona
Italy Juventus
Germany Bayern Munich
France Paris Saint-Germain
Portugal Benfica
Netherlands PSV Eindhoven
Belgium Club Brugge
Greece Olympiacos
Turkey Galatasaray

The Season 2014/15: Man City chase down Chelsea

1 CHELSEA (P17 W13 D3 L1 F38 A13 Pts 42)
Premier League: WWWWDWWWDWWWDWLWW
Festive fixtures: 26-Dec West Ham United (H), 28-Dec Southampton (A), 01-Jan Tottenham Hotspur (A)
FA Cup: 3R v Watford (H) on 4 January at 4pm
League Cup: SF v Liverpool (A) on 20 January/(H) on 27 January
Europe: UCL Last 16 v Paris Saint-Germain (A) on 17 February/(H) on 11 March
Manager: Jose Mourinho (since June 2013) Top scorer: Diego Costa (12)
Chelsea claimed the Christmas number one spot with a 13th league win of the season, 2-0 away at Stoke City on Monday night - and the good news for Jose Mourinho's team is that seven of the last 10 sides to be top on Christmas Day have gone on to win the Premier League title, including his own sides twice. But, against that fact, Chelsea's big problem is that, despite a dozen goals from Diego Costa and as many assists from Cesc Fabregas, they have failed to shrug off a Manchester City team which has won both of its titles with strong form in the second half of the season. Nevertheless, with good progress made in the cups, the signs so far are that a trophy of some sort looks certain to be making its way to Stamford Bridge this season.

2 MANCHESTER CITY (P17 W12 D3 L2 F36 A14 Pts 39)
Premier League: WWLDDWWWLWDWWWWWW
Festive fixtures: 26-Dec West Bromwich Albion (A), 28-Dec Burnley (H), 01-Jan Sunderland (H)
FA Cup: 3R v Sheffield Wednesday (H) on 4 January at 3pm
League Cup: lost 0-2 v Newcastle United (H) in fourth round
Europe: UCL Last 16 v Barcelona (H) on 24 February/(A) on 18 March
Manager: Manuel Pellegrini (since June 2013) Top scorer: Sergio Agüero (19)
Manchester City have clicked into gear at a good time - winning eight successive matches in all competitions as the games in the league begin to come thick and fast. The gap to Chelsea is down to three points and another second half surge would likely bring a third title in four years to the Etihad. Progress too was made in Europe, and in remarkable fashion - a late turnaround in a 3-2 win over Bayern Munich before victory of Roma in their last two group matches took Manuel Pellegrini's side through to the Last 16 for only the second time. There, just like last season, they will meet Barcelona - and, with that in mind, will want their currently injured talisman Sergio Agüero back soon.  

3 MANCHESTER UNITED (P17 W9 D5 L3 F30 A18 Pts 32) 
Premier League: LDDWLWWDDLWWWWWWD
Festive fixtures: 26-Dec Newcastle United (H), 28-Dec Tottenham Hotspur (A), 01-Jan Stoke City (A)
FA Cup: 3R v Yeovil Town (A) on 4 January at 3.30pm
League Cup: lost 0-4 v Milton Keynes Dons (H) in second round
Manager: Louis Van Gaal (since July 2014) Top scorer: Robin van Persie (7)
Manchester United dropped points for the first time in seven weeks in the 1-1 draw at Aston Villa on Saturday - but the Red Devils have recovered well from a wretched start to the season to sit solidly in third place. In fact, with just three wins and three defeats in his opening 10 league games, the reign of Louis van Gaal began in worse form than his hapless predecessor David Moyes. There was also the matter of a 4-0 League Cup defeat to Milton Keynes Dons and, even in the more recent better form, injuries and suspensions have led to constant chopping and changing in the defence. Nevertheless, the form has drastically improved and even pushed the 20-time league winners to the fringes of the title race - though, as they still sit 10 points off the lead, that may be overstating their position somewhat.

4 WEST HAM UNITED (P17 W9 D4 L4 F29 A19 Pts 31)
Premier League: LWLDWLWWWDDLWWWDW
Festive fixtures: 26-Dec Chelsea (A), 28-Dec Arsenal (H), 01-Jan West Bromwich Albion (H)
FA Cup: 3R v Everton (A) on 6 January at 7.45pm
League Cup: lost 4-5 on pens (after 1-1 aet) v Sheffield United (H) in second round
Manager: Sam Allardyce (since June 2011) Top scorer: Diafra Sakho (8)
West Ham United under Sam Allardyce have noticeably changed their style. The summer injection of pace through Diafra Sakho and others in the east Londoners' line-up is clearly paying dividends - and, following an uncertain start of three defeats in the opening six games and a disappointingly early cup exit to Sheffield United, the Hammers have lost just once since the end of September to sit in the final Champions League place on Christmas Day. Of course, the big challenge from now in is staying there - and, while that seems unlikely, European football in some form come the end of the season looks well within the Hammers' reach. 

5 SOUTHAMPTON (P17 W9 D2 L6 F28 A13 Pts 29)
Premier League: LDWWWWLWWWWDLLLLW
Festive fixtures: 26-Dec Crystal Palace (A), 28-Dec Chelsea (H), 01-Jan Arsenal (H)
FA Cup: 3R v Ipswich Town (H) on 4 January at 3pm
League Cup: lost 0-1 v Sheffield United (A) in QF
Manager: Ronald Koeman (since June 2014) Top scorer: Graziano Pelle (11)
A few short weeks ago, Southampton were the only team within touching distance of leaders Chelsea after eight wins out of nine had propelled them into a strong second place. But then the fixtures got tougher - and, while defeats to the two Manchester clubs and Arsenal were probably forgiveable, reverses to Burnley and League One team Sheffield United in the League Cup quarter finals were certainly less so. It was vital then that Ronald Koeman's team turned the tide back around - and, with a convincing 3-0 win over Everton on Saturday, the Saints did this and so can still look back on the first half of the season with immense pride. After all, it is not every year you can sell £97m-worth of talent from your squad and still go on to win a match 8-0 a few weeks later.  

6 ARSENAL (P17 W7 D6 L4 F30 A21 Pts 27)
Premier League: WDDDWDLDWWLLWWLWD
Festive fixtures: 26-Dec Queens Park Rangers (H), 28-Dec West Ham United (A), 01-Jan Southampton (A)
FA Cup: 3R v Hull City (H) on 4 January at 5.30pm
League Cup: lost 1-2 v Southampton (H) in third round
Europe: UCL Last 16 v Monaco (H) on 25 February/(A) on 17 March
Manager: Arsene Wenger (since October 1996) Top scorer: Alexis Sanchez (14)
It has been another tough few months for manager Arsene Wenger who has had to resist more calls for his resignation from a vocal minority after an injury-plagued first half to the season. Yes, once again, the Arsenal treatment room has been as busy as the local A&E with centre-back Laurent Koscielny joined at various times by Mesut Ozil, Aaron Ramsey, Mikel Arteta and Jack Wilshere from midfield, Mathieu Debuchy, Kieran Gibbs and Nacho Monreal from full back, and Olivier Giroud and Theo Walcott up front. At least, the £35m signing of Chilean Alexis Sanchez has been an unqualified success - and at least his goals have kept the traditional chase for fourth place well in sight. Most refreshingly of all, having avoided Barcelona and Bayern Munich for once, the Gunners have genuine hope of progress beyond the Last 16 of the Champions League. Not all bad then.

7 TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR (P17 W8 D3 L6 F22 A23 Pts 27)
Premier League: WWLDLDWLLWLWWLDWW
Festive fixtures: 26-Dec Leicester City (A), 28-Dec Manchester United (H), 01-Jan Chelsea (H)
FA Cup: 3R v Burnley (A) on 5 January at 7.45pm
League Cup: SF v Sheffield United (H) on 21 January/(A) on 28 January
Europe: UEL Last 32 v Fiorentina (H) on 19 February/(A) on 26 February
Manager: Mauricio Pochettino (since May 2014) Top scorer: Harry Kane (12)
Tottenham Hotspur have recovered in recent weeks, making progress in Europe and earning a cushy opening of a visit to Wembley with League One Sheffield United over two legs in the League Cup semi finals. Premier League form has been a more complicated story with a run of five defeats in nine games appearing to draw Spurs ever closer to an ever-so-familiar crisis point. Indeed, the North Londoners' current negative goal difference remains a remnant of that poor form even if a series of 2-1 wins, a couple of them slightly fortuitous, have now pushed Mauricio Pochettino's men back towards the middle of the top half of the table. Once again though, the question over Christmas will be how the Argentine manager's side fares against the top teams. Manchester United and Chelsea are the visitors to White Hart Lane either side of the New Year chimes. 

8 SWANSEA CITY (P17 W7 D4 L6 F22 A19 Pts 25)
Premier League: WWWLLDDLWDWLDWLLW
Festive fixtures: 26-Dec Aston Villa (H), 29-Dec Liverpool (A), 01-Jan Queens Park Rangers (A)
FA Cup: 3R v Tranmere Rovers (A) on 3 January at 3pm
League Cup: lost 1-2 v Liverpool (A) in fourth round
Manager: Garry Monk (since February 2014) Top scorer: Wilfried Bony (8)
Swansea City have had a half-campaign of three separate parts with a strong start - including a 2-1 opening day win at Old Trafford - then undermined by two points out of 15 in September and October. Nevertheless, those nine perfect points out of nine in August ensured the Swans have never dropped lower than eighth in 2014-15 and form, while a little inconsistent, has returned to a level which keeps the Welsh club solidly in upper reaches of mid-table. In attacking midfielder Gylfi Sigurdsson and striker Wilfried Bony, Swansea men possess one of the most delightful partnerships in the league - but this is something which has not gone unnoticed by some of the other clubs. Easily a mid-table club whatever happens in January, it would still be interesting just how far Garry Monk's men can go by keeping hold of them. 

9 NEWCASTLE UNITED (P17 W6 D5 L6 F18 A23 Pts 23)
Premier League: LDDLDLDWWWWWLDWLL
Festive fixtures: 26-Dec Manchester United (A), 28-Dec Everton (H), 01-Jan Burnley (H)
FA Cup: 3R v Leicester City (A) on 3 January at 3pm
League Cup: lost 0-4 v Tottenham Hotspur (A) in QF
Manager: Alan Pardew (since December 2010) Top scorer: Papiss Cisse (7)
A predictably rollercoaster season at St James Park has raced into Christmas on a terrifying downwards dip after last week's dispiriting 4-0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur in the League Cup quarter finals was swiftly followed by a record fourth successive derby defeat to Sunderland. Earlier, a seven-game winless start had harked back to the depressing end of last season and severe pressure mounted on manager Alan Pardew even back in September. But, while six wins in a row in all competitions - including success against Chelsea, Tottenham, Liverpool and Manchester City - helped temporarily restore the Londoner's reputation, his side's inability to win an important cup match or a derby remains a bloody and running wound. Once again then, Newcastle United find themselves of being in the position of needing a big result soon, purely for their own self-confidence. Next up on Boxing Day - Manchester United at Old Trafford.

10 LIVERPOOL (P17 W6 D4 L7 F21 A24 Pts 22)
Premier League: WLWLLDWWDLLLWWDLD
Festive fixtures: 26-Dec Burnley (A), 29-Dec Swansea City (H), 01-Jan Leicester City (H)
FA Cup: 3R v AFC Wimbledon (A) on 5 January at 7.55pm
League Cup: SF v Chelsea (H) on 20 January/(A) on 27 January
Europe: UEL Last 32 v Besiktas (H) on 19 February/(A) on 26 February. Knocked out of UCL group stage (W1 D3 L2 F5 A9) 
Manager: Brendan Rodgers (since June 2012) Top scorer: Steven Gerrard, Raheem Sterling (5)
From a slip away from the title in April to mid-table fodder in December, the Liverpool downfall has probably been the most fascinating aspect of the Premier League so far. The Reds have already suffered more league defeats this season than in the whole of the last campaign and, having worked so hard to get back into the Champions League after a four-year absence, blew any chances of progress with a series of lacklustre performances. So what exactly has gone wrong? Well, the awkward truth for Brendan Rodgers is that, for all his controversy, Luis Suarez hid a whole multitude of weaknesses across the side - the defence looks constantly vulnerable, the goalkeeper has been dropped, Steven Gerrard lacks the legs to drive on the midfield as in the past - and, up front, Daniel Sturridge has been largely injured while Raheem Sterling is starting to show the typical inconsistencies of a 20-year-old winger. Prior to last season, Liverpool had previously finished second in 2008-09 and then finished seventh the season afterwards while reaching the Europa League semi finals. Frankly, even a repeat of that looks unlikely at the moment.

11 EVERTON (P17 W5 D6 L6 F27 A27 Pts 21)
Premier League: DDLWLDLWWDDWLDLWL
Festive fixtures: 26-Dec Stoke City (H), 28-Dec Newcastle United (A), 01-Jan Hull City (A)
FA Cup: 3R v West Ham United (H) on 6 January at 7.45pm
League Cup: lost 0-3 v Swansea City (A) in third round
Europe: UEL Last 32 v Young Boys Berne (A) on 19 February/(H) on 26 February
Manager: Roberto Martinez (since July 2013) Top scorer: Romelu Lukaku (7)
Can managers suffer from second season syndrome? It certainly seems so at Everton where Roberto Martinez - so impressive in finishing above his predecessor David Moyes and just off the Champions League last season - has badly ailed this time around. Already the Toffees have suffered six league defeats, something which took until April last season, and the once-reliable defence has shipped 27 goals, a total more befitting a relegation straggler. At least then the area of most concern is an obvious one and strong New Year revivals are pretty typical at Goodison Park. Nevertheless, the defence is not the only worry - Everton have been lacking in creativity at times this season and, if Romelu Lukaku is unavailable, they badly lack a focal point up front. Plenty to work on for Martinez. 

12 ASTON VILLA (P17 W5 D5 L7 F11 A21 Pts 20)
Premier League: WDWWLLLLLLDDDWWLD
Festive fixtures: 26-Dec Swansea City (A), 28-Dec Sunderland (H), 01-Jan Crystal Palace (H)
FA Cup: 3R v Blackpool (H) on 4 January at 3pm
League Cup: lost 0-1 v Leyton Orient (H) in second round
Manager: Paul Lambert (since June 2012) Top scorer: Gabriel Agbonlahor, Andreas Weimann (3)
Not a team for the purist this season - but top marks for efficiency must go to Aston Villa who have somehow turned an anaemic-looking 11 goals into 20 points to sit safely in mid-table. Of course, a good start brought half of those points and, bizarrely, a new contract for manager Paul Lambert - despite just four goals in those opening four games. Thereafter, the goal-record properly suffered in an awful sequence of six consecutive defeats, five of which came and went without a goal as Villa sank towards the relegation zone. But just one defeat in seven games since the start of November has steadied the ship somewhat - even if the results are still almost exclusively in binary.

13 STOKE CITY (P17 W5 D4 L8 F18 A23 Pts 19)
Premier League: LDWLDWLWLDWLLLWDL
Festive fixtures: 26-Dec Everton (A), 28-Dec West Bromwich Albion (H), 01-Jan Manchester United (H)
FA Cup: 3R v Wrexham (H) on 4 January at 3pm
League Cup: lost 2-3 v Southampton (H) in fourth round
Manager: Mark Hughes (May 2013) Top scorer: Jonathan Walters (6)
Stoke City are still a typical mid-table side. Without consecutive league wins all season, the Potters nevertheless take three points regularly enough to stay clear of the bottom three - even if, more unusually, they have endured some disappointing days at the Britannia Stadium in this campaign. Defeats at home to Aston Villa, Burnley and Leicester City would not have been expected at the start of the season - but, in fairness, they have been offset by a trio of cracking wins against Arsenal at home, and Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City away. With such victories, Mark Hughes' men show they are easily good enough to threaten consecutive top-half finishes - and, indeed, this remains the likeliest outcome if they can cut out the occasional daft home slip-up.

14 SUNDERLAND (P17 W3 D10 L4 F15 A24 Pts 19)
Premier League: DDLDDDWLLWDDDLDDW
Festive fixtures: 26-Dec Hull City (H), 28-Dec Aston Villa (A), 01-Jan Manchester City (A)
FA Cup: 3R v Leeds United (H) on 4 January at 1pm
League Cup: lost 1-2 v Stoke City (H) in third round
Manager: Gus Poyet (since October 2013) Top scorer: Steven Fletcher (4)
Just two wins from their opening 16 games, an 8-0 defeat to Southampton, and a frankly ludicrous total of 10 draws had served to frustrate Gus Poyet in the early part of this season. But then came along the fixture which Sunderland love to play and win as Adam Johnson's 90th-minute goal saved Sunderland from yet another draw and won a fourth successive Tyne-Wear derby against Newcastle United. Remarkably, three of those triumphs have come at St James Park without conceding - and so, while the Black Cats enjoy their Christmas dinner, Uruguayan Poyet will ponder exactly how to get his side playing as consistently well against the rest of the league as they do against their local rivals.

15 WEST BROMWICH ALBION (P17 W4 D5 L8 F17 A23 Pts 17)
Premier League: DDLLWWLDDWLLLLDWL
Festive fixtures: 26-Dec Manchester City (H), 28-Dec Stoke City (A), 01-Jan West Ham United (A)
FA Cup: 3R v Gateshead (H) on 3 January at 3pm
League Cup: lost 1-2 v AFC Bournemouth (A) in fourth round
Manager: Alan Irvine (since June 2014) Top scorer: Saido Berahino (8)
West Bromwich Albion may have stopped the rot a little with their 1-0 win over Midlands rivals Aston Villa - but the Baggies are still bang in trouble after undoing that good work by blowing a 2-0 lead in defeat to Queens Park Rangers at the weekend. Prior to the Villa game, the Hawthorns had witnessed three successive defeats and five games without a win as unpopular summer choice Alan Irvine struggles to win over the home crowd. Meanwhile, an over-reliance on mercurial, inexperienced talent Saido Berahino is looking like a risky tactic. West Brom have only scored an average of a goal per game so far this season but this includes four in one match against Burnley. They also arguably need to get their points more quickly than their bottom-half rivals given that four of their last five games are against Liverpool, Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal.

16 QUEENS PARK RANGERS (P17 W5 D2 L10 F20 A32 Pts 17) 
Premier League: LLWLDLLLWLDLWLWLW
Festive fixtures: 26-Dec Arsenal (A), 28-Dec Crystal Palace (H), 01-Jan Swansea City (H)
FA Cup: 3R v Sheffield United (H) on 4 January at 1pm
League Cup: lost 0-1 v Burton Albion (A) in second round
Manager: Harry Redknapp (since November 2012) Top scorer: Charlie Austin (11)
If Queens Park Rangers this season could play all of their games at Loftus Road, they would probably win the league. Of course, that is not quite true but, certainly if the opposite was the case and all of their games were away, Harry Redknapp's men would have no chance of staying up. For, on the road this season, Rangers have been risible - losing all eight and scoring just three times. True, all except the visit to Goodison Park, have come against sides currently in the top half but the Rs seem to show a real lack of spirit when falling behind away. This is odd as home matches have seen a real determination, exemplified by the weekend comeback from 2-0 to win against West Bromwich Albion. Nevertheless, it was a victory for which great credit once again must go, individually, to hat-trick hero Charlie Austin. Still only two points off the drop zone, his goals and Rangers' home form will surely see them to safety eventually.

17 CRYSTAL PALACE (P17 W3 D6 L8 F19 A27 Pts 15)
Premier League: LLDDWWLLDLLWDLDDL
Festive fixtures: 26-Dec Southampton (H), 28-Dec Queens Park Rangers (A), 01-Jan Aston Villa (A)
FA Cup: 3R v Dover Athletic (A) on 4 January at 1pm
League Cup: lost 2-3 aet v Newcastle United (H) in third round
Manager: Neil Warnock (since August 2014) Top scorer: Dwight Gayle (6)
Even more than four months on, Crystal Palace still seem to be coming to terms with the late summer departure of their former manager Tony Pulis having failed to put together any sort of convincing form so far this season. Indeed, outside of a six-day period at the end of September in which Palace won twice, the Eagles have won just once more - amusingly against Liverpool in a repeat of the fixture in which the Reds suffered a title blow at the back end of the last campaign. At least Palace have not endured a constant losing run, the sort from which Pulis had to save them. Nevertheless, replacement manager Neil Warnock has not got a particularly good record of keeping sides in the top division having suffering previous relegations with Notts County back in 1992 and Sheffield United in 2007.

18 BURNLEY (P17 W3 D6 L8 F12 A26 Pts 15)
Premier League: LLDDDLDLLLWWDDLWL
Festive fixtures: 26-Dec Liverpool (H), 28-Dec Manchester City (A), 01-Jan Newcastle United (A)
FA Cup: 3R v Tottenham Hotspur (H) on 5 January at 7.45pm
League Cup: lost 0-1 v Sheffield Wednesday (H) in second round
Manager: Sean Dyche (since October 2012) Top scorer: Danny Ings (4)
It was not looking good for Burnley in the first weekend of November. Bottom and without a win from the first 10 games, the step-up for the Clarets was actually beginning to look a little cruel and some thoughts were even turning just to them just trying to beat Derby County's awful record of 11 points, set in 2007-08. But then came a 1-0 win at home to struggling Hull City and, on the other side of the international break, another win, 2-1 away at Stoke City. Sean Dyche's Burnley were finally on the board - and, with further points coming against Aston Villa and Newcastle United, a seriously-impressive third win against Southampton this month has given the Lancastrians a real fighting chance of staying in this division.
 
19 HULL CITY (P17 W2 D7 L8 F15 A24 Pts 13)
Premier League: WDLDDLWDDLLLLDDLL
Festive fixtures: 26-Dec Sunderland (A), 28-Dec Leicester City (H), 01-Jan Everton (H)
FA Cup: 3R v Arsenal (A) on 4 January at 5.30pm
League Cup: lost 2-3 v West Bromwich Albion (A) in third round
Europe: lost on away goals after 2-2 v Lokeren (0-1a, 2-1h) in qualifying playoff round
Manager: Steve Bruce (since June 2012) Top scorer: Mohamed Diame, Nikica Jelavic (4)
Hull City have won just once since after the first day of the season and, with form still actually worsening, the Tigers must stop the rot somewhere to avoid slipping any deeper into the mire. Seven of City's last 10 games have seen them fail to score, while the ambitious move to bring Hatem Ben Arfa on loan to Humberside has now been seen as a total waste of time, even by manager Steve Bruce. Already two points adrift of safety, Bruce's men simply must take advantage of some reasonable fixtures over the festive period to give themselves some breathing room ahead of a tough-looking finish. Otherwise, this set of consecutive Premier League campaigns could finish exactly the same as the first set did in 2010 - with relegation in the second season. 

20 LEICESTER CITY (P17 W2 D4 L11 F15 A29 Pts 10)
Premier League: DLDWWLDLLLLDLLLLL
Festive fixtures: 26-Dec Tottenham Hotspur (H), 28-Dec Hull City (A), 01-Jan Liverpool (A)
FA Cup: 3R v Newcastle United (A) on 3 January at 3pm
League Cup: lost 0-1 v Shrewsbury Town (H) in second round
Manager: Nigel Pearson (since November 2011) Top scorer: Leonardo Ulloa (6)
With just two points taken from the last 36 available, it is already beginning to look rather bleak for Leicester City. The Foxes began the campaign in a wonderfully spirited fashion, continuing their Championship-winning form in solid home draws against Everton and Arsenal before beating Stoke City away. Then came the match which no Leicester fan will ever forget as Nigel Pearson's side turned a 3-1 deficit against Manchester United with 20 minutes to go into a magnificent 5-3 win. But, it takes more than one match to make a season - and, while Pearson has since invested more energy into arguing with his own fans than looking to stop the rot, Leicester have fallen five points adrift of safety. Yes, Sunderland proved last season that not every club which is bottom on Christmas Day will go down - but bear in mind that such occurrences are only so well known because they are the exception and not the rule.

• All statistics correct at time of publishing. Top goalscorer total include goals from all competitions. Original 2014/2015 season prediction blog.

The Season 2012/13: Van Persie puts Man United "halfway" to title

1 MANCHESTER UNITED (P21 W17 D1 L3 F54 A28 Pts 52)
Festive form: DWWW
FA Cup: 3R v West Ham United (A) on 5 January
League Cup: lost 4-5 aet v Chelsea (A) in fourth round
Europe: Last 16 v Real Madrid (A) on 13 February/(H) on 5 March
Top scorer: Robin van Persie (16)
Sack race: Alex Ferguson (manager since November 1986) 100/1
Original prediction: 2nd
Manchester United are halfway to their 20th league title by the admission of their own manager Alex Ferguson after a fruitful, if somewhat controversial, festive period. Ferguson has not been slow in shouting his mouth off in recent weeks, ludicrously claiming that Robin Van Persie could have been killed after Swansea's Ashley Williams blasted the ball at him from close range in a 1-1 draw. Then, following the 4-3 victory over Newcastle on Boxing Day, during which Fergie lambasted the officials and yet served no punishment, the Scot disgracefully labelled his opponents as a "wee club in the north east". At least this alleged knight of the realm refrained from any other notable comments after six goals without reply against West Brom (2-0) and Wigan (4-0). And, while it pains me to say it, Ferguson is right to be confident of another title despite the Old Trafford club blowing a similar-sized lead last season. The difference is that, this year, the Red Devils have Van Persie scoring on an almost weekly basis. It was, indeed, £24m well-spent in the summer, as even Man City manager Roberto Mancini has conceded.

2 MANCHESTER CITY (P21 W13 D6 L2 F41 A19 Pts 45)
Festive form: WLWW
FA Cup: 3R v Watford (H) on 5 January
League Cup: lost 2-4 aet v Aston Villa (H) in third round
Europe: Knocked out at Champions League group stage
Top scorer: Edin Dzeko (9)
Sack race: Roberto Mancini (since December 2009) 12/1
Original prediction: Champions
Manchester City only dropped three points over Christmas, as Sunderland repeated their 2012 New Year's Day win on Boxing Day - but it was still enough for the defending champions to lose more ground to rivals Man United. The festive period actually started well for Roberto Mancini's men as they eked out a 1-0 win over Reading while the Red Devils were held to a 1-1 draw by Swansea. However, it changed on Boxing Day with that defeat on Wearside while, in the meantime, Man United beat Newcastle 4-3 to go seven points clear. Man City then got their scoring act together for a 4-3 win of their own - against Norwich, before prevailing 3-0 on New Year's Day against Stoke. However, the fact remains that the Blues are six points and a massive 18 goals down on this stage last season.

3 TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR (P21 W12 D3 L6 F39 A27 Pts 39)
Festive form: DWWW
FA Cup: 3R v Coventry City (H) on 5 January
League Cup: lost 1-2 v Norwich City (A) in fourth round
Europe: Europa League last 32 v Olympique Lyonnais (H) on 14 February/(A) on 21 February
Top scorer: Jermian Defoe (10)
Sack race: Andre Villas-Boas (since July 2012) 50/1
Original prediction: 5th
Tottenham Hotspur moved into third position over the Christmas holidays with 10 points out of 12 as they continue their strong form under Andre Villas-Boas. Opening the festive period with a dominant performance in a slightly disappointing 0-0 draw with Stoke, Spurs found their scoring form with a 4-0 thumping of beleaguered Aston Villa before successive comeback wins over Sunderland (2-1) and Reading (3-1). Villas-Boas' old club from across the capital may have a game in hand but the north Londoners still look good at this stage for a second consecutive top four finish and, barring a repeat of last season's extraordinary circumstances, Champions League football in 2013-14.

4 CHELSEA (P20 W11 D5 L4 F39 A19 Pts 38)
Festive form: WWWL
FA Cup: 3R v Southampton (A) on 5 January
League Cup: SF v Swansea City (H) on 9 January/(A) on 23 January
Europe: Knocked out at Champions League group stage. Europa League last 32 v Sparta Prague (A) on 14 February/(H) on 21 February
Top scorer: Juan Mata/Fernando Torres (7)
Sack race: Rafael Benitez (since November 2012) 16/1
Original prediction: 3rd
Just when it seemed Rafael Benitez was starting to win over the Chelsea fans following his controversial appointment, the Blues lose 1-0 to bottom-side Queens Park Rangers in a west London derby. The Stamford Bridge club had started the Christmas period with an 8-0 thumping of Aston Villa before a 1-0 win at Norwich, and an excellent 2-1 comeback victory against Everton. However, defeat to the Rs on 2 January has left Benitez's men in fourth, 14 points adrift of Man United, leaving owner Roman Abramovich looking at the cups again for success this season.

5 EVERTON (P21 W9 D9 L3 F35 A26 Pts 36)
Festive form: WWLW
FA Cup: 3R v Cheltenham Town (A) on 7 January
League Cup: lost 1-2 v Leeds United (A) in third round
Top scorer: Marouane Fellaini (8)
Sack race: David Moyes (since March 2002) 66/1
Original prediction: 8th
Everton maintained their assault on a Champions League place after a trio of 2-1 wins from their Christmas and New Year matches away at West Ham and Newcastle, and at home against Wigan. In between, on 30 December, the Toffees came unstuck by the same score to Chelsea, having taken the lead courtesy of Steven Pienaar inside two minutes. Chelsea's Frank Lampard-inspired comeback brought an end to Everton's unbeaten home league record for this campaign. But the last time that the Merseysiders had as many as 36 points after 21 games was in 2007-08 when they finished fifth, suggesting they will go close to the top four again this time.

6 ARSENAL (P20 W9 D7 L4 F40 A22 Pts 34)
Festive form: WWD
FA Cup: 3R v Swansea City (A) on 6 January
League Cup: lost 2-3 on penalties (after 1-1 draw) v Bradford City (A) in fifth round
Europe: Last 16 v Bayern Munich (H) on 19 February/(A) on 13 March
Top scorer: Theo Walcott (8)
Sack race: Arsene Wenger (since October 1996) 25/1
Original prediction: 4th
Just when it looked as if Arsenal were hitting some form, with a streak of four successive league wins culminating in a 7-3 thrashing of Newcastle, the Gunners shoot themselves in the foot. As brilliant as they were against the Magpies on 29 December at the Emirates, Arsene Wenger's men were back to their frustrating best as they toiled to a 1-1 draw away at Southampton. Top scorer Theo Walcott - who hit a hat-trick against the Toon - inadvertently caused an own goal for the equaliser against the Saints. However, his long-term future at Arsenal player remains as uncertain as the Gunners' bid to make it in the Champions League for a 16th successive season.

7 WEST BROMWICH ALBION (P21 W10 D3 L8 F29 A27 Pts 33)
Festive form: WWLL
FA Cup: 3R v Queens Park Rangers (A) on 5 January
League Cup: lost 1-2 v Liverpool (H) in third round
Top scorer: Romelu Lukaku (7)
Sack race: Steve Clarke (since June 2012) 33/1
Original prediction: 18th
West Bromwich Albion's recent inconsistent form continued over the Christmas and New Year period with two 2-1 wins against Norwich and Queens Park Rangers, followed by two defeats, away at Man United (0-2) and, less acceptably, at home to Fulham (1-2). However, it should be noted that, even in defeat in the match against the Cottagers, West Brom looked the better side for good-length periods and missed some glorious chances. Immediately before Christmas, the Baggies followed up four league wins with just one point from 12 - and yet they remain in seventh. Indeed, if the form of Steve Clarke's men can become less bipolar, the Midlands could remain in the shake-up for the European places for a while yet.

8 LIVERPOOL (P21 W8 D7 L6 F34 A26 Pts 31)
Festive form: WLWW
FA Cup: 3R v Mansfield Town (A) on 6 January
League Cup: lost 1-3 v Swansea City (H) in fourth round
Europe: Europa League last 32 v Zenit St Petersburg (A) on 14 February/(H) on 21 February
Top scorer: Luis Suarez (15)
Sack race: Brendan Rodgers (since June 2012) 33/1
Original prediction: 7th
Three decent wins out of four for Liverpool made this a highly satisfying - if not perfect - Christmas. Luis Suarez was in excellent form over the festive period, twice hitting braces in a 3-0 wins either side of the New Year against Queens Park Rangers and Sunderland. The Reds also opened up this busy spell of fixtures with a 4-0 thumping of Fulham, meaning the goal difference has certainly been boosted in recent games. However, it did take a bit of damage at the Britannia Stadium where Stoke prevailed 3-1 despite Brendan Rodgers' men taking a second-minute lead thanks to Steven Gerrard's penalty. Nevertheless, Suarez's form points to the Anfield club avoiding another embarrassing finish outside the top seven this season.

9 SWANSEA CITY (P21 W7 D8 L6 F31 A26 Pts 29)
Festive form: DDWD
FA Cup: 3R v Arsenal (H) on 6 January
League Cup: SF v Chelsea (A) on 9 January/(H) on 23 January
Top scorer: Miguel 'Michu' Perez Cuesta (13)
Sack race: Michael Laudrup (since June 2012) 50/1
Original prediction: 17th
Swansea City went through the Christmas and New Year period unbeaten but a spate of draws has prevented them from climbing the table any higher than a still admittedly impressive ninth place. Michael Laudrup's men were resolute in a 1-1 draw against Man United before a much more disappointing stalemate against Reading (0-0). Danny Graham and Jonathan de Guzman then scored as the Welsh club recorded a fourth away win of the campaign by taking the three points at Fulham before Graham struck again late on to rescue a point against Aston Villa. It shows just how far Swansea have come in that they were expected to win that game easily against the struggling Villains, and they would have if they had taken some excellent chances early on. Keeping a hold of Michu is vital for the Swans as they eye a Cup final appearance in 2013. 

10 STOKE CITY (P21 W6 D11 L4 F21 A20 Pts 29)
Festive form: DWDL
FA Cup: 3R v Crystal Palace (A) on 5 January
League Cup: lost 3-4 aet v Swindon Town (H) in second round
Top scorer: Jonathan Walters (5)
Sack race: Tony Pulis (since June 2006) 50/1
Original prediction: 12th
Stoke City remain the only team in the Premier League this season with an unbeaten home record, having last lost a league game at the Britannia back in February 2012. Their good form in front of their own fans has given the Potters a genuine chance of recording a top-half finish in the top flight for the first time since 1981, and five points from the four festive fixtures - courtesy of draws against Tottenham (0-0) and Southampton (3-3), and a win over Liverpool (3-1) - has put Tony Pulis' men in 10th. However, Stoke will need more goals if they are indeed to stay there, having scored on average just a goal per game so far. Instead, the Potters' strength has been at the back with the defence keeping an amazing nine clean sheets in 21 games.

11 WEST HAM UNITED (P20 W7 D5 L8 F24 A24 Pts 26)
Festive form: LLW
FA Cup: 3R v Manchester United (H) on 5 January
League Cup: lost 1-4 v Wigan Athletic (H) in third round
Top scorer: Kevin Nolan (5)
Sack race: Sam Allardyce (since June 2011) 40/1
Original prediction: 14th
It was a happy New Year's Day for West Ham United who won for the first time in five games to remain firmly in mid-table. Sam Allardyce's side got their worst result of the season in the 1-0 defeat to Reading on 29 December, and it was a loss which left them only six points clear of the drop zone. However, a tight 2-1 win at the Boleyn Ground over Norwich has extended that gap back up to eight - and it would be a major surprise if the east Londoners were involved at the bottom in May now.

12 NORWICH CITY (P21 W6 D7 L8 F24 A34 Pts 25)
Festive form: LLLL
FA Cup: 3R v Peterborough United (A) on 5 January
League Cup: lost 1-4 v Aston Villa (H) in fifth round
Top scorer: Grant Holt, Anthony Pilkington, Robert Snodgrass (4)
Sack race: Chris Hughton (since June 2012) 50/1
Original prediction: 20th
Norwich City have endured an awful Christmas season with four straight defeats to West Brom, Chelsea, Man City and West Ham United. Immediately before those four games, though, the Canaries were in excellent form, going unbeaten for 10 matches, a run which included 1-0 home wins over Arsenal and Man United, and which keeps them out of any relegation worries for now.

13 FULHAM (P21 W6 D6 L9 F32 A37 Pts 24) 
Festive form: LDLW
FA Cup: 3R v Blackpool (H) on 5 January
League Cup: lost 0-1 v Sheffield Wednesday (A) in second round
Top scorer: Dimitar Berbatov (7)
Sack race: Martin Jol (since June 2011) 20/1
Original prediction: 16th
Fulham gained a vital New Year's Day victory over West Brom to pull themselves six points clear of the relegation places. The Cottagers have spent the last two months of their campaign going backwards with only one win in their previous 12 league matches sending them down to 14th. However, Dimitar Berbatov remains a class act for the west Londoners and he opened the scoring against the Baggies to give Martin Jol's men this morale-boosting result. 

14 SUNDERLAND (P21 W5 D7 L9 F21 A29 Pts 22)
Festive form: WWLL
FA Cup: 3R v Bolton Wanderers (A) on 5 January
League Cup: lost 0-1 v Middlesbrough (H) in fourth round
Top scorer: Steven Fletcher (8)
Sack race: Martin O'Neill (since December 2011) 20/1
Original prediction: 11th
Sunderland's slight improvement came crashing to a halt in a 3-0 defeat at Anfield but the situation on Wearside certainly looks less desperate than it once did. The Black Cats slipped into the bottom three following their defeat to Chelsea on 8 December but climbed straight out with a 3-0 win over Reading. Though a 3-1 defeat at Old Trafford followed, successive 1-0 wins at Christmas over Southampton and, remarkably for a third season in a row, Manchester City lifted Martin O'Neill's men to a heady 13th position. The New Year period went less well with defeats to Tottenham (1-2) and Liverpool but Sunderland will simply be satisfied to be looking down on their north east rivals Newcastle for the first time in over a year.

15 NEWCASTLE UNITED (P21 W5 D5 L11 F27 A39 Pts 20)
Festive form: WLLL
FA Cup: 3R v Brighton & Hove Albion (A) on 5 January
League Cup: lost 1-2 v Manchester United (A) in third round
Europe: Europa League last 32 v Metalist Kharkiv (H) on 14 February/(A) on 21 February
Top scorer: Demba Ba (13)
Sack race: Alan Pardew (since December 2010) 9/1
Original prediction: 6th
Newcastle United's wretched campaign continued with three defeats out of four over the Christmas and New Year period. In fairness to the Magpies, the fixtures computer could have been kinder and, following a heart-breaking defeat in a seven-goal thriller against Man United (3-4), and despite scoring three away again, the Toon conceded seven against a much fresher Arsenal (3-7). At least, Newcastle started the festive games with a tense 1-0 win over bottom-placed QPR at home - but defeat at Everton on 2 January leaves Alan Pardew's men just two points above the drop zone after nine defeats in their last 11 league games. Newcastle will also have to stay up without any help from their top-scorer Demba Ba who has signed for Chelsea for £7m after the London club triggered his well-publicised release clause. And, although France right-back Mathieu Debuchy has come in for £5m, the Magpies' creaky rearguard is going to need a centre-back as well.

16 ASTON VILLA (P21 W4 D7 L10 F17 A41 Pts 19)
Festive form: LLLD
FA Cup: 3R v Ipswich Town (H) on 5 January
League Cup: SF v Bradford City (A) on 8 January/(H) on 22 January
Top scorer: Christian Benteke (6)
Sack race: Paul Lambert (since June 2012) 2/1fav
Original prediction: 10th
After 10 minutes of the action on New Year's Day, Aston Villa's festive season record was: played four, lost four, scored none, conceded 16 - and it only seemed as if it was going to get worse as Swansea City poured forward. This awful sequence for Paul Lambert's young side began with a 8-0 defeat away against Chelsea before Tottenham (4-0) and even Wigan (3-0) added to the Villains' embarrassment at home. And so, it is with some credit that Villa emerged from a gruelling start to the Swansea game with a point. Indeed, it would have been more if it weren't for Danny Graham's last-minute equaliser for the Welsh - but, having come through an awful Christmas period, the Second City club will be satisfied with a league position outside of the bottom three.

17 SOUTHAMPTON (P20 W4 D6 L10 F27 A38 Pts 18)
Festive form: LDDD
FA Cup: 3R v Chelsea (H) on 5 January
League Cup: lost 0-3 v Leeds United (A) in fourth round
Top scorer: Rickie Lambert (8)
Sack race: Nigel Adkins (since September 2010) 14/1
Original prediction: 9th
Southampton still are not winning too many games but Nigel Adkins' team has at least tightened up considerably from their early-season benevolence. While the Saints failed to win any of their four Christmas and New Year fixtures, they did come away with credible draws away at Fulham and Stoke, and at home to Arsenal. Against Stoke and Arsenal, though, the Saints held the lead and it remains to be seen just how vital all of Southampton's dropped points will be at the end of the season. The draw at the Britannia was particularly galling, given Stoke's equaliser came in the 90th minute from a thunderbolt strike by Cameron Jerome which could easily win goal of the season.

18 WIGAN ATHLETIC (P21 W5 D3 L13 F22 A39 Pts 18)
Festive form: LLWL
FA Cup: 3R v Bournemouth (H) on 5 January
League Cup: lost 2-4 on penalties (after 0-0 draw) v Bradford City (H) in fourth round
Top scorer: Arouna Kone (6)
Sack race: Roberto Martinez (since June 2009) 40/1
Original prediction: 15th
Wigan Athletic will never learn - or perhaps the Latics simply do not have the resources to avoid being a team constantly batting relegation. Anyway, it did look like it was going to be better than that this season for Roberto Martinez's men after successive wins at the start of November. But a total of just four points from 27 after that dropped the Lancashire club into the bottom three for the first time in 2012/13. And, though a 3-0 victory over Aston Villa on 29 December provided some welcome relief, an entirely predictable 4-0 loss to Man United on New Year's Day has once again left Wigan with work to do.

19 READING (P21 W2 D7 L12 F23 A40 Pts 13)
Festive form: LDWL
FA Cup: 3R v Crawley Town (A) on 5 January
League Cup: lost 5-7 aet v Arsenal (H) in fourth round
Top scorer: Adam Le Fondre (5)
Sack race: Brian McDermott (since December 2009) 3/1
Original prediction: 19th
Reading remain in deep trouble - five points from safety, having dropped more points (20) from winning positions than any other Premier League team this season. New Year's Day was the latest example of this generosity as Tottenham overturned an early 1-0 lead to win 3-1. Otherwise, the Royals actually did reasonably well over the Christmas period, losing narrowly 1-0 to Man City before keeping two clean sheets and picking up four points from home games against West Ham and Swansea. However, Brian McDermott's men remain well off the pace as those four points followed a terrible sequence of seven successive league defeats, and relegation beckons.

20 QUEENS PARK RANGERS (P21 W2 D7 L12 F17 A36 Pts 13)
Festive form: LLLW
FA Cup: 3R v West Bromwich Albion (H) on 5 January
League Cup: lost 2-3 v Reading (H) in third round
Top scorer: Adel Taarabt (4)
Sack race: Harry Redknapp (since November 2012) 28/1
Original prediction: 13th
Queens Park Rangers may have been able to start the New Year on a high with a frankly unbelievable 1-0 win over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge - but it speaks volumes how poor the Rs' season has been so far that it was not enough to take the west Londoners off the foot of the table. Indeed, Rangers had endured a pretty miserable Christmas and New Year period until then, losing consecutive games at Newcastle (0-1) and at home against West Brom (1-2) and Liverpool, where they found themselves 3-0 down in half an hour. Only the Reds easing off spared Harry Redknapp from further embarrassment and, while the wily campaigner fully believes he can keep QPR up, it still looks a long shot to me.


Note: All clubs have now played 21 league games except Arsenal-West Ham United whose match on 26 December was postponed due to industrial action on the London Underground, and Chelsea-Southampton whose match on 15 December was postponed due to the Club World Cup.

Top scorers' goals relate to Premier League only. Sack race odds are provided by Skybet, correct on Friday 4 January but subject to change. Original predictions feature in this preview post.