The latest Premier League standings! The Reds Gunners beat the top two Manchester City narrowly reduced to third is still the favorite
In the early morning of February 18, Beijing time, the 25th round of the English Premier League staged a key battle, the defending champion Manchester City drew 1-1 at home with the visiting Blues Chelsea, and the Premier League's six consecutive wins and ten consecutive wins in all competitions came to an abrupt end. After this game, Manchester City was not only left by Liverpool at the top of the table by 5 points, but also overtaken by Arsenal, who also won by 2 points, and the ranking slipped to 3rd place in the standings. The triumvirate of the Premier League title race is becoming more and more apparent.
The first leg of the tie at Stamford Bridge ended in a 4-4 draw. When they meet again, Manchester City can be said to be determined to win. However, against Chelsea without Thiago Silva, Manchester City were far ahead in possession and shots, but against the Blues backline of Disasi, Colwill, Gusto and Ben Chilwell, their attack felt like hitting a wall, and there was nothing to be done about it, and veteran Raheem Sterling was the first to break the ball. Fortunately, in the 83rd minute of the second half, Rodri stepped up and his follow-up shot deflected off the back of the net to help Manchester City avoid the embarrassment of a home defeat.
Even so, the 1-1 scoreline ended City's winning streak. Liverpool and Arsenal, meanwhile, both got big wins. The former thrashed Brentford 4-1 at the Brentford Community Stadium, with Nunez, McAllister, Mohamed Salah and Gakpo scoring one each and Ivan Toney netting a face-saving goal for the Bees. After this campaign, Liverpool are five points ahead of Manchester City with one game in hand, laying a solid foundation for the direct dialogue between the two teams on the 10th next month.
Arsenal beat West Ham United by six goals in the last round and travelled to Moya Stadium to challenge promoted Burnley, with Mikel Arteta's side continuing their killing spree. Odegaard got the Gunners off to a dream start with a volley from the opening four minutes, before Leandro Trossard converted a penalty and Bukayo Saka converted the effort to give Arsenal a 2-0 lead to end the first half. In the second half, the Gunners continued to attack, Saka scored twice, Trossard and Havertz also made contributions, the Gunners finally won 5-0 to win five consecutive Premier League wins, and overtook Manchester City with one more game to climb to second place in the standings, only three points away from Liverpool at the top of the table.
At present, in the latest Premier League standings, Liverpool leads with 25 games, 17 wins, 6 draws and 2 losses and 57 minutes, followed by Arsenal with 25 games, 17 wins, 4 draws and 4 losses and 55 points. Manchester City, which suffered a draw in this round, has 24 games, 16 wins, 5 draws and 3 losses, accumulating 53 points and ranking 3rd. In addition, Aston Villa, who beat Fulham 2-1 away, overtook losing Tottenham Hotspur to return to the top four, just four points clear of Manchester City.
With the final dozen rounds of the Premier League remaining this season, the triumvirate of Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester City is also on the horizon. Who of the 3 heroes will have the last laugh is still unknown. Liverpool have a well-established tactical system and have been able to maintain a strong attacking force during Mohamed Salah's absence. In recent years, although the competition with Manchester City in the Premier League title is at a disadvantage, Klopp's team has never lacked tenacity, and Uncle Scum will leave at the end of this season, if he can see him off with a Premier League title, it can be regarded as the best gift.
Arsenal have been in good form lately, winning five in a row in the Premier League, and have shown a very high standard at both ends of the pitch. After Declan Rice joined, Arsenal's defensive interception in midfield has made great progress, which also allows Odegaard, Havertz and others to step forward with confidence, and Arteta's forward pressing tactics have finally been fully used. Of course, the Gunners are not without their shortcomings, and the lack of heavyweight shooters up front continues to plague them. However, if they continue to defend well, it is not impossible for Mikel Arteta's side to break through the traps of Liverpool and Manchester City to achieve their Premier League dreams.
However, although Liverpool and Arsenal have good records, Manchester City, who are temporarily ranked third, are still the favorites to win the Premier League. Last season, they were swept away by Arsenal at the end of the 25th round of the Premier League, a five-point gap that is almost exactly the same as it is now. But last season City closed an eight-point deficit to hold the Premier League title in their hands and make it three wins in a row. This kind of experience of falling behind and eventually overtaking Manchester City can be said to be extremely familiar. Although they were held to a draw by Chelsea in this round, it is an ironclad fact that the main squad is intact.
Entering March, Manchester City has only five games, but they have to play Manchester United, Liverpool, Brighton and Arsenal successively, if they can play well in this devil's March, Manchester City's fourth consecutive Premier League title is a smooth road. Kevin De Bruyne and Haaland, it's time to put in the best performances.