David Hytner was at the Emirates tonight. Here’s his verdict. Thanks for reading this MBM. Nighty night.
Frank Lampard speaks to Sky. “The performance in the first half was nowhere near good enough … too nice to play against in all aspects … too passive defensively … the second half was better but the result was confirmed by then … Chelsea has been a big success for 20 years but at the moment we’re not in that position … it’s pretty evident to see behind the scenes the reasons why … these things are not things to change overnight but we’d better get there quickly … the passive nature of our game you could attribute to many things … it’s the easy go-to that they don’t care enough … the players certainly care … but, and I hate to say they are low on confidence, because you’re playing for Chelsea there’s a level of performance you have to do, you can be low on confidence but still show a dynamic side to your game … maybe it doesn’t even matter what the core reason is, because the only thing that will get you out of it is working hard and understanding the things to do … and in the minute we are a little bit conditioned that makes us pretty nice to play against … that’s what will have to change … we need to find the reasons quickly … it won’t be an overnight fix … we have to do the basics better and then we’ll get some progress … the first half was nowhere near good enough as a performance for the players that we’ve got and where we want to be as Chelsea … but it’s a reality and that’s what I’ve come into … it’s what we need to improve as a club.”
Mikel Arteta talks to Sky. “We were us … that’s what I was demanding … that determination, fluidity and purpose … we connected with our crowd … today we were back to being much better in many departments and we did that, especially in the first 60 minutes … we have four games to go, we are top of the league … now we have to wait and see, it’s not in our hands, we know that … regardless, what this team has done is remarkable … we are really happy that we have Champions League … but we have to be unsatisfied … we cannot accept that this is good enough for our club and we have to push it further and see where we get.”
Martin Odegaard speaks to Sky Sports. “Especially the first half was brilliant … we showed a different spirit, a different team to last time … the second half was a bit messy but three points and a good win … we needed this one … everyone was so hurt after the [City] game that we used the anger and disappointment to get into this game … we really bounced back and we did that, especially in the first half … you can lose games but the way we lost [against City] we didn’t play our game, we weren’t ourselves … that’s the most painful and that’s what we wanted to show today … we have to fight and keep going … we believe until the end, we will fight until the end … that’s what we are going to do.”
Chelsea were a bit better in that second half … but it was a low bar to clear. Frank Lampard goes over to apologetically applaud the away fans, as well he might; his team were abysmal in the first half. Mind you, take nothing away from Arsenal, who reclaimed top spot in the Premier League with a passionate display to bounce back from the disappointment of the previous four games. They’re no longer favourites, of course, but the title race isn’t quite done yet, and they celebrate their win with all the satisfaction their bright, breezy, confident performance deserves. They go top, while Chelsea are where Chelsea are; they’re not going down, but they’ll not be getting too much higher in the table either. A big mess to sort out.
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arsenal | 34 | 42 | 78 |
| 2 | Man City | 32 | 54 | 76 |
| 11 | Crystal Palace | 34 | -10 | 40 |
| 12 | Chelsea | 33 | -7 | 39 |
| 13 | AFC Bournemouth | 34 | -28 | 39 |
FULL TIME: Arsenal 3-1 Chelsea
Arsenal go back to the top of the Premier League, while it’s six defeats out of six for Frank Lampard’s Chelsea.
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90 min +5: Gallagher is booked for a late clump on White.
90 min +4: Mudryk romps elegantly down the left, getting the better of White despite that aforementioned fool waving a green laser in his face. He stands one up for Havertz, who can’t get enough on his header. Fine run, though.
90 min +3: Havertz outmuscles Kiwior down the inside-left channel and takes a speculative lash from the edge of the box. Easy enough for Ramsdale, even if there was some venom in the shot.
90 min +1: Some bampot shines a green laser in Mudryk’s face. What’s up with people?
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90 min: Partey’s first main contribution is to clip Chilwell near the left-hand corner of the Arsenal box. Chelsea load that box. Ziyech takes. Jesus clears. There will be five added minutes.
88 min: Ziyech, Kante and Azpilicueta make a nuisance of themselves down the Chelsea right, but can’t find the sequence that would set up a shot on goal. Eventually the ball rolls out of play for a goal kick.
86 min: Arsenal also switch Jorginho for Partey, while Chelsea swap Fofana for Chalobah.
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85 min: Gabriel goes down again, and eventually gets off the stage, albeit in his own sweet time. Azpilicueta gives him an absolute mouthful of effs and cees as he departs. It briefly threatens to kick off before Kiwior positions himself between the pair. Holding eventually comes on in Gabriel’s stead.
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84 min: Odegaard shimmies in from the right and belts a low drive towards the bottom-right corner. Kepa gets down to block, and denies the Arsenal captain his hat-trick. Fofana extends a leg to poke the loose ball away. Nelson goes over it and claims a penalty, but he’s not getting one.
82 min: Gabriel goes down, and not for the first time in this second half. Havertz isn’t buying it, and tries to help him up. Gabriel tells him where to stick his helping hand. Then after 30 seconds of faff, he gets up and carries on, which suggests Havertz might have had the semblance of a point.
80 min: Jesus attempts to dribble down the left wing and is unceremoniously flipped into the air by Kovacic. The first booking of the match.
79 min: The corner’s a non-event. Arsenal clear it. Meanwhile Madueke makes way for Ziyech.
78 min: Nelson clumsily skittles Gallagher out on the Chelsea left. He’s lucky not to go into the book, having clattered his standing leg. Just a free kick, which is whipped to the near post and leads to a Chelsea corner. Mudryk to take.
76 min: The game pauses as the aforementioned Madueke gets a spot of treatment. He’s good to continue for now.
75 min: Madueke’s goal was only the second Chelsea have scored in their last seven-and-a-half matches. Small acorns, all that.
73 min: Arsenal respond with two subs of their own. Tierney replaces Zinchenko, while Nelson comes on for Saka.
71 min: Chelsea make a double change: Gallagher for Fernandez, and Mudryk for Sterling. “You should have signed for the Arsenal,” sing the home fans, shortly after greeting Mudryk with loud pantomime booing.
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70 min: Odegaard sashays down the inside right before laying off to Saka, who immediately runs into traffic. But since that eyebrow-bothering Chelsea goal, it’s been all Arsenal again.
68 min: Nope. Chelsea deal with the corner easily enough. “I’m quite certain Frank Lampard will get 13 more games,” writes John Potter, “just that it will be with four different clubs.”
67 min: Arsenal respond through Saka, who bustles down the right and wins a corner. Can they restore their three-goal cushion in short order?
GOAL! Arsenal 3-1 Chelsea (Madueke 65)
Well, well, well. Kovacic, quarterbacking from deep, pings a pass down the inside-right channel. Madueke nips ahead of a snoozing Zinchenko, takes a touch, opens his body, and bundles a diagonal shot across Ramsdale and into the bottom left. Not a clean contact, but they all count, and Chelsea have an unlikely lifeline!
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63 min: Martinelli dribbles down the left and wins a corner off Azpilicueta. He takes it himself. Chelsea half clear. Saka shapes to shoot but slips. Kante breaks and attempts to release Havertz down the left but can’t make the pass. Odegaard hacks clear, but only blooters the ball into Gabriel, the ball dropping to Madueke, six yards out. But Madueke had momentarily switched off, and though he eventually catches on again, he can only prod across the face of goal. Ramsdale clears.
61 min: Arsenal ping it about again. More olés.
59 min: Trossard, who has been excellent tonight, and indeed since signing from Brighton, makes way for Martinelli.
57 min: Arsenal stroke it around. The fans crack out the olés. Saka then whistles a low shot inches wide of the bottom-right corner. Not sure Kepa was getting there had it been on target. Chelsea are being given the complete runaround. “Good news for Chelsea fans!” trills Admir Pajic. “Last time Arsenal had a 3-0 lead v Chelsea at the break, Antonio Conte made a major tactical tweak by switching to back three and reinventing Victor Moses as the Nigerian Cafú. They didn’t concede until the end of the game, won next 13 league games and eventually stormed to the league title. All I’m saying, give Frank Lampard a chance for at least 13 more games.”
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56 min: Arsenal continue to press Chelsea back. Odegaard slips a pass down the inside-right channel to release Saka, whose hard low shot is kept out by Kepa … just. Closer and closer.
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54 min: Chilwell mishits a cross from the left and nearly replicates Paul Konchesky’s fluke in the 2006 FA Cup final. Ramsdale breathes a sigh of relief as the ball sails out for a goal kick.
53 min: Xhaka and Saka combine down the inside-left channel, then the former aims forensically for the bottom left. Kepa tips around the post. The resulting corner is hit long from the left. Jesus flashes in at the far stick and telescopes a leg, but can’t keep his effort on target. Arsenal getting closer and closer to number four.
51 min: Trossard curls the corner into a crowded six-yard box. Jesus rises highest and nudges a header goalwards. The crowd roar in anticipation of a goal … surely … but Silva blocks on the line with his thigh, then having juggled the ball into the air, whips clear! What poise and style!
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50 min: Trossard whips the free kick towards the near post and the ball deflects out for a corner. Trossard will take it.
49 min: Jesus dribbles down the left flank and is felled by Azpilicueta, who takes a frustrated swipe at his legs. The Chelsea man is fortunate not to go into the book. But it will be a free kick to the left of the Chelsea box.
47 min: Havertz is quickly involved, rolling a pass down the right for Madueke, who hits a deep cross out for a goal kick. That earns some applause of encouragement from Lampard. “It’s near impossible for Chelsea to go down,” writes Kári Tulinius. “All of Leicester, Leeds and Forest would need to pick up nine points out of a possible twelve left this season, and overtake them on goal difference, or Everton get ten out of twelve. The probability is astronomically small, but that I felt compelled to check shows how disastrous this season has been for Chelsea.”
Arsenal get the ball rolling again. Chelsea have sent on Havertz at the expense of Aubameyang, to the high amusement of the home crowd. According to Sky, Aubameyang touched the ball nine times in that first half, and four of those were kick-offs. It’s an achievement of sorts.
Half-time postbag. “In the season when Leicester won the league, Chelsea were floundering in tenth place. They were terrible that season, but showed up against Tottenham to make sure they couldn’t win the league. I sort of thought Chelsea would do something like that this game. Make sure their London rivals couldn’t win the league. What other game in Chelsea’s schedule is more important than this one? They should be treating this like a final. It makes no sense” – Eagle Brosi
“This has to be the death knell of Lampard’s managerial career. He’s so obviously out of his depth. Kinda sad but very on-brand with Chelsea’s current owners” – Mark Thomas
“Despite what he’s said in some of his press conferences, blaming their poor form on the previous manager and the decision makers at the club, this particular nadir really does belong to Lampard. Chelsea had been putting together a few wins before the loss to Villa that led to Potter getting the sack. I wonder if the owners are regretting that now and if they’d copy Spurs in sacking the interim manager because they’ve made things even worse” – David Wall
“If Lampard has any pride, or selflessness, he will resign in the post-match press conference. Out of his depth and clearly unable to arrest this Chelsea slide. These players are not untalanted but he has no clue how to do anything with them” – Patrick Crumlish
“Hear me out, Chelsea. Let’s force relegation, either through results or FFP sanctions. Empty out the squad, start our academy in the championship. It’s the only way to lift the curse (everyone is in denial but there is almost definitely a curse). Our academy will probably get us promoted immediately and we can start again” – Peter Collins
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HALF TIME: Arsenal 3-0 Chelsea
… and the thing is, this scoreline doesn’t flatter Arsenal at all. Unless something borderline psychedelic happens in the second half, Arsenal will end the day top of the Premier League, and Chelsea’s losing run will extend to six matches.
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45 min: There will be two additional first-half minutes.
44 min: Kovacic tries to release Sterling down the left but his pass is overcooked. Ramsdale gathers. Chilwell’s shot apart, the Arsenal keeper has had very little to do.
42 min: … but Fofana took a whack in the eye and he’s down again needing a little treatment. “Yes, Chelsea are a rabble, but are Arsenal also quite good?” asks Andrew Goudie. “What’s the balance here?” Hey, the table doesn’t lie. Here’s how it currently stands (Chelsea not pictured).
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arsenal | 34 | 43 | 78 |
| 2 | Man City | 32 | 54 | 76 |
| 3 | Newcastle | 33 | 34 | 65 |
| 4 | Man Utd | 32 | 10 | 63 |
| 5 | Liverpool | 33 | 23 | 56 |
40 min: Fofana and Jesus tussle down the Arsenal right. Fofana holding on. Jesus flings out a bugger-off slap and catches his opponent flush in the grid. Fofana goes down. Kovacic then cleans Jesus out. Everyone screams for everything but the referee simply tells everyone to get on with it. All good rumbustious fun.
38 min: In the dugout, Frank Lampard has the good grace to look extremely concerned and also rather embarrassed. You have to give him that, at least. “Chelsea need to act quick and nab Big Sam before Leeds do,” quips Samuel Campbell, because someone had to.
36 min: White and Saka combine at pace down the right. Saka hits a rising shot-cum-cross that Kepa does extremely well to pad away from danger. Chelsea’s starting XI cost £469m.
35 min: When Jesus was slamming that ball home, Silva, Fofana and Azpilicueta were all sliding around on the seat of their pants. A complete defensive fiasco.
GOAL! Arsenal 3-0 Chelsea (Jesus 34)
Yep, it’s getting ugly all right. White crosses deep from the right. A stramash develops by the left-hand corner of the Chelsea six-yard box. Jesus cuts back for Xhaka, who can’t force home. The ball breaks left to Jesus, who slams home from a tight angle, a couple of yards out. So easy. Chelsea are a rabble.
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33 min: Chelsea are all over the shop. An inquest. Silva and Fernandez exchange words. Already signs that this could get ugly for them.
GOAL! Arsenal 2-0 Chelsea (Odegaard 31)
Xhaka in space again on the left. He whips low into the box. Odegaard meets the ball on the penalty spot and whips a first-time shot into the bottom right. The same combination, the same result. Kepa had no chance.
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30 min: Jesus makes it into the Chelsea box from the left, but his cutback doesn’t tee up Xhaka, who gets the ball stuck between his legs. No matter, though, because …
29 min: Madueke dribbles with purpose and grace down the right, only to find Zinchenko in stubborn mood. Madueke then slips over and Arsenal clear. For a second or two, though, that attack looked dangerous.
27 min: Trossard crosses from the right. Fofana leaps and blocks. The ball pings off a forearm that’s not been fully tucked in. Arsenal scream for a penalty but neither the referee nor the VAR chappie shows any interest in giving one. It would have been hellishly harsh, but you’ve seen penalties given for less. Let’s face it, nobody knows anything any more. If they ever did.
26 min: Kiwior clears the resulting corner.
25 min: Kante hoicks a ball down the inside-left channel. Chilwell spins away from a wrong-sided Saka and enters the box. He’s one on one with Ramsdale, albeit facing a tight angle. He aims a rising diagonal shot towards the top right. Ramsdale sticks out a strong hand and tips the ball around for a corner. So close to an equaliser that would have come very much against the run of play!
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23 min: … so having said that, Chelsea enjoy a little period of possession in Arsenal territory for the first time this evening.
22 min: On the touchline, Frank Lampard has a face on. His team have been well off the pace so far.
20 min: “You’re going down,” trill the Arsenal fans, just because.
GOAL! Arsenal 1-0 Chelsea (Odegaard 18)
… and now the pressure’s paid off! Space for Xhaka on the left. He fizzes a low cross infield for Odegaard, who opens his body and steers a powerful rising shot towards the top-left corner, off the underside of the bar, and in. Kepa threw a hand at it but had no chance. Lovely goal!
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17 min: Nearly all of this game is being played in the Chelsea half.
15 min: Zinchenko creams a long pass down the left wing for Xhaka, who wins another corner. This one’s taken quickly before a cross is whipped in for Saka, who guides a clever header towards the top right. Kepa gets behind it but can’t hold on. He does enough to claw the ball off the line, and his defenders eventually mop up the remaining mess.
13 min: Sterling has the chance to launch a counter but clanks the ball into the nearest defender. Chelsea are struggling to retain possession. Two-pass moves are at a premium.
11 min: Xhaka’s persistence down the left earns a corner off Fofana. Arsenal play it short, back up the wing. Trossard loops long towards Gabriel, on the right-hand edge of the six-yard box. Just too high, goal kick, but that training-ground move nearly paid dividends.
10 min: Saka and Jesus shuttle the ball right to left, across the face of the Chelsea box for the in-rushing Xhaka. It’s a great chance to burst into the box but Xhaka takes a heavy touch and loses control. Arsenal on top right now.
9 min: After a futile chase for a long pass down the right flank, Saka helps Silva into the advertising hoardings behind the Chelsea goal. It takes Silva a while to get back up, but that’s what he does eventually. He’s fine to continue.
7 min: … so already Chelsea have the look of a team bereft of confidence. And now Fofana ships possession needlessly in the centre circle! Odegaard can’t take advantage this time, but this is what a run of five successive defeats does to you.
5 min: Azipilcueta attempts to cushion a header back towards Kepa. He barely connects with the ball. Xhaka nips in but can’t force the ball past Kepa, who gets his skipper out of bother by spreading himself big. Chelsea get away with a big one there. “I agree with Bill Hargreaves,” begins Paul Kingston, “other teams seem to play their rousing match of the season against Arsenal, and then revert to form the next week. I suspect they sense fragility in the Gunners, although for other teams it’s an opportunity to push around the stylish city boys (the whole ‘Arsenal don’t like it up ‘em’ thing). However, to Arteta’s credit this side has more steel and scrap than late-Wenger models. All we Gooners ask is that our opponents play Man City with the same intensity; thank you!”
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3 min: Saka and White combine briskly down the right, the latter crossing deep. Madueke clears at the far stick. A brisk start by the hosts.
1 min: Saka runs hard at the Chelsea back line. The ball flies loose in the Chelsea box. Kante attempts to hack clear but miskicks comically, before getting the job done at the second attempt. Very nearly a fast and farcical opening.
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Chelsea get the ball rolling. Specifically Aubameyang, who cops some pantomime abuse from his former fans while doing so. “Jorginho suiting up for Arsenal and Aubameyang for Chelsea still feels a little weird to me,” writes Peter Oh. “If both find the net today I hope they dispense with silly etiquette and gustily celebrate against their former clubs!”
The teams are out! Arsenal in their famous red with white sleeves, Chelsea their equally storied blue. (Of course, it could be Chelsea sporting white sleeves, as the novel idea was first proposed to their manager David Calderhead by Daily Mail cartoonist Tom Webster in the 1930s. But the conservative-with-small-c Calderhead didn’t fancy making the change, and it was Arsenal’s Herbert Chapman who ran with it instead.) Anyway, there’s a rare old derby noise at the Emirates, and we’ll be off in a couple of shakes.
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The pre-match predictions are in, and as Tarby would say on Winner Takes All, we have a difference of opinion. “Predicting that Chelsea come out and play a blinder: why do so many teams appear to be ‘up for it’ against the Arsenal?” – Bill Hargreaves
“It’s a good thing for Chelsea they have enough points to be safe in the Premier League” – John Lockhart
“Chelsea have no chance tonight. Arsenal will be taking all their frustration out on them … and Lampard can’t do a thing about it” – Jeff Sax
(No need to thank us for the up-to-the-minute pop-culture references, by the way.)
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Frank Lampard talks to Sky. “We’re coming to a really good team … it’s going to be tough for us … the challenge might not be a bad thing for us, because the players have to react … we have to show what we can do … individually we know there is a lot of talent in the squad but the nature of being a team against what has become a team with a real identity here is a challenge for us … [Aubameyang] has a history of scoring goals and maybe a motivation to play here … Noni has trained really well, and when you come in with a big squad you need players who show something in training and he’s shown that … it’s a big job, it’s a challenge, as a club we’ve been really successful for a long time and this is a year of transition on many levels … that can bring obvious difficulties but also excuses and we have to put those to bed … you don’t succeed unless you have togetherness, standards, spirit, and maybe that’s been affected this year … so it’s difficult to put a time frame on it … it may take time … it has to be a collective … Arsenal are a good reference point … we’ve got a hard run-in but the players have a lot to play for … I see a team low on confidence … but the natural talent is there … this league is unforgiving … I’m very positive about the squad but the players need to work and work hard.”
Mikel Arteta, speaking to Sky Sports, considers the six-day break Arsenal have enjoyed since the City defeat. “It was necessary to reset, recharge the batteries and bring some clarity again, and focus on the big game tonight … we conceded too many goals, we had to shake it up, to give people opportunities they deserve … there are players who deserve to play minutes … they have a lot of players who are great on the break and we need some control of the game … City were exceptional on the day and reached a level we could not reach, I cannot fault the players … we didn’t win enough duels the other day … there are a lot of things we have to do much better today … we must play really well tonight, be us … and if we win this game we are top of the league again with four games to go.”
Arsenal make three changes to their starting XI from the Manchester City match last week. Jakub Kiwior, Jorginho and Leandro Trossard replace Rob Holding, Thomas Partey and Gabriel Martinelli, who all drop to the bench. William Saliba remains unavailable.
Chelsea make two changes in the wake of that home defeat to Brentford. Trevoh Chalobah and Conor Gallagher are benched. Noni Madueke and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang take their places. Aubameyang is making his first start since November.
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The teams
Arsenal: Ramsdale, White, Kiwior, Gabriel, Zinchenko, Jorginho, Xhaka, Odegaard, Saka, Trossard, Jesus.
Subs: Turner, Holding, Tierney, Partey, Vieira, Smith Rowe, Nelson, Martinelli, Nketiah.
Chelsea: Kepa, Azpilicueta, W Fofana, Silva, Chilwell, Kante, Fernandez, Kovacic, Madueke, Aubameyang, Sterling.
Subs: Mendy, Badiashile, Chalobah, Gallagher, Loftus-Cheek, Mudryk, Ziyech, Havertz, Felix.
Referee: Robert Jones
🔴 𝗧𝗘𝗔𝗠𝙉𝙀𝙒𝙎 ⚪️
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) May 2, 2023
🧱 Kiwior at the back
⚖️ Jorginho in the middle
🪄 Trossard on the wing
Three changes from our last game - let's do this, Gunners! pic.twitter.com/J5tVFLhaZF
Your Chelsea side tonight! 👊@ParimatchGlobal | #ArsChe pic.twitter.com/4Gok45hkKK
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) May 2, 2023
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Preamble
Arsenal don’t need to win else all is lost, not quite yet. But they could do with the three points that’d end a four-game winless streak and take them back to the top of the table. Chelsea … well, mid-table Chelsea don’t really need anything either, but having lost their last five and not won in eight, they could do with something. Kick off is at 8pm BST. It’s on!
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Man City | 32 | 54 | 76 |
| 2 | Arsenal | 33 | 40 | 75 |
| 3 | Newcastle | 33 | 34 | 65 |
| 4 | Man Utd | 32 | 10 | 63 |
| 5 | Liverpool | 33 | 23 | 56 |
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