Two clubs started the season one week late and several matches were postponed due to COVID-19 protocols.
That’s allowed the Premier League table to be more than meets the eye as the Festive Fixture season came to a close with Southampton’s upset of Liverpool on Monday.
Manchester City and Manchester United started the Premier League season after 16 others when they were given extra time off following extended UEFA Champions League and Europa League runs, respectively.
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Below we will take a look at how the table looks in terms of points-per-game, though there are a few good notes before taking a look:
- Slots 8 through 20 are unchanged by the math, but the top seven swings quite a bit
- Obviously Man City’s two matches-in-hand are also complicated by being alive in four tournaments.
- And City’s opponents in those fixtures -- Everton and Aston Villa -- are good and not involved in Europa League or Champions League and thus better suited for the extra game.
- Although... if anyone’s prepared to push through an extra match, you’d bet it’d be a Champions League regular.
- The three teams nearer the bottom all have fixtures in which a win would be considered a significant upset, but Burnley - Fulham right now looks a massive one. When will it be played and how much depth does each side have?
Premier League points-per-game table (as of Jan. 4, 2021)
1. Manchester United - 33 points, 16 matches, 2.06 ppg
Unplayed fixture - at Burnley (rescheduled for Jan. 12)
2. Liverpool - 33 points, 17 matches, 1.94 ppg
3. Man City - 29 points, 15 matches, 1.93 ppg
Unplayed fixtures - v Aston Villa (rescheduled for Jan. 20), at Everton
4. Leicester City - 32 points, 17 matches, 1.88 ppg
5. Tottenham - 29 points, 16 matches, 1.81 ppg
Unplayed fixture - v Fulham
6. Everton - 29 points, 16 matches, 1.81 ppg
Unplayed fixture - v Man City
7. Aston Villa - 26 points, 15 matches, 1.73 ppg
Unplayed fixtures - at Man City (rescheduled for Jan. 20), v Newcastle
8. Southampton - 29 points, 17 matches, 1.71 ppg
9. Chelsea - 26 points, 17 matches, 1.53 ppg
10. West Ham - 26 points, 17 matches, 1.53 ppg
LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 01: Declan Rice of West Ham United and Christian Pulisic of Chelsea battle for the ball during the Premier League match between West Ham United and Chelsea FC at London Stadium on July 01, 2020 in London, England. Football Stadiums around Europe remain empty due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in all fixtures being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)
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11. Arsenal - 23 points, 17 matches, 1.35 ppg
12. Leeds - 23 points, 17 matches, 1.35 ppg
13. Wolves - 22 points, 17 matches, 1.29 ppg
14. Crystal Palace - 22 points, 17 matches, 1.29 ppg
15. Newcastle - 19 points, 16 matches, 1.19 ppg
Unplayed fixture - at Aston Villa
16. Burnley - 16 points, 15 matches, 1.07 ppg
Unplayed fixtures - v Man United, rescheduled for Jan. 12, v Fulham
17. Brighton and Hove Albion - 14 points, 17 matches, 0.82 ppg
18. Fulham - 11 points, 15 matches, 0.73 ppg
Unplayed fixtures - at Tottenham Hotspur, at Burnley
