Premier League standings could still be decided on points-per-game basis

The prospect of the Premier League season being curtailed and the final standings being decided on a points-per-game basis is still on the table.

All 20 clubs yesterday voted for the coronavirus-affected campaign to begin again on June 17, exactly 100 days after the last Premier League match.

The first full gameweek of fixtures, which includes the Merseyside derby between Everton and Liverpool and Jose Mourinho's Tottenham Hotspur welcoming Manchester United to North London, would then take place over the weekend of June 19-21.

However, those plans are subject to government approval and could be scuppered if the number of coronavirus cases begins to rise and national lockdown measures have to be tightened again.

The fact that the first two games back will be the two outstanding fixtures - Manchester City vs. Arsenal and Aston Villa vs. Sheffield United - is to ensure that every club gets on a level number of matches in case the campaign cannot be completed in full.

Should that not be the case then the final standings appear likely to be decided on a points-per-game basis, which as things stand would only result in two positional changes to the table.

Sheffield United would leapfrog Wolverhampton Wanderers into sixth place, guaranteeing the Blades a place in the Europa League group stages, while Arsenal would move above North London rivals Tottenham from ninth to eighth - possibly giving the Gunners a Europa League spot too.

The system would be unweighted - in other words, there will be no measures taken to differentiate between home and away form - whereas in a weighted system West Ham United would fall from 16th to 18th and subsequently be relegated.

In any scenario, Liverpool would still be crowned champions, while Leicester City, Chelsea and Manchester United would also qualify for next season's Champions League, pending the result of Manchester City's appeal against their UEFA ban.

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