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What happens to the Premier League table if Manchester City is excluded from the tournament. Analysis of match annulments, Arsenal's leading position, and changes in club standings.
The future of Manchester City continues to grab headlines, with one of the most radical penalties for financial breaches being complete expulsion from the Premier League. Although no such precedent exists in the tournament's history, if this scenario were to unfold during the season, league rules (Rule C.15) suggest that all of the club's results would be nullified, subsequently reducing the number of relegation spots by one.
With City having won all their matches so far this season, the cancellation of these games would mean that the other 19 clubs would retain their earned points, simply moving up one position in the table.
New virtual Premier League table (post-cancellation of City's games):
| # Club | G | W | D | L | GF | GA | +/- | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Arsenal | 7 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 15 | 9 | +6 | 18 |
| 2. Brighton | 7 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 23 | 5 | +18 | 16 |
| 3. Chelsea | 7 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 17 | 13 | +4 | 13 |
| 4. Liverpool | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 9 | 5 | +4 | 12 |
| 5. Brentford | 7 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 13 | 8 | +5 | 10 |
| 6. Leeds United | 7 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 9 | 6 | +3 | 10 |
| 7. Everton | 7 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 8 | 7 | +1 | 10 |
| 8. Hull City | 7 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 8 | 7 | +1 | 9 |
| 9. Ipswich Town | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 9 | 12 | -3 | 9 |
| 10. Newcastle United | 7 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 10 | 14 | -4 | 8 |
| 11. Aston Villa | 7 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 11 | -4 | 8 |
| 12. Manchester United | 6 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 10 | 9 | +1 | 7 |
| 13. Crystal Palace | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 8 | 13 | -5 | 7 |
| 14. Bournemouth | 6 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 8 | 11 | -3 | 6 |
| 15. Tottenham Hotspur | 7 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 10 | -4 | 6 |
| 16. Coventry City | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 6 | 13 | -7 | 6 |
| 17. Fulham | 7 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 10 | -3 | 5 |
| 18. Nottingham Forest | 7 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 9 | -4 | 5 |
| 19. Sunderland | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 9 | -6 | 4 |
Impact on statistics and other competitions
- Goal difference: The change will affect the individual statistics of clubs that played against City. For instance, Sunderland would erase five goals conceded but lose three of their own, while Liverpool and Ipswich would shed three conceded goals. Manchester United and Coventry would improve their goal difference due to the removed goal against them.
- League Cup: The issue would also extend to domestic cups. Norwich City, who lost 5-0 to City, could contest progression further in the tournament, subsequently expected to face Brighton (or the Seagulls would receive a bye).
