Premier League midseason grades: Liverpool, Aston Villa earn high marks; Man United, Chelsea struggle

The Premier League season has been nothing short of entertaining so far, especially with several teams surprising in good ways and bad. At roughly the midway point of the season, it’s the perfect time to assess how each team is trending with a large sample size of matches behind them. It comes as no surprise that Liverpool and Aston Villa received the highest grades as they ensure the race for the title and Champions League berths stays as competitive as ever. Manchester United and Chelsea, meanwhile, scored low after underachieving considerably and a pair of relegation contenders received failing grades.

Here’s a look at how each team is faring with another half of the season left to go.

Arsenal (4th place)

The Gunners are so far doing a decent job of proving that last season’s participation in the title race was not a fluke but seem unfinished in terms of squad building. Declan Rice has been a strong addition but both Kai Havertz and David Raya have been inconsistent, suggesting that the title might fall out of grasp again.
Grade: B+

Aston Villa (2nd place)

Few had Aston Villa in the mix for top four this season, but Unai Emery has coached his team brilliantly to reach third place midway through the season. Big wins against title contenders Manchester City and Arsenal will serve as highlights during a season to remember so far.
Grade: A

Bournemouth (12th place)

A 12th place spot does not exactly suggest much about Bournemouth, but the Cherries have secretly been one of the Premier League’s best teams since Nov. 7. They are tied for first with six wins out of nine during that stretch and lead the league with 10 goals and might be poised for a strong run in the second half of the season.
Grade: B+

Brentford (16th place)

Though they are not a favorite to be relegated, they sit just four points out of the drop zone and have done little to inspire much optimism this season with just five wins in 19 games.
Grade: D

Brighton and Hove Albion (7th place)

Brighton have been an entertaining watch all season because of the team’s nose for goal — they have already scored 38 goals in 20 league games. One has to wonder how much higher they would be if they could actually keep a clean sheet since they’ve conceded 33 goals during that span.
Grade: B-

Burnley (19th place)

Burnley’s return to the Premier League has been rough, to say the least. With just three wins and 11 points after 20 games, it’s clear Vincent Kompany’s side were not ready for England’s top flight and a U-turn back to the Championship beckons.
Grade: F

Chelsea (10th place)

The Blues’ ambitious offseason has not exactly translated into results, though an injury crisis has hampered their cause at times this campaign. There are signs of optimism for sure, but it’s hard to avoid the fact that Mauricio Pochettino’s side have underachieved so far this season.
Grade: C-

Crystal Palace (14th place)

Palace are as midtable as it gets and have shown no signs that they’re trending upwards anytime soon.
Grade: C

Everton (17th place)

The 10-point deduction means Everton are closer to the relegation battle than they’d like to be, but do not mistake their current standing as a sign that things are going poorly at Goodison Park. Sean Dyche seems to be in the process of perfecting his style of play, demonstrating that the team would most certainly be higher up the table without the punishment.
Grade: B+

Fulham (13th place)

This season seems to suggest that Fulham punched above their weight with their 10th place finish last season, and like Palace, also feel like a team reigned to their midtable fate.
Grade: C-

Liverpool (1st place)

Every season begins with Manchester City as the favorites to win the title, but Liverpool have consistently banked points to ensure they will be a true competitor. Even on days where they’ve struggled to create quality chances, the Reds come out on top more often than not. Now the big question is if they can keep pace with Mohamed Salah off to the Africa Cup of Nations.
Grade: A

Luton Town (18th place)

They may be in the bottom three right now, but they are one team firmly in the relegation battle that has shown promise from time to time. Wins over Manchester United and Newcastle United, plus a draw against Liverpool and a narrow loss to Arsenal suggest they have enough to claw themselves out of the relegation zone but there’s still a lot of room for improvement.
Grade: D

Manchester City (3rd place)

City have not always met their high standard this season at times because of injuries to Kevin de Bruyne and Erling Haaland. They are still not a team to underestimate, though, and after making their way back to third place before the new year, are in a strong spot to redeem themselves before the season’s up.
Grade: B

Manchester United (8th place)

The promise Erik ten Hag showed in his first season has been completely erased after a season of moderate highs and extreme lows, even with considering the defensive injury crisis. There’s also little hope that Ten Hag and company can even turn things around, so expect them to maintain a chaotic pace for the rest of the season.
Grade: D

Newcastle United (9th place)

An optimistic season went sour in November as the injuries started piling up, but two years into Eddie Howe’s tenure with the Magpies, we still have little clarity on how good they actually are.
Grade: C

Nottingham Forest (15th place)

Forest are roughly where one might expect them to be at this point in the season — just a few points out of the relegation zone. For a club on the lower end of the Premier League table, though, predictability is hardly a good thing.
Grade: C-

Sheffield United (20th place)

With just two wins and nine points after 20 games, Sheffield’s return to the Premier League has been a dismal one in just about every sense.
Grade: F

Tottenham Hotspur (5th place)

Despite a long injury list, Ange Postecoglou seems to have already instilled an effective — and entertaining — tactical strategy just a few months into his Tottenham tenure, and the team sits just one point out of the top four right now. It’s clear that the squad needs a lot of work, though, since Spurs look so much like a downgraded version of themselves without their first-choice lineup.
Grade: B+

West Ham United (6th place)

The Hammers are in the mix for European berths, but their inconsistent form suggests that their progress under David Moyes has stalled. At this point in the season, West Ham are just a large question mark.
Grade: B

Wolverhampton Wanderers (11th place)

It seemed like Wolves were in for a rough season when they experienced a managerial change just days before their first match, but Gary O’Neill steadied the ship in almost no time and has them firmly in the middle of the table. Wins over Tottenham and Chelsea saw them make their point in style, too.
Grade: B