EPL Table: 2016 Standings After Saturday's Week 26 Results and Top Scorers

Matt Dunham/Associated Press

Diego Costa continued his remarkable revival since Guus Hiddink took over as Chelsea manager, netting his 10th Premier League goal of the season to help Chelsea thrash Newcastle United at Stamford Bridge.

Costa moved up in the top scorers charts on a day in which Everton's Romelu Lukaku couldn't close the gap on Leicester City hotshot Jamie Vardy. Lukaku drew a blank during a disappointing home defeat for the Toffees against West Bromwich Albion.

Here are the full results from Saturday's games:

Premier League Week 26 Results: Saturday Scores
Home	Score	Away
Sunderland	2-1	Manchester United
Bournemouth	1-3	Stoke City
Crystal Palace	1-2	Watford
Everton	0-1	West Bromwich Albion
Norwich City	2-2	West Ham United
Swansea City	0-1	Southampton
Chelsea	5-1	Newcastle United

Sky Sports

Here's what those results mean for the standings:

Premier League Standings: Week 26
Position	Club	Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	Goal Difference	Points
1	Leicester City	25	15	8	2	20	53
2	Tottenham Hotspur	25	13	9	3	26	48
3	Arsenal	25	14	6	5	17	48
4	Manchester City	25	14	5	6	21	47
5	Manchester United	26	11	8	7	9	41
6	Southampton	26	11	7	8	10	40
7	West Ham United	26	10	10	6	9	40
8	Watford	26	10	6	10	1	36
9	Stoke City	26	10	6	10	-5	36
10	Everton	26	8	11	7	11	35
11	Liverpool	25	9	8	8	-4	35
12	Chelsea	26	8	9	9	2	33
13	Crystal Palace	26	9	5	12	-5	32
14	West Bromwich Albion	26	8	8	10	-10	32
15	Bournemouth	26	7	7	12	-14	28
16	Swansea City	26	6	9	11	-10	27
17	Norwich City	26	6	6	14	-20	24
18	Newcastle United	26	6	6	14	-22	24
19	Sunderland	26	6	5	15	-18	23
20	Aston Villa	25	3	7	15	-20	16

PremierLeague.com

These are the division's top scores:

PL Top Goalscorers
Position	Player	Club	Goals
1	Jamie Vardy	Leicester City	18
2	Romelu Lukaku	Everton	16
3	Harry Kane	Tottenham Hotspur	15
4	Riyad Mahrez	Leicester City	14
5	Odion Ighalo	Watford	14
6	Sergio Aguero	Manchester City	14
7	Olivier Giroud	Arsenal	12
8	Diego Costa	Chelsea	10
9	Jermain Defoe	Sunderland	10
10	Georginio Wijanldum	Newcastle United	9

WhoScored.com

Diego Costa, 10 Goals

Costa netted the first of three rapid-fire goals for Chelsea, all scored within the first 20 minutes. He made a smart run to connect with Willian's excellent through pass before slotting home confidently.

Costa's improved confidence under Hiddink has led directly to more prolific form in front of goal. Sky Sports Statto detailed exactly how much more effective the ex-Atletico Madrid star has been since Hiddink succeeded Jose Mourinho:

Diego Costa has scored 7 goals in 8 PL apps under Guus Hiddink – 3 goals in 13 PL apps under Jose Mourinho this season
— Sky Sports Statto (@SkySportsStatto) February 13, 2016 ^[1]

There's certainly been a greater spring in Costa's step since Hiddink arrived. He's making quicker, more decisive runs between the lines. The 27-year-old has rediscovered his ruthless streak as a finisher whenever he gets a chance.

Costa is playing so well he has people, including Simon Johnson of the London Evening Standard, thinking about what might have been this season:

Imagine if Costa played at his best for a whole season? Combine first half of last season and second half of this and you have some gl tally
— Simon Johnson (@sjstandardsport) February 13, 2016 ^[2]

Chelsea's Premier League campaign will bear no fruit, but with a striker in this sort of form, the Blues have to be considered a genuine threat in both the UEFA Champions League and FA Cup.

Romelu Lukaku ^[3], 16 Goals

Lukaku was one of many misfiring Toffees players against West Brom. The beefy Belgian striker and his teammates aimed 34 shots at the Baggies goal, but it was telling only six were on target, per Sky Sports ^[4].

What should really frustrate Lukaku is that he received plenty of support in forward areas, in sharp contrast to Albion's match-winner, Salomon Rondon, according to Richard Jolly of the Guardian^[5]:

The range of those who came close is an indication of the commitment to attack. Funes Mori and Phil Jagielka in effect constituted a back two as everyone else swarmed forward. Their notional lone striker, Romelu Lukaku, was surrounded by colleagues. His Albion counterpart, Rondón, came off with an acute case of loneliness.

Ultimately, Lukaku cut a frustrated figure, knowing he missed the chance to usurp Vardy at the top of the scoring charts. Playing for a team as inconsistent as manager Roberto Martinez's Everton is likely to eventually undermine Lukaku's attempts to finish the season as the division's highest scorer.

As for Costa, he won't win that accolade, but he can win over the Chelsea supporters with his increasingly impressive improvement during the crunch period of the season.