Premier League Week 4 Power Rankings

Premier League action returned following the international break. City defeated United in the Manchester derby, but how did the other 18 fare?

20. Stoke City

In a totally lifeless effort at home, the Potters fell flat. They were lucky to escape having surrendered only four goals, in truth. They had no control in the match and never established a suitable pace.

19. Sunderland

Outshot 20-11, with only two on goal, the Black Cats had nothing against Everton. They had trouble hanging on to the ball, leading to an early exit for many Sunderland fans from their beloved Stadium of Light.

18. West Brom

Hardly an offensive juggernaut anyway, the Baggies only managed two shots on goal and could not jump start their counterattack. West Brom also racked up three yellows, committing 11 fouls total in a rather undisciplined display.

17. West Ham

The Hammers had Watford right where they wanted them, and could not deliver the finishing blow. Michail Antonio’s season has been sparkling thus far, with little to show on a team level. He delivered a marvelous pair of headers.

16. Crystal Palace

Christian Benteke was excellent from the start, heading home a cross from Wilfried Zaha and acting as the target man for much of the match. Zaha himself finished a clever bit of play for the winner just after halftime.

15. Bournemouth

In their fourth game of the season, Bournemouth finally played with exceptional control and patience. Callum Wilson’s far post flick was the only goal the Cherries needed to grab the three points in front of their home fans. New arrival Jack Wilshere was largely ineffective off the bench.

14. Burnley

Though less than a month has passed, Burnley’s triumph over Liverpool seems a fond memory. A formidable defensive effort came crashing to a halt when the Clarets surrendered a free kick in extra time, meaning more dropped points.

13. Southampton

It was technically a Petr Cech own goal, but Dusan Tadic’s free kick very nearly netted the Saints valuable points away from home. Shane Long’s scoring drought is becoming a dreadful inconvenience.

12. Middlesbrough

Since his excellent debut, Alvaro Negredo has gone absent, much to the chagrin of Boro’s fans. His two shots on goal were his first two since the first week, and neither saw the back of the net. Leave it to Daniel Ayala to make the most of his opening, putting in his first of the season.

11. Watford

The Hornets were not to be quieted easily. After going down 2-0, they took advantage of the clichéd worst lead in sports, scoring four straight to win. Four goals is always good, but for a team that had only managed one in each game leading up to this, it had to feel especially great.

10. Leicester

The champions came out noticeably flat. Perhaps they were overwhelmed by the new addition to Anfield. In any case, the regression to the mean continues, with only a Jamie Vardy goal courtesy of a Lucas mistake giving any relief.

9. Hull

Robert Snodgrass saved Hull from a small embarrassment, and not a moment too soon. The midfielder connected on a splendid free kick in extra time after an extended period of pressure, bringing relief to Tigers fans everywhere.

8. Swansea

Though they benefited from Thibaut Courtois’ belligerence, leading to a Gylfi Sigurdsson strike from the penalty spot, Swansea generally played to their strengths and minimized Chelsea’s chances. Leroy Fer is quietly having a brilliant start to the season.

7. Chelsea

Once again, the Blues needed a late Diego Costa strike to bail them out of a presumptive loss. The bicycle kick to force the draw, it should be noted, was divine. Chelsea had more trouble than they should have stringing effective offensive moves together. Oscar, in particular, rushed his opportunities.

6. Everton

Quite simply, it was all about Romelu Lukaku’s second half. Presumably in response to reports that he is unhappy at Everton, the Belgian notched the first hat trick of the season on Monday. The cascade came in a tidy 11 minutes of work.

5. Liverpool

Roberto Firmino’s early strike heralded an excellent afternoon for the Reds, who finished with four total against the champions. Liverpool haven’t played with this much confidence since the first week against Arsenal, passing and striking with notable poise.

4. Manchester United

Jose Mourinho seemed comfortable ceding possession to City, which lent itself to a visible lack of urgency in the first half. United likely deserved a penalty for Claudio Bravo’s challenge on Wayne Rooney. On the bright side, Ibra is now the only player to score in the Manchester derby, El Clasico (Barcelona vs. Real Madrid), the Milan derby (AC Milan vs. Inter), the Barcelona derby (Barcelona vs. Espanyol), the derby d’Italia (Juventus vs. Inter) and De Klassieker (Ajax vs. Feyenoord).

3. Tottenham

It only took a month, but finally Harry Kane found his scoring touch. Though it was a sitter, Kane’s goal put the cherry on top of a thoroughly dominant sundae for Spurs. Not to be outdone, Heung-Min Son had two lovely goals as well.

2. Arsenal

Mere seconds after getting away with what should have been a foul on Shane Long, Arsenal drew a decisive penalty, which Santi Cazorla coolly converted. Laurent Koscielny had an eventful 31st birthday, scoring a goal and drawing the aforementioned penalty via a knock to the head. Bon anniversaire.

1. Manchester City

In a battle between the dual heads of the Manchester dragon, City prevailed behind the scoring efforts of Kevin De Bruyne and Kelechi Iheanacho. Add in Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s strike, and all goals occurred in the first half, making for a tense but scoreless second. Pep has renewed his timeshare in Mou’s head.