Premier League Week 6 Power Rankings
Premier League play continues as the league leaders Manchester City dominate, but how do the other 19 teams stack up?
20. Stoke City (LW: 20)
Aggressive in attack and gut-wrenchingly close to their first win of the season, Stoke simply could not keep West Brom at bay. Joe Allen’s finish was the best part of the best game of the season thus far for the Potters, which invariably spells trouble.
19. West Ham (LW: 18)
Our own Jake Walerius went into detail on this one, but the Hammers were on the business end of one of the objectively worst games of the season thus far. West Ham had five players draw yellows and managed only one shot on goal.
18. Sunderland (LW: 17)
Even with the best efforts of Jermain Defoe to carry them along, Sunderland simply did not have enough to overcome a sparkling second half from their opponents.
17. Middlesbrough (LW: 15)
After Ben Gibson’s header got his team on the board, Middlesbrough played with much more urgency. At home against a team like Tottenham, it serves not to wait that long to play with urgency. Boro have a tendency to play sloppily, and that cost them dearly here.
16. Bournemouth (LW: 19)
Taking advantage of a lethargic opponent, the Cherries did just enough to garner all three points at home. Harry Arter was the most energetic player on the field, assisting the winning goal and putting another off the post.
15. Burnley (LW: 16)
The Clarets had been pressing prior to Jeff Hendricks’ header, but that goal gave them the confidence to close out Watford. They were excellent in defense and displayed immense chemistry, especially on the set pieces which netted the goals.
14. Swansea (LW: 14)
Against the league leaders, Swansea created chances and played in space. Unfortunately, they could not take advantage of those chances, coming away with only a single goal. It was a scrappy display against a far superior opponent.
13. West Brom (LW: 12)
Salomon Rondon pressed seemingly all afternoon and finally netted an equalizer in stoppage time. His timely header ensured valuable points for the Baggies, who maintain their minimal positive goal differential.
12. Southampton (LW: 13)
Insofar as actual points allocated, a win was very much a win for the Saints on Sunday. Charlie Austin’s slow roller to open the scoring just before halftime was indicative of the game at large, but Southampton managed enough offense to overcome a plodding West Ham side.
11. Hull (LW: 11)
By the time David Meyler finished a second chance off a corner, Hull’s day was effectively finished. The Tigers could not get the ball off Liverpool. Even when they had it, Hull could not generate anything substantial in the counterattack.
10. Watford (LW: 9)
On the road, the Hornets were surprisingly aggressive, holding nearly 60 percent of possession and taking 12 shots, though only two were on target. Set piece defense killed Watford, or else they may have come away with points.
9. Leicester (LW: 8)
The defending champions’ struggles continue, as a poor first half was too much to overcome. Despite the 4-1 drubbing, Demarai Gray’s strike from outside the box was a fantastic piece of skill.
8. Crystal Palace (LW: 10)
Watching Palace’s offense evolve has been one of the more entertaining subplots of the season so far. A pair of headers took Palace from down one to up one, with Christian Benteke’s stoppage time winner a staggering show of poise.
7. Chelsea (LW: 6)
For the second consecutive week, Chelsea came out flat against a rival. As was expected, the Blues defense was woeful, breaking down in key moments and allowing their opponents to control the tempo in the final third.
6. Everton (LW: 2)
Everton did not look bad, per se, so much as intensely listless. They generated more shots and, in fact, more shots on goal (2-1), but the Toffees lacked consistency, especially in the first half.
5. Manchester United (LW: 7)
For perhaps the first time in his Premier League career, Paul Pogba was the best player on the pitch by a noticeable margin. His patience in the midfield dictated the tempo, and he capped off his performance with his first goal of the season. Daley Blind need not be overlooked, either: he chipped in two fine assists, including as good a corner as anyone can place.
4. Tottenham (LW: 5)
Despite the mistake which cut the lead in the second half, Spurs put on a breathtaking show and did enough to grab all three points. Son Heung-min continued his excellent run with a brace that displayed both patience on the ball and an urgency to capitalize on openings. It was Harry Kane-esque, basically.
3. Liverpool (LW: 4)
With nearly three-quarters of possession and an insane 12-1 shots on goal advantage, there was no way Liverpool were going to lose. Auxiliary left back James Milner’s brace from the spot reminded everyone of his versatility, and Philippe Coutinho was nearly perfect in every facet of the game. He added a goal and an assist in the 5-1 victory.
2. Arsenal (LW: 3)
The Gunners were perhaps at their very best this weekend. Alexis Sanchez swiped a mishandled ball from Gary Cahill to score the first, and Arsenal never looked back in the 3-0 victory. A sequence resembling ping-pong that resulted in Theo Walcott’s strike was particularly inspired.
1. Manchester City (LW: 1)
Sergio Aguero put on a marvelous display, scoring twice and setting up numerous other opportunities. His cheeky penalty is the stuff of goalkeepers’ worst nightmares. Raheem Sterling also added one in a thoroughly dominant performance.