Premier League Week 8 Power Rankings
Premier League action returned following the international break. Arsenal escaped with a win against Swansea, but how do the other 19 teams stack up?
20. Sunderland (LW: 20)
A Wahbi Khazri pass left Jermain Defoe in space, but Defoe sent his shot to the clouds. That was approximately as good as it got for the Black Cats, who continue their winless season.
19. Middlesbrough (LW: 17)
Too many inaccurate, long distance efforts doomed Boro. They seemed one pass short of a goal several times throughout the day and, now, have not won since August.
18. Swansea (LW: 13)
Normally quite good on set pieces, Swansea fell apart on Saturday. Wayne Routledge’s clearance opened the door. The Swans have a habit of playing up to their competition, but they never quite do enough to grab the points.
17. Stoke (LW: 18)
Following an interception in the midfield, Marko Arnautovic made a heads up play in wrangling the ball before playing a delightful cross to Joe Allen. Naturally, Allen followed that up with a wildly accurate shot through traffic for his second.
16. Hull (LW: 14)
The Tigers ended up looking more like lambs at a slaughter. After Ryan Mason drew the sides level on a deflected goal, Bournemouth completely dismantled Hull, now losers of three straight.
15. West Ham (LW: 19)
Manuel Lanzini’s finish off the low cross was textbook, and from there, the Hammers held up enough on the road. Lucky for them, Christian Benteke was in a generous mood. Not to be overlooked: Adrian had a terrific day in goal as well.
14. Burnley (LW: 11)
Even after Sam Vokes pulled one back, the Clarets looked helpless. That goal was their only shot on frame, and haphazard passing led to too many Southampton opportunities.
13. Leicester (LW: 9)
Sloppy, lazy defense allowed for every Chelsea goal. On the one hand, Leicester have been successful in European play, which is an extension of the joy they created last year. On the other, their problems in the league are not going anywhere.
12. Bournemouth (LW: 16)
What had been a game for the first forty minutes quickly turned into shooting practices for the Cherries. Five players accounted for the six goals, as Bournemouth left nary a chance unfinished.
11. Southampton (LW: 15)
Don’t look now, but Southampton’s only league losses of the season occurred on the road against Arsenal and Manchester United. After his brace on Sunday, Charlie Austin has now scored five times in his past five games.
10. West Brom (LW: 12)
Against formidable competition, West Brom mostly held up their end of the bargain, the Dele Alli slow roller excepted. Nacer Chadli’s finish off the corner was exquisite following a highway robbery of James McClean’s attempt on goal.
9. Crystal Palace (LW: 7)
Oh, how Cristian Benteke would like his penalty attempt back. In the pouring rain at Selhurst Park, Benteke managed several decent chances, but none had more impact than that wild miss.
8. Watford (LW: 10)
Jose Holebas had one of the more bedazzling goals of the season thus far, curving on through the Boro defense and just out of the reach of keeper Victor Valdes. Slowly and steadily, the Hornets are amassing points where they need to in order to contend for European play in 2017.
7. Manchester United (LW: 6)
In the beginning, the Red Devils looked marvelous, with Paul Pogba comfortably directing from the midfield. Soon, however, the tide shifted, and every Zlatan Ibrahimovic missed opportunity looked increasingly worse.
6. Liverpool (LW: 4)
After a shaky start, the Reds were in control Monday, despite not delivering a decisive blow. Philippe Coutinho had perhaps the best chance of the day, ripping one off from long range that David de Gea managed to save.
5. Chelsea (LW: 5)
For the second time in less than a month, the Blues exerted massive amounts of style over the defending league champions Leicester. Diego Costa somehow evaded the Leicester defense on a corner for the first goal, continuing his rampage. Pedro’s assist to Eden Hazard for the second goal was right out of a playground pickup game.
4. Everton (LW: 8)
Maarten Stekelenburg had maybe the best weekend of any individual player, saving two penalties and keeping things from getting downright ugly against the league leaders. With his dynamic finish into the far corner, Romelu Lukaku has three goals in the last four league games.
3. Tottenham (LW: 1)
Spurs had more than double the shots and nearly three-quarters of the possession but had trouble with the finishing touch. Even after being stonewalled previously, Dele Alli came up with the late equalizer.
2. Manchester City (LW: 2)
Though still at the top of the table, City have stumbled through October thus far. A non-call gave way to a penalty, which Everton keeper Maarten Stekelenburg deftly saved. The chances were there, yet it took Nolito’s effort off the bench to grab the draw.
1. Arsenal (LW: 3)
Though his first goal came as the result of a poor clearance, Theo Walcott played splendidly. He notched a second for good measure off a corner, with Mesut Ozil putting the finishing touch on another. Though this was closer than it needed to be, it was not as close as the final score.