Mohamed Salah and Son Heung-min continue to dazzle, Eddie Nketiah takes his chance and Dominic Szoboszlai delivers once again… but who leads Mail Sport’s POWER RANKINGS after the Premier League weekend?
- Mohamed Salah and Son Heung-min continue to dazzle for Liverpool and Spurs
- Meanwhile, Eddie Nketiah grabs his chance with both hands
- Mail Sport takes a look at its POWER RANKINGS after an enthralling weekend
The top five in the Premier League continued their strong starts to the season at the weekend, with Tottenham, Manchester City, Arsenal, Liverpool and Aston Villa steaming away from the rest of the pack early doors having all picked up three more points.
Tottenham kicked off the weekend’s action with what was ultimately a tight win over Crystal Palace, while Arsenal put five past Sheffield United and Liverpool and Villa steamed passed Nottingham Forest and Luton respectively.
City put the icing on the cake for the division’s front runners on Sunday evening, dominating local rivals Manchester United to win 3-0 at Old Trafford, with Erling Haaland shining with two goals and an assist in the game.
Elsewhere, Brentford got the better of Chelsea, Bournemouth won a relegation-zone clash against Burnley, Wolves held Newcastle to a 2-2 draw and Everton beat West Ham before Brighton and Fulham saw their game end all-square at 1-1.
Mohamed Salah topped Mail Sport’s Power Rankings following the first week back after the latest international break, but was his late goal against Forest enough for him to retain top spot after strong performances elsewhere in the league?
Dominik Sbozslai (L) has had a brilliant start to life at Liverpool and makes his first appearance on our Power Ranking’s list
Eddie Nketiah took his chance with both hands this weekend and also comes into the rankings high up
LAST WEEK’S TOP 10 RANKINGS
10. Martin Odegaard
9. Jacob Murphy
8. William Saliba
7. Pedro Neto
6. James Maddison
5. Scott McTominay
4. Erling Haaland
3. Cristian Romero
2. Son Heung-min
1. Mohamed Salah
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10. Dominik Szoboszlai (new entry)
What a signing the Hungarian has been for Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool.
The Reds needed a serious revamp in midfield and they got just that, with Szoboszlai arriving alongside Ryan Gravenberch, Alexis Mac Allister and Wataru Endo and the likes of Jordan Henderson and Fabinho leaving.
Szoboszlai has led the new-look middle of the park area of Liverpool, becoming a fan favourite and he picked up two assists in Liverpool’s win on Sunday, setting up Darwin Nunez and then Salah for the second and third goals.
Aged just 23, he promises to be key to Liverpool’s play for a number of years, and is proving to be a bit of a bargain at £60million.
9. Moussa Diaby (new entry)
The Aston Villa midfielder had been missing out on all the fun over the last few weeks, failing to find the net for six games as his side took several other teams to the sword.
Ollie Watkins has been leading the line so well for Villa, but it was his partner Diaby who lit up Villa Park at the weekend with a goal and an assist against Luton.
Now seemingly over an injury issue that had threatened to limit his impact, the Frenchman is back to his best and is proving to be a vital player for Unai Emery and his plans.
8. William Saliba (non-mover)
One man who never misses a game is Arsenal’s Saliba. His usual centre back partner, Gabriel, was rested against Sheffield United, but the 22-year-old again played 90 minutes, though didn’t really have much to do.
United created just 0.03xG in the game – the fourth lowest in the Premier League since the start of the 2017/18 season – so it was a quiet afternoon for the Arsenal defenders, but that doesn’t mean Saliba didn’t have to lead his backline and be on red alert.
He’s become Mr Reliable for Mikel Arteta as they chase the Premier League title once more, and he’s a non-mover in this week’s Power Rankings after continuing his great run of form.
Moussa Diaby also impressed finding the back of the net during Aston Villa’s 3-1 win vs Luton
Both Cristian Romero (L) and James Maddison (R) have impressed this season, but Romero has dropped down in Mail Sport’s rankings
7. Cristian Romero (down four)
Romero and Tottenham saw their potential clean sheet against Crystal Palace wiped out thanks to Jordan Ayew’s fine finish, but the World Cup winner put in another stunning display at the back.
His form under Ange Postecoglou compared to Antonio Conte is an amazing contrast. When defending deep, as he often would under Conte, he’d often be rash in his challenges and draw immense criticism.
Now, his recovery pace is useful and, with Micky van de Ven next to him, he has a competent partner so isn’t having to do as much defending and is able to show his quality on the ball in a much more attack-focused side.
His presence is going to be vital for what Tottenham want to achieve this season, and he’s gone from zero to hero in the Spurs hierarchy.
6. Callum Wilson (new entry)
If you’re a Fantasy Premier League player you’ll know the frustrations Newcastle forwards can bring, because it’s never clear who is going to play out of Wilson and Alexander Isak. If one were to get injured, though, it would hell things.
Isak is in the midst of a spell on the sidelines, which should give Wilson a run in the team and he grabbed the opportunity with both hands at the weekend, netting both his side’s goals in their draw with Wolves.
Eddie Howe is blessed to have two forwards who are at the top of their games, and though he won’t welcome Isak’s absence, will be relieved that he has someone very capable of performing in the wings.
Time will tell is Wilson can play twice in a week with Carabao Cup and Champions League fixtures to contend with, but the England forward is thriving right now in a successful Newcastle side.
5. James Maddison (up one)
As long as James Maddison is on the pitch, Tottenham know they have a man who can create a chance out of nothing.
Friday evening threatened to be a frustrating one for Maddison and Co, with Palace defending well and Selhurst Park never an easy place to go. But in the 53rd minute the midfielder weaved his way through the home defence and put in a dangerous low cross that only really needed a touch.
Palace defender Joel Ward, unfortunately for him, provided that touch and put Spurs ahead, meaning Palace had to come out of their shell a bit more and opening the game up.
Maddison is in the form of his life and is so important to what Postecoglou is trying to do at the club. A great signing.
4. Eddie Nketiah (new entry)
It’s been quite the few month for Nketiah, earning his first senior England call-up and establishing himself as a vital member of the Arsenal squad as they push on under Arteta.
He competes well for the No 9 spot with Gabriel Jesus, but took his chance and ran with it against Sheffield United as he netted a hat-trick at the Emirates.
It could have been four given he handed a late penalty to Fabio Vieira, but the three goals may just give him the boost he needs to really kick on to help the Gunners’ in Jesus’s absence.
Son Heung-Min scored yet another goal for Tottenham to help them seal a 2-1 win vs Crystal Palace
Erling Haaland (R) once again impressed scoring twice for Manchester City against rivals Man United
3. Erling Haaland (up one)
Having broken his six-month Champions League goal drought with a wonderful finish against Young Boys in the week, the Norwegian was back again to help Man City defeat rivals, Man United at Old Trafford.
While he’s not had as prolific of a start compared to his performance at the beginning of the 2022-23 season, Haaland has scored in all but three games this season, and struck a brace at Old Trafford showing his composure to put the visitors up from the spot.
He could have had a third too, had it not been for the heroics of Man United goalkeeper Andre Onana who impressed for the hosts on Sunday, keeping out several of Haaland’s attempts.
For Haaland, the brace means he’s now scored three goals in two games for the Cityzens and will look to continue that record as Pep Guardiola’s side welcome Bournemouth next weekend.
2. Son Heung-min (nom-mover)
Despite the absence of his forward partner Harry Kane, Son Heung-min is thriving in the Premier League.
He’s now returned five goals in his last five games and is currently in red hot form, scoring again to seal the winner against Crystal Palace on Monday night, his eighth of the season.
His accuracy in front of goal has been pivotal in helping Tottenham rise to the top of the Premier League table, now two-points clear of rivals Arsenal and Man City.
While Mohamed Salah has retained his spot at the top of the standings, having now scored six goals in his last four games across all competitions
1. Mohamed Salah (non-mover)
It’s six goals in four games in both the Premier League and the Europa League for the Egyptian and he just looks to be getting better and better.
Having nabbed a late goal in Liverpool’s 5-1 win against Toulouse on Thursday, the forward struck once again on Sunday, helping the Reds extend their unbeaten streak to five games on the bounce.
This season, Salah has not only shown that he can score goals, capping off Liverpool’s three-goal haul on Sunday against Nottingham Forest, his 10th in 13 games across all competitions, he’s also played a creative role too, setting up his team-mates four times so far duing the start of the 2023-24 campaign.
He’s been perhaps one of the best players in the league at the start of the season proving pivotal for Jurgen Klopp’s side in both the domestic and European competitions.
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