English Premier League Power Poll, Week 8

Let's get the obvious out of the way first.

Chelsea remain atop the latest edition of the B/R English Premier League Power Poll. The Blues won again over the weekend and remain on top of the table with 22 points through eight matches.

A major test awaits this weekend when Manchester United visit London. Until then, though, Roberto Di Matteo's men continue to reign supreme.

Here are the past week's results:

Sunderland 1-1 Newcastle

QPR 1-1 Everton

Spurs 2-4 Chelsea

Fulham 1-0 Aston Villa

Liverpool 1-0 Reading

Man United 4-2 Stoke

Swansea 2-1 Wigan

West Brom 1-2 Man City

West Ham 4-1 Southampton

Norwich 1-0 Arsenal

Click here for the latest league table.

Methodology

For these rankings, the voters cast their ballots based on the "power rankings" style.

That means voters ranked each club based on which teams they thought were the best, keeping in mind recent results and the league table.

Eight B/R personalities voted in this week's poll, and all the votes were counted on a points system. A first-place vote counted as 20 points, a second-place vote as 19 and so on.

 

Explanation of terms

Points: The total number of points the team received via our voters' rankings. A first-place vote counted as 20 points, a second-place vote as 19 and so on.

Last-place votes: The number of last-place votes the team received from our voters.

First-place votes: The number of first-place votes the team received from our voters.

Last time: The team's ranking in the previous poll. Click here for the previous rankings.

Table: The team's position in the English Premier League table, along with current points total. Click here for the full table.

Results: The team's results since our last rankings.

Fixtures: The team's upcoming matches.

Meet the Voters

Aliko Carter: B/R front-page editor. @AlikoCarter

John Greely: B/R front-page editor. @johnwgreely

Adam Hirshfield: B/R deputy editor. @ahirshfield

Dan Levy: B/R national lead writer. @DanLevyThinks

Brad Read: B/R world football newsletter. @ReadBrad

Sean Swaby: B/R featured columnist coordinator. @seanswaby

Will Tidey: B/R world football lead writer and editor. @willtidey

Michael Cummings: B/R world football lead writer and poll organizer. @MikeCummings37

20. Reading

Points: 14

Last-place votes: 5

Last time: 18

Table: 19th, 3 points

Results: Lost 1-0 at Liverpool

Fixtures: Home to Fulham, Saturday

Fun fact: The Royals were (tied for) sixth after drawing 1-1 with Stoke on opening day. Heady days, those.

19. Queens Park Rangers

Points: 21

Last-place votes: 1

Last time: 20

Table: 20th, 3 points

Results: Drew 1-1 home to Everton

Fixtures: At Arsenal, Saturday

QPR, on the other hand, have not been above 17th this season. This Saturday's trip to misfiring Arsenal could present an interest opportunity—or a potentially brutal beatdown.

18. Southampton

Points: 22

Last-place votes: 1

Last time: 16

Table: 18th, 4 points

Results: Lost 4-1 at West Ham

Fixtures: Home to Spurs, Sunday

Say what you will about Southampton, but with 13 goals scored and 24 allowed (through eight matches), their matches are a lot of fun to watch.

Sean: The Saints are giving up an average of a field goal per match. That's not going to keep them in the top flight. 

17. Aston Villa

Points: 31

Last time: 17

Table: 17th, 5 points

Results: Lost 1-0 at Fulham

Fixtures: Home to Norwich, Saturday

This has to be the week for Villa, right? Norwich couldn't be any more ripe for defeat than after upsetting Arsenal.

Still, with this Villa team, we'll have to see it to believe it.

16. Wigan Athletic

Points: 37

Last-place votes: 1

Last time: 15

Table: 16th, 5 points

Results: Lost 2-1 at Swansea

Fixtures: Home to West Ham, Saturday

Through three matches, Wigan were seventh in the table, having beaten Southampton and drawn with Stoke (of course).

That doesn't even feel like the same season as this one, does it?

John: Congrats, Wigan. You're the worst this week. When the best moment of your month was a home draw to a mid-table team, you know it's been a serious rough patch.

15. Norwich City

Points: 49

Last time: 19

Table: 15th, 6 points

Results: Won 1-0 home to Arsenal

Fixtures: At Aston Villa, Saturday

The Canaries are the big movers of the week after jumping four places and out of the relegation zone.

Apparently beating Arsenal does still count for something. Yes, Mike is still bitter.

14. Stoke City

Points: 57

Last time: 11

Table: 13th, 8 points

Results: Lost 4-2 at Manchester United

Fixtures: Home to Sunderland, Saturday

On the bright side, Stoke refrained from drawing for once. On the other hand, well, you know.

Can we go ahead and record this weekend's match against Sunderland as a 1-1 draw? Yeah? Good.

13. Sunderland

Points: 63

Last time: 13

Table: 14th, 8 points

Results: Drew 1-1 home to Newcastle

Fixtures: At Stoke, Saturday

The Tyne-Wear Derby last weekend produced the usual fireworks one would expect. The Sunderland-Stoke match this weekend almost surely won't.

12. Swansea City

Points: 77

Last time: 14

Table: 10th, 11 points

Results: Won 2-1 home to Wigan

Fixtures: At Man City, Saturday

Swansea's victory over Wigan was the club's first since the second weekend of the season. Their reward: a trip to champions Manchester City.

11. Liverpool

Points: 80

Last time: 12

Table: 12th, 9 points

Results: Won 1-0 home to Reading

Fixtures: At Everton, Sunday

Beating Reading was nice, and Liverpool have shown some improvement in recent weeks.

Now, though, Brendan Rodgers and his Reds face a trip to Merseyside rivals Everton. Should be tasty.

John: Yeah, it's modest improvement, but Liverpool has taken seven points from its last three matches and is now riding a two-game shutout streak. These are the steps Rodgers needs to be taking before his club can become elite again.

10. Newcastle United

Points: 82

Last time: 10

Table: 11th, 10 points

Results: Drew 1-1 at Sunderland

Fixtures: Home to West Brom, Sunday

Demba Ba did not score over the weekend but remains tied for the league lead with six goals this campaign.

8. (tie) Arsenal

Points: 105

Last time: 6

Table: 9th, 12 points

Results: Lost 1-0 at Norwich

Fixtures: Home to QPR, Saturday

The Gunners have lost two or their last three league matches and taken just three of the last 12 points available.

If manager Arsene Wenger feels like raging about the "unpleasant" gap between Arsenal and the league leaders, he should start there.

Sean: If Everton's draw was sobering, the Gunners' shock defeat at Norwich was a wake-up-in-cold-sweats-wondering-if-that-really-just-happened blow to their title aspirations. 

Dan: Terrible. Just a terrible result against a terrible club.

John: Arsenal's pretty hard to figure out. Yeah, the defense is bad, but that certainly can't be to blame for a 1-0 defeat to Norwich.That was a head-scratcher.

8. (tie) Fulham

Points: 105

Last time: 8

Table: 8th, 13 points

Results: Won 1-0 home to Aston Villa

Fixtures: At Reading, Saturday

Fulham have taken four points from their last two away matches. This weekend's trip to Reading could be similarly productive.

7. West Bromwich Albion

Points: 109

Last time: 7

Table: 6th, 14 points

Results: Lost 2-1 home to Man City

Fixtures: At Newcastle, Sunday

West Brom were so close to recording a positive result against the champions, but then Edin Dzeko popped up and did his patented supersub act.

Can the Baggies recover in time for a tricky trip to Newcastle this weekend?

6. West Ham United

Points: 115

Last time: 9

Table: 7th, 14 points

Results: Won 4-1 home to Southampton

Fixtures: At Wigan, Saturday

West Ham were another big mover this week. Sure, the Hammers moved only three spots after their thumping win over Southampton, but those are three big spots.

5. Tottenham Hotspur

Points: 127

Last time: 5

Table: 5th, 14 points

Results: Lost 4-2 home to Chelsea

Fixtures: At Southampton, Sunday

The loss to Chelsea snapped Spurs' streak of four straight league wins. A new winning run could start this weekend at scuffling Southampton.

John: Without Gareth Bale, I'm not sure 100 percent Tottenham would be in the top half of the table. That's mostly facetious, but his absence was painfully obvious against Chelsea.

4. Everton

Points: 130

Last time: 4

Table: 4th, 15 points

Results: Drew 1-1 at QPR

Fixtures: Home to Liverpool, Sunday

The crosstown showdown awaits, and the Toffees should be favored.

With that said, Everton haven't won a league match since Sept. 29 (home to Southampton).

Sean: Drawing with QPR was a sobering blow to the upstart Toffees, but they still appear legitimate contenders to a top-four finish. 

Dan: If they want to stay in the top four, they have to win games against QPR, no matter who is missing.

John: It's astounding how different Everton is at home and on the road. This club has no business settling for consecutive draws against the league's worst teams.

3. Manchester City

Points: 145

Last time: 3

Table: 3rd, 18 points

Results: Won 2-1 at West Brom

Fixtures: Home to Swansea, Saturday

Still unbeaten on the season (only Chelsea can match that claim), City have won three straight league matches.

By the way, what's your workout routine, Edin?

Dan: I hate that goal differential is the more important tiebreaker after points than, you know, LOSSES.

John: Man City has scored at least twice in six of eight games this season and hasn't been shut out yet. While there are issues to iron out, the offense isn't one of them.

2. Manchester United

Points: 151

Last time: 2

Table: 2nd, 18 points

Results: Won 4-2 home to Stoke

Fixtures: At Chelsea, Sunday

The big match is this weekend. So far it's been all or nothing for United this season (six wins, two losses).

Adam: Their defense still resembles Swiss cheese, but when you have Rooney, van Persie, Welbeck, Chicharito and more, they're able to make up for it.

1. Chelsea

Points: 160

First-place votes: 8

Last time: 1

Table: 1st, 22 points

Weeks at No. 1: 7 (updated for Oct. 24)

Results: Won 4-2 at Spurs

Fixtures: Home to Man United, Sunday

Chelsea have won four straight league matches. The Blues own the second-best offense in the league (19 goals, two behind United) and the league's best defense (six goals allowed, the same number as Arsenal).

There's no doubt which team is the best in the league right now, but will that be the case again next week?

Sean: Is there really any doubt anymore that the Blues are the EPL's most complete, dominant side?  

John: It's four straight wins now for the Blues, including at Arsenal and Tottenham. Clearly the class of the Premier League for now, despite their bizarre loss in Europe.

Follow @MikeCummings37