EPL 100: Ranking of Premier League's Best Players After Matchday 24
The Premier League never ceases to deliver. Swansea City's shock 1-0 victory on Monday over a Liverpool side that had handed Manchester City their first loss of the season just last week capped off another brilliant slate of fixtures.
We have updated our lists to take into account the latest gameweek of action. They are divided into seven position groups and based solely on performances in the Premier League in 2017-18.
To be eligible, a player must have taken part in at least half the games his team has played.
Goalkeepers
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A clean sheet against Burnley helps David De Gea hold stock—even if he was a virtual spectator for much of the match—in the face of increased competition from the cluster just below him.
Thibaut Courtois, Kasper Schmeichel and Ederson are all playing well and/or earning clean sheets, with the Leicester City man, in particular, enjoying a good patch.
Lukasz Fabianski was outstanding for Swansea on Monday night and rivalled Alfie Mawson for man of the match against Liverpool.
Biggest rise: Asmir Begovic (+2)
Biggest fall: Petr Cech (-2)
| Rank | Player | Club |
| 1 | David De Gea (Stay) | Manchester United |
| 2 | Thibaut Courtois (Stay) | Chelsea |
| 3 | Ederson (Stay) | Manchester City |
| 4 | Kasper Schmeichel (+1) | Leicester City |
| 5 | Nick Pope (-1) | Burnley |
| 6 | Lukasz Fabianski (Stay) | Swansea City |
| 7 | Asmir Begovic (+2) | Bournemouth |
| 8 | Jordan Pickford (-1) | Everton |
| 9 | Hugo Lloris (New!) | Tottenham |
| 10 | Petr Cech (-2) | Arsenal |
Right-Backs/Right Wing-Backs
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Kyle Walker's strong performance against Newcastle United keeps him entrenched at the top, but some action just below him might well be bubbling.
Antonio Valencia, who has been second almost all season, is now under serious threat from the impressive Victor Moses.
Cedric Soares moves up one after playing his part in a spirited, resilient display against Tottenham Hotspur, while Craig Dawson enters the rankings after putting together a good run post-injury. West Bromwich Albion may not excite, but they have been defensively strong.
Biggest rise: Cedric Soares (+1)
Biggest fall: Matthew Lowton (-1)
| Rank | Player | Club |
| 1 | Kyle Walker (Stay) | Manchester City |
| 2 | Antonio Valencia (Stay) | Manchester United |
| 3 | Victor Moses (Stay) | Chelsea |
| 4 | Kiko Femenia (Stay) | Watford |
| 5 | Joe Gomez (Stay) | Liverpool |
| 6 | Hector Bellerin (Stay) | Arsenal |
| 7 | Cedric Soares (+1) | Burnley |
| 8 | Matthew Lowton (-1) | Southampton |
| 9 | Craig Dawson (New!) | West Bromwich Albion |
| 10 | Kieran Trippier (Stay) | Tottenham Hotspur |
Left-Backs/Left Wing-Backs
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There are plenty of small movements among the left-backs this week, with six moving up or down.
Ryan Bertrand's lung-busting performance against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday earns him the biggest shift (up two), while Sead Kolasinac's inability to get into the Arsenal XI means he has to drop three.
Ben Chilwell enters the rankings at the expense of Leicester team-mate Christian Fuchs; it's clear which of the two that manager Claude Puel prefers.
Biggest rise: Ryan Bertrand (+2)
Biggest fall: Sead Kolasinac (-3)
| Rank | Player | Club |
| 1 | Fabian Delph (Stay) | Manchester City |
| 2 | Marcos Alonso (Stay) | Chelsea |
| 3 | Ashley Young (+1) | Manchester United |
| 4 | Ben Davies (+1) | Tottenham Hotspur |
| 5 | Ryan Bertrand (+2) | Southampton |
| 6 | Sead Kolasinac (-3) | Arsenal |
| 7 | Stephen Ward (-1) | Burnley |
| 8 | Arthur Masuaku (Stay) | West Ham United |
| 9 | Ben Chilwell (New!) | Leicester City |
| 10 | Alberto Moreno (Stay) | Liverpool |
Centre-Backs
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Jan Vertonghen moves up to second this week—his highest ranking of the season—after putting in another solid showing for Spurs on Sunday. In a time when they've needed him to play above his station, he's delivered consistently.
Antonio Rudiger drops a few spots despite helping Chelsea keep a clean sheet, as he and Marcos Alonso struggled to contain Ezequiel Schelotto's marauding runs for Brighton & Hove Albion.
Chris Smalling, Phil Jones, Nacho Monreal and Harry Maguire all impressed, so they all rise. Lewis Dunk and Christian Kabasele are extremely fortunate to hang on to spots at the bottom, but the Premier League's offering of quality centre-back performances is lacking right now.
Biggest rise: Phil Jones (+4)
Biggest fall: Jamaal Lascelles (-4)
| Rank | Player | Club |
| 1 | Cesar Azpilicueta (Stay) | Chelsea |
| 2 | Jan Vertonghen (+1) | Tottenham Hotspur |
| 3 | Andreas Christensen (-1) | Chelsea |
| 4 | John Stones (Stay) | Manchester City |
| 5 | Ben Mee (Stay) | Burnley |
| 6 | Nicolas Otamendi (Stay) | Manchester City |
| 7 | Phil Jones (+4) | Manchester United |
| 8 | James Tarkowski (-1) | Burnley |
| 9 | Antonio Rudiger (-2) | Chelsea |
| 10 | Nacho Monreal (+2) | Arsenal |
| 11 | Davinson Sanchez (-1) | Tottenham Hotspur |
| 12 | Chris Smalling (+3) | Manchester United |
| 13 | Harry Maguire (+1) | Leicester City |
| 14 | Jamaal Lascelles (-4) | Newcastle United |
| 15 | Christopher Schindler (-2) | Huddersfield Town |
| 16 | Shkodran Mustafi (+1) | Arsenal |
| 17 | James Tomkins (-1) | Crystal Palace |
| 18 | Jonny Evans (New!) | West Bromwich Albion |
| 19 | Lewis Dunk (-1) | Brighton & Hove Albion |
| 20 | Christian Kabasele (-1) | Watford |
Defensive Midfielders/Central Midfielders
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What a difference David Silva makes. With him restored to Manchester City's XI, the performances look all the more smooth, and the recent games played without him highlight what a difference he can make.
Paul Pogba didn't show what he's capable of in a tight game at Turf Moor, and he drops as N'Golo Kante surges into his place. Fernandinho bounced back well after a poor performance last week.
Wilfred Ndidi is this week's biggest mover, having now excelled in two successive games and helped Leicester to four important points.
Biggest rise: Wilfred Ndidi (+3)
Biggest fall: Multiple (-2)
| Rank | Player | Club |
| 1 | David Silva (Stay) | Manchester City |
| 2 | N'Golo Kante (+1) | Chelsea |
| 3 | Paul Pogba (-1) | Manchester United |
| 4 | Fernandinho (Stay) | Manchester City |
| 5 | Nemanja Matic (Stay) | Manchester United |
| 6 | Steven Defour (Stay) | Burnley |
| 7 | Abdoulaye Doucoure (Stay) | Watford |
| 8 | Cesc Fabregas (Stay) | Chelsea |
| 9 | Jack Cork (Stay) | Burnley |
| 10 | Aaron Ramsey (Stay) | Arsenal |
| 11 | Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (Stay) | Liverpool |
| 12 | Mario Lemina (+2) | Southampton |
| 13 | Eric Dier (Stay) | Tottenham Hotspur |
| 14 | Vicente Iborra (-2) | Leicester City |
| 15 | Wilfred Ndidi (+3) | Leicester City |
| 16 | Emre Can (-1) | Liverpool |
| 17 | Georginio Wijnaldum (Stay) | Liverpool |
| 18 | Mikel Merino (-2) | Newcastle United |
| 19 | Mousa Dembele (+1) | Tottenham Hotspur |
| 20 | Aaron Mooy (+2) | Huddersfield Town |
Attacking Midfielders/Wingers
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For the first time in weeks, we have movement at the top of this section.
Eden Hazard and Raheem Sterling again dazzled as their teams earned comfortable victories, while Mohamed Salah put in a poor performance against Swansea City. It means the former two move above the latter.
That's a big call, and Salah's goalscoring tally leaves it open to question. But it's very important not to condense football into a reductive contest of goals and assists, and Hazard's game-defining, sparkling displays must be recognised. Very often, he's the best player on the pitch and runs the match, but Hazard doesn't get the deserved credit because his pass wasn't the one before the goal.
At the other end, Brighton's Pascal Gross and Anthony Knockaert drop out of the top 20 after fading badly, while Richarlison is hanging on by a thread.
Biggest rise: Anthony Martial (+3)
Biggest fall: Sadio Mane (-3)
| Rank | Player | Club |
| 1 | Kevin De Bruyne (Stay) | Manchester City |
| 2 | Eden Hazard (+2) | Chelsea |
| 3 | Raheem Sterling (Stay) | Manchester City |
| 4 | Mohamed Salah (-2) | Liverpool |
| 5 | Leroy Sane (Stay) | Manchester City |
| 6 | Riyad Mahrez (Stay) | Leicester City |
| 7 | Christian Eriksen (Stay) | Tottenham Hotspur |
| 8 | Mesut Ozil (Stay) | Arsenal |
| 9 | Anthony Martial (+3) | Manchester United |
| 10 | Jesse Lingard (Stay) | Manchester United |
| 11 | Sadio Mane (-3) | Liverpool |
| 12 | Alexis Sanchez (-1) | Manchester United |
| 13 | Juan Mata (Stay) | Manchester United |
| 14 | Marc Albrighton (+1) | Leicester City |
| 15 | Heung-Min Son (-1) | Tottenham Hotspur |
| 16 | Marcus Rashford (Stay) | Manchester United |
| 17 | JB Gudmundsson (+1) | Burnley |
| 18 | Willian (New!) | Chelsea |
| 19 | Dele Alli (-2) | Tottenham Hotspur |
| 20 | Richarlison (-1) | Watford |
Strikers
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You won't be surprised to see Harry Kane retain top spot—even if he did only score the one goal this weekend. That's a light load for him.
Further down, there's plenty of switching around, with Sergio Aguero's hat-trick propelling him upward. Romelu Lukaku impressed too, and Alexandre Lacazette finally ended a drought lasting more than 10 hours. Roberto Firmino's late miss against Swansea cost him dearly, paving his descent to fourth.
Jamie Vardy has quietly reached double figures for a third successive campaign, and that moves him above the suspended and out-of-form Alvaro Morata.
Biggest rise: Sergio Aguero (+2)
Biggest fall: Roberto Firmino (-2)
| Rank | Player | Club |
| 1 | Harry Kane (Stay) | Tottenham Hotspur |
| 2 | Sergio Aguero (+2) | Manchester City |
| 3 | Romelu Lukaku (Stay) | Manchester United |
| 4 | Roberto Firmino (-2) | Liverpool |
| 5 | Jamie Vardy (+1) | Leicester City |
| 6 | Alvaro Morata (-1) | Chelsea |
| 7 | Gabriel Jesus (Stay) | Manchester City |
| 8 | Alexandre Lacazette (Stay) | Arsenal |
| 9 | Wilfried Zaha (Stay) | Crystal Palace |
| 10 | Marko Arnautovic (Stay) | West Ham United |
All statistics via WhoScored.com
