Premier League Power Rankings: Week 4
After a week off for international competition, the Premier League returned this weekend with a slew of draws and big wins for Chelsea, Arsenal, Blackpool, Stoke and Fulham.
Chelsea and Arsenal continued to cruise in first and second respectively.
Manchester United and Liverpool both dropped points on the road in draws.
The injury bug caught midfielder Luka Modric and foward Bobby Zamora, as both went down with leg injuries and will be big losses for Tottenham and Fulham.
20. West Ham United (20)
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West Ham are digging themselves into a very large relegation hole and Avram Grant is certain to be the first EPL manager getting the boot this season.
A 3-1 home loss to Chelsea just added insult to the misery that Hammers fans have felt this season so far.
19. Newcastle United (14)
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A tough home loss to Blackpool at St. James' Park made life not so great for the Magpies.
The good news for Chris Hughton's squad is that they have a goal scorer in striker Andy Carroll and can battle stay above the drop unlike West Ham.
18. West Brom (19)
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A Chris Brunt equalizer in the 41st minute at the Hawthorns gave the Baggies a 1-1 draw with Spurs.
This is a huge point for Roberto di Matteo's club and they hope to produce the same result against Birmingham at The Hawthorns on Saturday.
17. Wolverhampton (15)
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Jelle van Damme hit the back of the net in the 10th minute at Craven Cottage Saturday but Wolves were unable to stop Fulham's Moussa Dembele, who scored two goals to beat Mick McCarthy's club.
A trip back to London at White Hart Lane awaits Wolves on Saturday.
16. Blackburn Rovers (16)
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Rovers came away from the City of Manchester Stadium with a 1-1 draw on Saturday.
Forward Nikola Kalinic put home his second goal of the season in the 25th minute to start the scoring.
Defender Paul Robinson continues to play good in goal after his retirement from the England squad.
15. Wigan Athletic (13)
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After two brutal losses to start the season, Roberto Martinez's club has turned it around.
The Latics came away with a point against Sunderland thanks to defender Antolin Alcaraz's first goal for the club in the 87th minute.
14. Aston Villa (11)
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Villa should have beaten Stoke on Monday night but instead fell 2-1 at the Brittania on Monday night.
Stewart Downing's goal in the 35th minute was the only goal that the Villains could muster
13. Stoke City (18)
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Stoke got a surprise appearance from Tony Pulis on the bench in the second half after his mother passed earlier on Monday.
The Brittania Stadium gained energy once Pulis emerged and the players fed off the energy with Kenwyne Jones scoring and more impressively performing a back flip after his goal.
Robert Huth then put away the winner in the last minute off stoppage on a deflection from a Matthew Etherington shot.
12. Blackpool (17)
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The Tangerines were at it again Saturday with another road win against a relegation opponent with a 2-0 win at St. James' Park over Newcastle.
Charlie Adam put away a penalty in the 45th minute and then DJ Campbell sealed the win with a goal in the 90th minute.
11. Bolton Wanderers (8)
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Johan Elmander netted the only score in the 44th minute at the Emirates in a 4-1 loss to Arsenal on Saturday.
Gary Cahill's 64th minute red card did not help Bolton, who gave up two goals after the ejection.
To prove their worth in the top half of the table, Owen Coyle's club have to perform in the next two games, away at Aston Villa and home versus Manchester United.
10. Manchester City (9)
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City drew with Blackburn at home on Saturday and are starting to follow the path of last season with the draws.
EPL veteran Patrick Vieira scored his second goal for the club since joining in January to salvage a point.
Roberto Mancini's club now enter a stretch of five games in two weeks with two Europa League matches against Salzburg and Juventus, two EPL contests with Wigan and Chelsea and Carling Cup match at West Brom.
9. Sunderland (7)
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A 1-1 draw with his old club was not the result Steve Bruce wanted against Wigan.
Lee Cattermole was sent off in the 22nd minute, at risk of losing his captain title, according to some reports.
One positive for Bruce and the Black Cats is that forward Asamoah Gyan scored his first goal for the club in the 66th minute.
8. Tottenham Hotspur (10)
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Spurs' 1-1 draw with West Brom was not the only blow to their hopes of contending for European slots.
Modric had to leave the game in the first half and could be out for a while, joining Jermain Defoe on the list of players recently injured.
The good news for the Spurs is that they have plenty of goal scoring depth. With William Gallas and Rafael van der Vaart making their first team debuts Saturday, they should be fine.
7. Everton (12)
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Tim Cahill and Mikel Arteta both scored in stoppage time at Goodison Park against Manchester United.
The game finished 3-3 and gave Everton a much needed point after starting the season off slow.
Momentum needs to carry the Toffees through the games after their match with Newcastle next week, they have to play at Fulham, Birmingham, the Spurs and play Liverpool at home.
6. Liverpool (4)
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Liverpool avoided a very-likely loss to Birmingham on Sunday, thanks to Pepe Reina's play. As a result, they were able to take a point away from St. Andrews.
Roy Hodgson's team now has to travel to Old Trafford on Sunday for a crucial matchup with Manchester United.
5. Manchester United (3)
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United suffered the biggest disappointment of the week, giving up two goals in stoppage time to give up two points, settling for a draw at Goodison Park.
Darren Fletcher, Nemanja Vidic and Dimitar Berbatov all scored before Everton scored two late goals.
A home match with Liverpool awaits Sunday morning for the Red Devils.
4. Fulham (6)
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Fulham won three more points thanks to Dembele's double at Craven Cottage on Saturday.
The win did come with a price, with Zamora suffering a leg injury that could see the England international star out for months.
3. Birmingham (5)
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The Blues dominated Liverpool on Saturday at St. Andrews and proved once again they are here to stay at the top part of the table.
Alex McLeish's club now have games against West Brom and Wigan to boost their point total in the next two weeks.
2. Arsenal (2)
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The Gunners looked like a true title contender beating Bolton 4-1 at the Emirates.
Laurent Koscielny, Marouane Chamakh, Carlos Vela and Alex Song all found the back of the net to keep the Gunners two points behind Chelsea in the league table.
1. Chelsea (1)
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Chelsea have looked unstoppable so far this season.
This week, a 3-1 win over West Ham on the road at Upton Park made the Blues 12 for 12 on points.
Michael Essien scored a double, with Salomon Kalou's goal sandwiched in between.
Chelsea go into midweek play against MSK Zilina in the Champions League on Wednesday and should cruise to victory like they have in their past four Premier League games.
