Premier League Power Rankings: Week 5
This weekend in the Premier League saw Chelsea again show their dominance, Dimitar Berbatov putting on an amazing performance against a big rival at Old Trafford, and an upset win for West Brom.
Other headlines from the weekend included Arsenal's lucky goal and getting a lucky point out of it at the Stadium of Light, Everton's slow start continuing with a loss to Newcastle, and Fulham staying unbeaten.
20. Wolverhampton (17)
1 of 20
Wolves did their best self-destruction act at White Hart Lane on Saturday.
Steven Fletcher scored just before the half to go up 1-0 on Spurs, but after Stephen Ward conceded a penalty, the wheels fell off and Mick McCarthy's men ended up losing 3-1 in North London.
19. West Ham United (20)
2 of 20
The Hammers are still the worst team in the Premier League but gain a spot in the power ranks thanks to a 1-1 draw with Stoke on Saturday.
Scott Parker's goal in the 32nd minute helped give Avram Grant's team their first point of the season.
Grant was not present due to the Jewish holiday Yom Kippur, and maybe that is a sign that the Hammers are able to get points with their current manager not present.
18. Wigan Athletic (15)
3 of 20
After a successful two weeks where they gained four points, Wigan dropped points at home to Manchester City in a game they dominated until Carlos Tevez struck for City in the 43rd minute.
Roberto Martinez's club has to start scoring goals or their goal difference, already -11, will hold them back in the fight to stay above the drop.
17. Blackpool (12)
4 of 20
The Tangerines were treated to a 4-0 loss at Stamford Bridge to Chelsea on Sunday.
All four goals were scored in the first half and Blackpool are lucky to just give up four.
A home match with Blackburn awaits next week, before two tough matches with Liverpool and Manchester City.
16. Newcastle United (19)
5 of 20
Hatem Ben Arfa scored his first goal for the Magpies in their 1-0 win over Everton at Goodison Park Saturday.
A home clash with fellow relegation-fighter Stoke is in store Sunday for Chris Hughton's men.
15. Blackburn Rovers (16)
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A home win was in the cards for Rovers until a Clint Dempsey 56th-minute goal tied the game at one each.
Still drawing with Fulham is a respectable result for Sam Allardyce's club, who now face two straight winnable away games at Blackpool and Stoke.
14. Stoke City (13)
7 of 20
After an emotional win over Aston Villa on Monday, the Potters followed up by gaining another point at the Brittania Stadium Saturday with a 1-1 draw versus West Ham.
Record-signing Kenwyne Jones scored his second goal of the season and the equalizer in the game in the 48th minute.
13. West Bromwich Albion (18)
8 of 20
The Baggies scored the upset of the week, beating Birmingham 3-1 at The Hawthorns on Saturday.
After an own goal by Scott Dann that tied the game, Peter Odemwingie and Jonas Olsson found the back of the net to catapult the Baggies into tenth place in the table.
12. Aston Villa (14)
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The good news for the Villains is that Gerard Houllier was in attendance and is scheduled to take control of the team this week.
The bad news is that they were only able to get a point from their home game with Bolton on Saturday.
Ashley Young scored a 13th-minute goal to put Villa on top, but a Kevin Davies equalizer in the 35th made it a 1-1 draw.
Hopefully with Houllier taking charge Monday, Villa can find some stability.
11. Bolton (11)
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Bolton recovered from their 4-1 loss to Arsenal last week with a 1-1 draw at Villa Park.
Kevin Davies tied the game in the 35th minute, and it stayed that way until the end.
Owen Coyle's team now welcome Manchester United on Sunday at the Reebok Stadium.
10. Everton (7)
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There is something wrong with Everton this season and, after the emotional high of coming back in the last minute against Manchester United, they fell flat in a 1-0 loss at home to Newcastle.
David Moyes' club now face road trips to Fulham and Birmingham before the Merseyside derby on October 17th at Goodison Park.
9. Liverpool (6)
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Things are also not going well on the red side of Liverpool.
A 3-2 loss at Old Trafford to Manchester United saw few positives.
One of those positives was that Steven Gerrard scored twice to give the Reds a chance in a game dominated by United.
The games keep coming for Roy Hodgson's team, who have four games in three competitions in the next two weeks.
8. Sunderland (9)
13 of 20
The Black Cats outplayed ten-man Arsenal at the Stadium of Light Saturday and were rewarded with a point when Darren Bent scored on the last kick of the game.
A win should have been the result for the Black Cats, but a wacky goal by Cesc Fabregas gave Arsenal a fortunate goal.
7. Manchester City (10)
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New haircut, old ways of scoring for Carlos Tevez, who scored in the 43rd minute to put City on top for good at the DW Stadium Sunday.
Yaya Toure netted a 70th-minute goal to give Roberto Mancini's team three points.
The big matchup of the weekend comes Saturday with Chelsea taking a trip to the City of Manchester Stadium.
6. Birmingham (3)
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What seemed to be an easy win on paper turned into an upset loss for the Blues, who were taken down by West Brom on Saturday.
Cameron Jerome scored in the 15th minute, but after Scott Dann scored a 51st-minute own goal, it went downhill for the Blues.
5. Tottenham Hotspur (8)
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Rafael van der Vaart has found his comfort zone for Spurs and is already becoming a fan favorite, not only for scoring his first home goal on a 76th-minute penalty: he also came out and told the media that Spurs are the best team in North London.
Roman Pavlyuchenko and Alan Hutton also scored for Spurs in their 3-1 win over Wolves.
4. Arsenal (2)
17 of 20
The Gunners looked horrible at the Stadium of Light Saturday and were fortunate to walk away with a point.
Cesc Fabregas scored on one of the most bizarre goals that I have ever seen and gave Arsenal a goal they did not deserve.
3. Fulham (4)
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Mark Hughes' first trip back to Ewood Park as Fulham manager was saved by Clint Dempsey's 56th-minute goal.
The 1-1 draw with Blackburn made the Cottagers unbeaten through five games, with one win and four draws. The other three unbeaten teams are Chelsea, Arsenal, and Manchester United.
2. Manchester United (5)
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Dimitar Berbatov had a spectacular Sunday at Old Trafford against long-hated rival Liverpool.
The Bulgarian scored in the 42nd, 59th and 84th minute to seal a hat trick and a United win.
The second goal went into automatic contention for goal of the year, with Berbatov doing a bicycle kick with his back to the net and the ball going into the top right corner of the net.
1. Chelsea (1)
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The Champs continued their dominant form to start the season with a 4-0 win at Stamford Bridge over Blackpool.
Salomon Kalou scored in the second minute, followed by a Florent Malouda double and a Didier Drogba goal sandwiched in between Malouda's two.
The three goal-scorers on Sunday are all in the top four scorers for the season: Malouda is tied for the lead with six, Drogba has five, and Kalou four.
As if things were not good enough, John Terry and Frank Lampard will return for the trip to Manchester City on Saturday.
