Premier League Power Rankings: Week 7
This week in the Premier League saw Chelsea get back on track with a win over Arsenal.
Manchester City kept rolling with a win over Newcastle, while Manchester United slipped up at Sunderland with a draw.
But the biggest storyline from the weekend was struggling Liverpool losing at Anfield 2-1 to Blackpool.
The league takes a week off for international dates, so no power rankings for two weeks.
As always, the number in parentheses is last week's ranking.
20. Wolverhampton (20)
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Wolves' trip to the DW Stadium on Saturday was far from a good one.
Karl Henry's reckless challenge on Jordi Gomez in the 11th minute saw Henry sent off.
Down to ten men, Wolves conceded two goals to Wigan and ended up losing 2-0.
In two weeks, a relegation battle with West Ham will take place at Molineux.
19. Newcastle (18)
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Newcastle were on the wrong end of the other reckless challenge in the EPL this week.
Hatem Ben Arfa was taken down by Manchester City's Nigel de Jong and as a result is now out with a broken leg.
The Magpies did get on the board in the 2-1 defeat thanks to Jonas Gutierrez's first goal of the season.
Chris Hughton's team gets a visit from Wigan in a relegation battle in two weeks.
18. Liverpool (15)
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Yes, you are reading this right: Liverpool are 18th in the power rankings and in the EPL table with only six points from seven games.
A defeat to EPL newcomers Blackpool at Anfield was the latest in a string of disappointments for Roy Hodgson's team.
After going down by two, Sotirios Kyrgiakos put the ball in the back of the net, but that was all the scoring the Reds could get.
To add insult to injury, Fernando Torres came off the pitch in the 10th minute with an injury.
The club is in crisis on and off the pitch and need something to fix it quickly before they drop more points, and with the Merseyside derby ahead in their next game it could be a huge boost for the Reds to win that game.
17. Blackburn (13)
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A 1-0 loss to Stoke at the Brittania was the result for Sam Allardyce and Blackburn this week.
Former Blackburn player Jon Walters struck a goal to beat his former club.
Rovers will face Sunderland at Ewood Park after the international break and will look for a home win to get the momentum going and stay clear of the drop zone.
16. Birmingham (7)
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After a decent start to the season, Birmingham have come back down to earth and are sitting 16th in the table after losing to Everton on Saturday.
Rodger Johnson's own goal put the Blues down 1-0, and they gave up a goal in the 90th minute to Tim Cahill to lose 2-0 at home.
Alex McLeish's team now face a trip to the Emirates in two weeks where they will face Arsenal.
15. Wigan (16)
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Wigan took down Wolves in a 2-0 win at the DW Stadium thanks to goals from Jordi Gomez and Hugo Rodallega.
With the win, it gives the Latics points in their last four games after their horrible start. Despite the winning, their goal differential still stands at minus-nine due to their start.
A trip to St. James' Park to face Newcastle awaits in two weeks.
14. West Ham (14)
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Frederic Puquionne netted an equalizer for the Hammers to get a point in a matchup with fellow Londoners, Fulham.
The 1-1 draw gives Avram Grant's team points in their last three games, and just like Wigan they are improving after their horrific start.
With their next two games against Wolves and Newcastle, the Hammers could easily pull themselves out of the bottom of the EPL table.
13. Everton (17)
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Maybe Everton should wear the pink jerseys every game if they want to win.
The Toffees got their first win of the season over Birmingham thanks to an own goal from Rodger Johnson and a Tim Cahill goal in the 90th minute.
The Merseyside derby is up next for the Toffees, who are in 17th going against 18th place Liverpool. Who would have predicted that at the beginning of the season?
12. Blackpool (19)
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Ian Holloway's team pulled off what could be in contention for shock-result of the year with a win at Anfield.
Charlie Adam netted a penalty in the 29th minute which was followed by a Luke Varney 45th-minute strike which gave the Tangerines a two-goal lead.
They did concede one goal to Liverpool but held on to win 2-1 at Anfield over troubled Liverpool.
Next on the schedule is a even bigger opponent in Manchester City at home. If Blackpool win that game it will be even more of a shock than the Liverpool game by far.
11. Aston Villa (5)
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The Villains came up short in their clash with Tottenham on Saturday, losing 2-1.
Marc Albrighton opened the scoring for Villa in the 16th minute, continuing his great start to the season, but Villa fell victim to the phenomenal form of Rafael van der Vaart who scored two goals for Spurs
Next up for Gerard Houllier and company is a matchup versus Chelsea at Villa Park.
10. Bolton (10)
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The Trotters earned their third draw in a row and fifth this season at The Hawthorns Saturday.
Johan Elmander scored yet again for Owen Coyle's team, making his scoring tally four goals.
Bolton will look to add to the win column against Stoke and Wigan coming up in their next two games.
9. Stoke (12)
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Jonathan Walters gave Stoke the win with his 48th-minute goal against Blackburn at the Brittania Stadium on Saturday.
The Potters have not lost since August and are up to seventh in the table with ten points.
A trip to the Reebok Stadium awaits them in two weeks, before hosting Manchester United on the 24th of October.
8. Sunderland (9)
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Sunderland probably should have beaten Manchester United at the Stadium of Light but were unsuccessful and ended up with a scoreless draw.
The Black Cats had their chances but were denied by Edwin van der Sar on a few different occasions.
Their record against the title contenders is more than impressive, with a win over Manchester City and draws with Arsenal and United. The test against Chelsea is over a month away at Stamford Bridge.
Games against Blackburn, Aston Villa and Newcastle in the next three match days could boost Steve Bruce's team into the top tier of the table if they can take full points.
7. Arsenal (6)
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A 2-0 loss to rivals Chelsea was not what the Gunners were looking for after their midweek win against Partizan Belgrade.
Good news for the Gunners came with the rumor that Mark Schwarzer could be open to joining the team in the January transfer window to solve the goalkeeping issue.
A matchup with Manchester City at the Emirates is ahead in three weeks, but the Gunners need to get back on track against Birmingham in their next EPL game.
6. West Brom (8)
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The Baggies surprising early-season form continued with a 1-1 draw with Bolton at the Hawthorns.
James Morrison scored in the 78th minute to equalize and give the Baggies another point, making it ten on the season.
West Brom are now undefeated since August and will hope to pull off another shock result, this time against Manchester United at Old Trafford in two weeks.
5. Fulham (4)
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Clint Dempsey scoring past Robert Green—a familiar scene that American fans will never stop enjoying—happened again on Saturday. This time Green was clearly beaten by the American.
The Cottagers are turning into last season's Manchester City, with draw after draw. Those results got Mark Hughes fired last season at City, but he will not face the same fate at Fulham this season.
The next three games give Fulham a chance to win games, with West Brom and Wigan coming up after a big clash with Spurs in their next game.
4. Tottenham (11)
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Rafael van der Vaart is the best signing by any EPL team in the summer transfer window.
Van der Vaart scored twice for Spurs to beat Aston Villa 2-1 on Saturday at White Hart Lane.
After playing for the Netherlands in two European qualifiers, van der Vaart and Spurs take on Fulham in their next game.
3. Manchester United (2)
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United suffered a setback in the standings: With a chance to gain ground on Arsenal, they only took a point at the Stadium of Light.
With Dimitar Berbatov on the bench and Wayne Rooney out due to injury, the United attack of Michael Own and Federico Macheda lacked the flare that Berbatov and Rooney usually have.
Berbatov did come on at the start of the second half, but United could never find a rhythm.
A home matchup with West Brom awaits in two weeks for the Red Devils.
2. Chelsea (3)
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Didier Drogba and Alex put home goals in Chelsea's 2-0 win over rivals Arsenal to get back on track after a loss to Manchester City last week.
Chelsea has an astonishing plus-21 goal differential in seven games, of which they have won six and lost one.
Right now Chelsea has to be the favorite to win the title, but both Manchester teams plus Arsenal will give them a test.
Next up is a trip to Villa Park for Carlo Ancelotti's team.
1. Manchester City (1)
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Coming off of a big win over Chelsea, City continued their hot streak with a 2-1 win over Newcastle at home on Sunday.
Carlos Tevez scored yet again for Roberto Mancini's team with his 18th- minute penalty.
Adam Johnson put a goal home in the 75th minute to give City the win and keep them in second place in the table ahead of their rivals, United.
A trip to Blackpool, followed by a home game with Arsenal is up next for City.
