English Premier League Power Rankings: Week 12
This week in the English Premier League, fans saw two upsets and three less-than-entertaining goal-less draws.
Chelsea were shocked by Sunderland at Stamford Bridge, while Manchester United also lost points in their comeback draw with Aston Villa.
Arsenal took three points in their win over Everton and drew close to Chelsea in the table.
Liverpool slipped up with loss away at Stoke. The loss showed they still have some flaws that need to be improved.
Underrated Bolton moved up to fifth in the table with their win over Wolves. Their continued success could see them fight with teams like Spurs, Manchester City, Newcastle and Sunderland for a Europa League spot.
20. Wolverhampton (20)
1 of 20
Wolves, yet again, found themselves on the losing end of their match this weekend.
After going down three to Bolton at home, goals by Kevin Foley and Steven Fletcher fueled a comeback. But they could not find a third and equalizing goal.
Wolves look to be a favorite for relegation. They are only in 19th place in table because their goal differential is one goal better than last place West Ham.
19. West Ham (19)
2 of 20
The Hammers only managed one shot on goal in their goalless draw with Blackpool at Upton Park on Saturday.
Avram Grant is still on the hot seat, even with his team taking a three-game draw streak into Anfield next week.
18. Blackburn (13)
3 of 20
After winning two straight games, Rovers lost in humiliating fashion to Tottenham over the weekend.
Gael Givet and Ryan Nelsen scored late in the second half to make the score 4-2, but Rovers were dominated throughout.
Next up is a Sunday match at Ewood Park with visiting Aston Villa.
17. Blackpool (17)
4 of 20
The Seasiders took a point out of their goalless draw with bottom-of-the-table West Ham on Saturday night.
Since their shocking win over Liverpool at the beginning of October, Ian Holloway's club have only managed five points of their six games and have fallen to 15th in the table.
A relegation battle with Wolves at Bloomfield Road is next up for Blackpool.
16. Birmingham (16)
5 of 20
Birmingham are officially in the relegation battle now.
After their 0-0 draw with Manchester City at Eastlands, the Blues are feeling the blues of settling for draws in three of their past four matches. With the relegation battle heating up, they need to record some wins.
A win will be tough to come by at home on Saturday, with Chelsea making a visit to St. Andrews.
15. West Brom (12)
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November has not treated West Bromwich Albion well at all.
With their 1-0 loss to Wigan, the Baggies have only gotten one point in four games and have gone from contending for a European slot to 12th place and the possibility of falling into the relegation fight.
14. Wigan (18)
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Coming off the momentum of holding Liverpool to a draw at home in midweek, Wigan took a 1-0 win over West Brom at the DW Stadium.
Victor Moses scored in the 70th minute to give the Latics their third win of the season. More importantly, it pulled them up out of the relegation zone for now.
A trip to Old Trafford is next on the schedule for Roberto Martinez and company.
13. Fulham (15)
8 of 20
Fulham played in an excited goalless draw with Newcastle this weekend.
Mark Schwarzer was in phenomenal form. He came up with a few clutch saves, including one on an absolute laser of a shot by Andy Carroll.
The draw was the Cottagers' eighth of the season, and it has taken them down to 16th in the table.
Wins need to come soon for Mark Hughes' club, or he could be seeing the door in the winter time for the second straight season.
12. Everton (11)
9 of 20
The Toffees' seven-game unbeaten streak was derailed by Arsenal on Sunday.
Tim Cahill scored in the 89th minute. But Everton were not able to score a late equalizer in the 2-1 defeat.
Monday Night Football awaits the 13th place club, when they travel to the Stadium of Light to take on in form Sunderland.
11. Liverpool (5)
10 of 20
After most critics were about to give credit to Liverpool for turning their season around, they went to the Brittania Stadium and lost.
A 2-0 defeat to Stoke was the result that Roy Hodgson did not want for his team after their recent run of form that saw them earn 10 points in four games.
Back down to 11th in the table, the Reds will look to rebound with last-place West Ham visiting Anfield this weekend.
10. Aston Villa (9)
11 of 20
Villa let a two-goal lead go to waste at home against Manchester United on Saturday.
A 2-2 draw was all the Villains could get after Ashley Young and Marc Albrighton put them on top in the second half.
Villa take their four-game unbeaten streak to Ewood Park on Sunday to face Blackburn.
9. Newcastle (7)
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Newcastle had their chances at home on Saturday against Fulham.
But they were denied on a few great chances by Fulham keeper Mark Schwarzer.
After he makes his debut for England on Wednesday, Andy Carroll will lead the Magpies into two big, top-of-the-table matches. The first comes on Saturday when they travel to the Reebok Stadium to face Bolton before Chelsea visits St. James Park in two weeks.
8. Stoke (14)
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The Potters had the shock win of Saturday's games with their 2-0 win over Liverpool at home.
Ricardo Fuller and Kenwyne Jones found the back of the net for the Potters, giving them a two-game win streak after losing four straight before that.
A trip to the Hawthorns to take on struggling West Brom is next for Tony Pulis and company.
7. Manchester City (4)
14 of 20
244 minutes without a goal, and City have still taken two points from their last two matches.
A goalless draw at home against Birmingham led to the team being booed off the field on Saturday.
A trip to Craven Cottage will be next for City, who look to score a goal and take a win on their trip to London on Sunday.
6. Chelsea (1)
15 of 20
Chelsea were shocked at Stamford Bridge on Sunday by Sunderland.
With John Terry and Alex out injured, Paulo Ferreira and Branislav Ivanovic were forced to play central defense and were torn apart by the visitors.
The loss was the Blues' first to Sunderland since 2001 and their first home loss since March. It gave their title contenders a chance to gain ground, although Arsenal was the only contender to do so.
Carlo Ancelotti's club look to rebound with Birmingham and Newcastle next on the their EPL schedule.
5. Sunderland (10)
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Nedum Onuoha, Asamoah Gyan and Danny Welbeck all scored for Sunderland in their 3-0 upset of Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.
The Black Cats have responded well after their devastating loss in the Tyne-Wear derby by going on a three-game unbeaten streak, where they have gained seven points and moved up to sixth in the EPL table.
4. Bolton (6)
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Bolton continue to impress in the EPL and have moved up to fifth place in the EPL table after their 3-2 win over Wolves.
American Stuart Holden scored his first goal for the club. It turned out to be the game-winner after Wolves' comeback fell short late in the game.
Owen Coyle's club could be legit Europa League contenders and need to prove that with a good performance at home against Newcastle on Saturday.
3. Manchester United (2)
18 of 20
A late comeback saved a point for the Red Devils at Villa Park on Saturday.
Federico Macheda and Nemanja Vidic both scored in the last eight minutes to save face for Sir Alex Ferguson and company,
Home matchups with Wigan and Blackburn are next for United in games they must take full points from.
2. Tottenham (8)
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Gareth Bale has been the best player in the EPL all season.
He proved that yet again with display against Blackburn, where he netted two goals in Spurs' 4-2 win.
Roman Pavlyuchenko and Peter Crouch both scored for Spurs as well to keep the team at seventh in the EPL table on 19 points.
The Gareth Bale Show visits the Emirates on Saturday in a London derby with Arsenal.
1. Arsenal (3)
20 of 20
Goals from Bacary Sagna and Cesc Fabregas sealed the Gunners' 2-1 win over Everton on Sunday.
Arsenal were the only team out of the four main contenders to gain a full three points on the weekend. They are now only two points behind Chelsea in the table.
A huge London derby clash with Tottenham at the Emirates is next up for Arsene Wenger's club.
