English Premier League Power Rankings: Week 8

As the Premier League finishes its eighth week of fixtures, the teams which are contending for the title and fighting to survive the relegation threat are beginning to show.

Manchester City yet again won by three goals, this time over Aston Villa, a team that will surely be in the fight for the Europa League spot.

Manchester United slipped up against Liverpool and now go into the biggest match of the season, the Manchester derby, two points behind their crosstown rivals.

On the other side of the table, Bolton finally got the win they were looking for over Wigan while Blackburn and Wolves continue to struggle.

As always, the number in parentheses represents last week's ranking.

20. Wigan (19)

It is shaping up to be another fight to survive relegation this season at the DW Stadium.

The Latics dropped their game against Bolton on Saturday in a 3-1 loss.

Mohamed Diame scored his second goal of the season in the club's fifth straight loss.

19. Wolverhampton (17)

Wolves are also in the midst of a five-game losing streak as they fell in the Black Country derby to West Brom by a score of 2-0.

Two of the next three games for Mick McCarthy and company are crucial to the relegation race, as they host Swansea and Wigan with a trip to Manchester City in between the two home fixtures.

18. Blackburn (18)

Chris Samba proved how vital his presence on the Blackburn team is on Saturday as he scored the equalizer for Rovers in their 1-1 at Loftus Road with QPR.

The draw stopped a two-game losing streak and gave Rovers their fifth point, but the club still sit last in the table ahead of their home match with Tottenham on Sunday.

17. Bolton (20)

Bolton got their second win of the season over fellow relegation contenders Wigan.

Nigel Reo-Coker, David Ngog and Chris Eagles scored in the 3-1 road win at the DW Stadium.

The Trotters will look to keep the positive momentum from the win going as they host Sunderland on Saturday.

16. Swansea City (13)

The Swans' venture into East Anglia was a disappointing one as they gave up two goals in the first 10 minutes to Norwich City on Saturday.

Danny Graham scored in the 12th minute in a comeback attempt, but it was to no avail as the Swans lost 3-1.

The loss continued a four-game losing streak on the road for Brendan Rodgers' club as they have gained all of their eight points at home this season.

15. Sunderland (11)

Sunderland fell further down the table with a loss to Arsenal on Sunday.

The Black Cats gave up a late goal to Robin van Persie and eventually lost 2-1 at the Emirates Stadium.

Now Sunderland face a struggling Bolton club on Saturday in a game where the loser could see their manager get sacked.

14. Queens Park Rangers (14)

QPR were held to a draw at home on Saturday as they finished in 1-1 result with Blackburn.

Heidar Helguson scored in the 16th minute before QPR were equalized eight minutes later.

Neil Warnock and company now face two straight games against their fellow occupants in London beginning with a home match with Chelsea on Sunday.

13. Norwich City (16)

Norwich got out to an early start which propelled them to a 3-1 win over Swansea.

Anthony Pilkington scored in the first minute and Russell Martin followed with a goal in the 10th minute.

Pilkington then scored again in the 63rd minute to seal the win for the Canaries.

12. Fulham (8)

Two weeks after earning their first win in a blowout over QPR, Fulham went back to their losing ways by falling to Stoke 2-0.

Before Everton on Sunday, the Cottagers will travel to Poland for a clash with Wisla Krakow in the Europa League.

11. Stoke (15)

Stoke scored two late goals to pull off a win against Fulham.

Jonathan Walters in the 80th minute and Rory Delap in the 87th minute provided the goals for the Potters.

A home match with Maccabi Tel Aviv on Thursday is ahead in the Europa League for the Potters as they look to stay undefeated in Europe this season.  

10. Everton (9)

Everton continued their losing streak as they fell to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.

Apostolos Vellios scored his team-leading second goal of the season in the 81st minute to keep the club from being shut out.

The attention at Everton right now is not on their performance as much as it is on Ross Barkley, who may be the center of a bidding war between the big clubs in the January transfer window.

9. Aston Villa (6)

Aston Villa were thrashed by Manchester City by a score of 4-1 on Saturday.

Villa did drop to eighth in the table, but they should not start a losing streak after this game as City is just flat out dominant right now.

8. West Brom (12)

Chris Brunt and Peter Odemwingie provided a goal each in West Brom's victory over Wolves.

The Baggies now go into a tough three-game stretch as they first have to visit Aston Villa before taking on Liverpool and Arsenal in the two following games.

7. Arsenal (10)

Robin van Persie yet again led Arsenal to a victory as he struck twice in the 2-1 win over Sunderland.

The Dutchman now has five goals on the season for the Gunners after his double at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday.

A crowded schedule is ahead for the Gunners as they have two Champions League games with Marseille, a Carling Cup match with Bolton and Premier League games with Chelsea and Stoke all in the next two weeks.

6. Liverpool (7)

Steven Gerrard's return to the Liverpool lineup helped gain the Reds a draw against rivals Manchester United.

Gerrard's 68th-minute goal gave Liverpool the lead before United equalized late.

A fairly easy home game at Anfield on Saturday with Norwich is up next for the Reds.

5. Newcastle (5)

Newcastle held their own in a top-six clash with Tottenham on Sunday as they drew 2-2 with Spurs.

The Magpies came from behind twice in the game as Demba Ba and Shola Ameobi both scored equalizers.

Newcastle have to be the surprise of the season so far, as they have consistently been in the top five and currently sit fourth.  

4. Tottenham (3)

Tottenham played to a draw with Newcastle on Sunday.

Rafael van der Vaart and Jermain Defoe scored the goals for Spurs in the 2-2 draw.

A home test in the Europa League against Rubin Kazan awaits on Thursday before a trip to Ewood Park on Sunday, as Spurs look to beat up on a struggling Blackburn club.

3. Chelsea (4)

Chelsea had a fairly easy time getting rid of Everton on Saturday as they took a 3-1 win out of the game at Stamford Bridge.

Daniel Sturridge opened the scoring in the 31st minute while John Terry and Ramires also scored in the win.

Chelsea may be a dark-horse candidate to win the league title as they have kept pace with the Manchester clubs, sitting only three points behind City and one point behind United,

2. Manchester United (2)

Chicharito rescued United from a loss against Liverpool with a goal in the 81st minute.

The draw drops United to two points behind Manchester City ahead of the biggest match of the Premier League season.

The Red Devils can recapture first place with a win over their crosstown rivals in the Manchester derby on Sunday.

1. Manchester City (1)

City cruised to win No. 7 on the season with 4-1 win over Aston Villa.

Mario Balotelli, James Milner, Adam Johnson and Vincent Kompany all found the back of the net in the win.

Now it is time for the match City fans have been waiting for to prove they are title-worthy and that match is the Manchester derby on Sunday against United.