Declan Rice is standing up when Arsenal need him most and Conor Gallagher is at the heart of Chelsea’s dramatic improvement… but who takes the top spot in this week’s POWER RANKINGS?
Both Manchester City and Arsenal claimed victories over the weekend against Wolves and Bournemouth respectively to all but ensure a breathless finish to this season’s Premier League title race.
But up and down the table at the business end of the 2023-24 campaign teams are set to be duelling until the very last to ensure firm footing for next season.
Few could have predicted after Chelsea’s 5-0 humbling at the hands of the Gunners that just a handful of matches later, the European places could be in their sights. But after dominant showings against Tottenham and West Ham – and a helpful slip-up from Manchester United – Mauricio Pochettino’s players can at least start dreaming of a top-six finish.
Newcastle too ramped up their efforts, recording a 4-1 victory against Burnley, while Nottingham Forest shored up their hopes of staying in the Premier League with a win against relegated Sheffield United.
Elsewhere, Liverpool offered a hefty dose of reality to Tottenham’s plans of a Champions League finish, Fulham and Brentford shared points, as did Everton and Luton, and Brighton did just enough to squeak a 1-0 win against faltering Aston Villa.
Arsenal remain on top of the Premier League table after a 3-0 victory against Bournemouth
But Manchester City are hot on their heels after pulling off a 5-1 drubbing against Wolves
Their crosstown rivals Manchester United experienced another downturn against Palace
But now that the dust has settled, and next matchday’s fixtures are just about coming into view, who has risen and who has fallen – and fallen off – in this week’s Premier League power rankings?
10. Callum Hudson-Odoi (new entry)
With the club’s four-point penalty confirmed after their appeal to the Premier League was turned down and hovering just one point above the relegation zone, Forest will have likely viewed a meeting with already-condemned Sheffield United as a banana skin.
There is no room for error from Nuno Espirito Santo‘s side, and a competent win against the Blades on the road will have no doubt buoyed their chances of staying up considerably – with Hudson-Odoi’s brace largely responsible for seeing out the tricky contest.
Once viewed as a potential first-team regular or a candidate for a big-money move abroad, Hudson-Odoi got lost in the shuffle of Chelsea‘s 2022 takeover and could yet become one of the cautionary tales so familiar to followers of the west London club.
The academy graduate was allowed to move to the City Ground in a cut-price £3million deal and has found his footing in a debut season laced with pitfalls. Steve Cooper may have convinced the 23-year-old to move north, but six of his seven league goals have come under Nuno, and Hudson-Odoi is a much-valued regular in his side.
Callum Hudson-Odoi is making his £3m price tag look miserly in his first season at Forest
9. Harvey Elliott (new entry)
The tag super-substitute can be a heavy mantle to bear and despite his dazzling cameos for Liverpool this season, Elliott has at times wondered about whether he can play a larger role in the club’s starting XI plans. While it hasn’t happened in Jurgen Klopp‘s final season as much as he might have liked, there’s little doubt it will under incoming manager Arne Slot.
Only Kevin De Bruyne and Rodri from the mighty Man City machine have more assists across all competitions than the academy graduate, who added an ninth to his tally to set up Cody Gakpo for Liverpool’s third.
His own strike followed: a pearl struck with supreme confidence from the top of the D that had the Kop – and Klopp – in raptures.
Harvey Elliott has often played the role of super substitute at Liverpool during this season
But the academy graduate will likely play a much larger role in Liverpool’s future plans
Tuesday night saw the return of Chelsea’s annual club awards, after a one-year hiatus following a season believed to be too abysmal to warrant them. There’s much more to celebrate one campaign later, and it was fitting that Palmer took home both Men’s Player of the Year and the Players’ Player of the Year awards after a eye-popping debut season.
Absent via illness against Arsenal, Palmer was able to terrify one north London side when Chelsea pulled off a confident win against Tottenham to complete the double over their London rivals. While he may have wanted his name on the scoresheet rather than solely a supporting role in Nicolas Jackson’s headed effort, his freekick to strike the crossbar was another reminded of his lethal set-piece abilities.
Stronger still was his showing against West Ham, although he had to jostle for the spotlight once against as Chelsea pulled off a fine team performance. This time, however, he could net the 21st of his campaign. Erling Haaland may have pulled away in the race for the Golden Boot, but if Chelsea are to do battle in Europe next season, it will be thanks in no small part to the Man City transplant.
Cole Palmer claimed both player awards at Chelsea’s end of season ceremony on Tuesday
The forward has frequently impressed and found himself on the scoresheet again vs West Ham
7. Adam Wharton (new entry)
Signed from Blackburn Rovers for £22m in January, the 20-year-old may have left it a hair too late to be seriously under consideration for a spot in Gareth Southgate’s ranks in Germany this summer. But the midfielder’s showing against Manchester United confirmed that it will be all in good time for Wharton.
Palace may have faced an utterly desolate United side, but it was a marker of Oliver Glasner’s side’s quality on Monday evening that the visitors looked so profoundly average.
Not least in midfield, with Wharton able to slip through and launch attacks with increasing ease. Wharton has distinguished himself as a pivotal part of Glasner’s set-up and is flourishing alongside Eberechi Eze and Michael Olise. Needless to say, odds on his inclusion in Southgate’s squad remain long – but they’ve been slashed.
Adam Wharton (left) looks like a smarter piece of January business for Palace every time he gets a run-out
The 20-year-old is a long-shot for a place at the European Championship but continues to grow
6. Alexander Isak (down five)
The Sweden international is chalking up a formidable home record after scoring in seven consecutive matches at St James’ Park, but his away form is hardly something to be sniffed at.
Burnley may not represent the fiercest opponents that Newcastle have faced this season, but with a win crucial to both teams as they seek Premier League safety and a spot in Europe respectively, the Magpies’ 4-1 victory is no less a statement of intent.
Isak may have missed his penalty but it was moments later than he could rectify the slip-up with Newcastle’s fourth, a neatly hammered shot from close range that a skittled Arijanet Muric had no hope of leaping up to stop.
Alexander Isak (centre left) may have missed a penalty against Burnley but quickly recovered
Clarets ‘keeper Arijanet Muric was no match for the Sweden international’s hammered strike
5. Conor Gallagher (non-mover)
No Chelsea fan will be able to have a say in whether Gallagher stays or leaves west London at the end of the season, but they have proved their point. Against Tottenham – the rumoured frontrunners for the midfielder’s signature – the Stamford Bridge faithful unfurled a two-tier banner in tribute to their captain on the night, a player who has been ‘Chelsea since birth’.
Gallagher duly offered his response, another out-of-his-skin performance that helped the Blues claim victory against their derby rivals and continue their impressive home record. Cole Palmer has been rightly celebrated as the club’s player of the season, but Gallagher has consistently looked hungry every minute he’s spent on the pitch when his team-mates have been accused of lacking desire.
On the scoresheet in Chelsea’s rampant drubbing of West Ham days later, Gallagher again determinedly threw himself into every scrap and shimmied the ball upfield to spark onslaught after onslaught. There have been some decisions that have smacked of lunacy during the tumultuous Todd Boehly-led new era at Chelsea: letting Gallagher go could represent a new high-water mark.
Conor Gallagher has put his heart and soul into wrenching Chelsea’s season from the abyss
He was rewarded with a banner by the Stamford Bridge faithful but is not assured of staying for next season
4. Michael Olise (new entry)
Clinging onto Olise might have been hard enough for Crystal Palace when the France international was sidelined by injury, but now back at his best, it could be nigh-on impossible for the south London club to hold onto their gem for another season.
The 22-year-old wasted no time getting onto the scoresheet against a woebegotten Man United on Monday evening, his first strike coming after just 13 minutes – more than enough time for the hosts to start firing past their inadequate visitors. Olise – alongside Eze – then continued to terrorise the United backline for the remainder of their time on the pitch.
Olise picked up his second to cap an excellent Palace performance with another goal of quality, which Andre Onana hadn’t a hope of stopping. Only his substitution likely stopped him from claiming another, after netting nine times in just 17 games.
Michael Olise (left) was one of Man United’s chief terrorisers on Monday night at Selhurst Park
The Frenchman has seen his season stunted by injury but claiming two more goals at home
3. Declan Rice (new entry)
The England international holds himself to impossibly high standards – remonstrating himself after the final whistle for missing a number of chances – but even he must be privately impressed with how successful his first season at the Emirates has been.
Rice put in another command performance against Bournemouth on Saturday afternoon as he continues to look worth every penny of the £105m Arsenal paid West Ham for the midfielder over the summer – and then some.
The 25-year-old was also able to burnish his personal record with the final late goal of the contest, a coolly struck finish that underscored another important victory. But in selfless fashion, this wasn’t until after first setting up Leandro Trossard’s crucial strike to firm up the Gunners’ lead – and help them keep vital pace in the Premier League title race.
Declan Rice has been able to live up to his blockbuster price tag at the Emirates this season
The midfield maestro nabbed a spot on the scoresheet after first assisting Leandro Trossard
2. Bukayo Saka (non-mover)
Amid a quieter run of games that has seen him score just three since February in the league, Saka is sparkling like the player of old just as it becomes crucial for Arsenal’s title hopes.
On the heels of an explosive showing in the north London derby, the England international again put in a heroic shift at the Emirates to ensure that Mikel Arteta’s players could once again end the weekend in pole position.
Saka showed his hardiness when recovering from Ryan Christie’s nasty and visibly sore challenge, dusting himself off to score from the spot and kick off what would become a comprehensive victory over Andoni Iraola’s upstart Bournemouth side.
The 22-year-old also left an indelible mark on Dango Ouattara, whose frequent – and failed – attempts to outsmart the lethal winger had head coach Iraola chalking up their battle to a ‘learning experience’ after the final whistle.
Bukayo Saka is looking increasingly back to his best in an Arsenal shirt at the season’s close
1. Erling Haaland (up eight)
Was it so long ago that we were questioning whether the Norwegian behemoth had somewhat lost his touch?
Blinded in the face of the extraordinary brilliance of his debut season at Man City, the fact that Haaland had only scored three times since mid-March made some ponder whether the striker was experiencing a goal drought.
Erling Haaland was experiencing a relative drought but put rumours of a lull to rest vs Wolves
The Norwegian behemoth claimed four and seemed upset not to have inflicted more damage
Few would think that after City’s comprehensive rout of Wolves on Saturday. Netting a first-half hat-trick before claiming a fourth inside an hour on the pitch, Haaland looked downright furious to be substituted rather than kept on to inflict more damage on the visitors.
Pep Guardiola’s side already has a formidable reputation for coming into precise form exactly when it matters in the title race.
Their final three opponents – Fulham, Tottenham, and West Ham – will now have the same concerns about their sharpest weapon up front.
