Son Heung-min stuns Aston Villa and Cole Palmer ramps up his case to start at the Euros while Kai Havertz makes Premier League history… but who sits top of the pile in this week’s POWER RANKINGS?
With 10 games to go in the Premier League season, things really could not be much tighter at the top.
Arsenal beat Brentford 2-1 courtesy of a late winner from Kai Havertz to go top of the table, with fellow contenders Liverpool and Manchester City playing out a 1-1 draw at Anfield.
That left the Gunners on pole by virtue of their superior goal difference, while Aston Villa and Tottenham battled it out for fourth place, Spurs inflicting a 4-0 win to narrow the gap to Unai Emery’s side to just two points.
At the other end of the table, Luton left it very late indeed to draw 1-1 with Crystal Palace, while Sheffield United and Burnley also took a point off Bournemouth and West Ham respectively.
But which players have stood out over the last few weeks? Who keeps their place in the POWER RANKINGS for a continued run of form, and who drops out? Read on to find out.
Kai Havertz headed the winner as Arsenal went top of the table with a 2-1 victory over Brentford
Manchester City and Liverpool played out a 1-1 draw that saw the top three now separated by just a single point
Cauley Woodrow scored a 96th-minute equaliser for Luton at Crystal Palace to earn a valuable point
10. Virgil van Dijk (New Entry)
A new entry at the bottom of the list is Liverpool’s titanic, monolithic captain Virgil van Dijk after a truly impressive display against Manchester City to keep his side in the hunt for a Premier League crown.
The Dutchman dealt admirably with the myriad threats posed by one of the most potent attacking forces in the world, spear-headed by an Erling Haaland-shaped weapon of mass destruction.
When not putting last-ditch efforts to thwart Phil Foden and Co, Van Dijk was a cool head on the ball – shock – recording a 97.5 per cent passing accuracy in what is undoubtedly the biggest game of the season for his side.
In a Liverpool side blighted by injuries and brimming with young talents, someone of his composure and calm in the side leading the way is worth three first-team starts fit and ready. It also helps that he’s probably the best defender in the world right now.
Virgil van Dijk put in a brilliant challenge on Phil Foden to deny the England star a chance
Van Dijk’s consistency and leadership have served an injury-ravaged Liverpool side well
9. Ollie Watkins (Down Six)
He might have more goal contributions than anyone else in the Premier League this season, but Ollie Watkins endured a very quiet day out on Sunday afternoon – something that is becoming a bit of a collector’s item at the minute.
With 16 goals and 10 assists to his name, only a No 9 of the calibre of Harry Kane has a right to start ahead of him for England next summer, but he will know that he struggled to make an impact against Tottenham.
At Luton the week before he had impressed with his hold-up play and pace in behind the defence, and against Ange Postecoglou’s prodigious high-line in the first half he had appeared to get some joy.
The decision to square the ball in front of goal early on rather than shoot will surely haunt him. Watkins will feel that he could have contributed more – maybe he could have – but that does not take away from a brilliant season he is having. He deserved his third-place finish last week, and he will likely be right back up there very soon.
Ollie Watkins struggled to replicate his feats of last week against Tottenham in a quiet display
8. Ben White (New Entry)
Arsenal’s No 4 Ben White was signed as a centre back, but is surely making a case for the most consistent right back in the league. Since the start of last season, he has only missed one game in the top-flight.
They affectionately call him the Love Island Maldini, but at the moment he is putting up attacking numbers more akin to a certain Trent Alexander-Arnold – a goal and two assists coming in his last three games as the Gunners power to the top of the table.
He set up both headers in the win over Brentford in a dominant creative showing from the versatile defender, as well as having 84 touches of the ball and winning back possession on six occasions in a brilliant performance at both ends.
Arsenal have now won all eight of their games in 2024, and while there have been a number of high profile star performers, White’s form has been a huge part of Mikel Arteta’s side’s return to the top.
Ben White provided both assists for the Gunners to take his tally of contributions to three in his last three
7. Cole Palmer (New Entry)
There’s a certain Arsenal midfielder that might have a claim to the best signing of the season, but Cole Palmer is certainly second and rising in that list after yet another stunning display for Chelsea on Monday night.
His performance against Newcastle saw him become the outright leader this term for registering a goal and an assist in the same game, now doing so on five occasions in 2023-24.
Palmer is one of the few bright sparks to come from an ocean of Chelsea signings in the last 18 months, and has now got 18 contributions in his first term at the Blues, with only five Chelsea players ever doing more in their debut campaign.
Palmer is fast becoming hard to ignore for Gareth Southgate’s first England XI in the Euros this summer – it seems like a long time ago that we were even offering his name up as a surprise contender for a seat on the plane – and regardless of where Chelsea end up this season, he has surely been one of the most exciting players to watch in the entire league.
Cole Palmer has continued his already strong case to start at the Euros with a goal and assist against Newcastle
6. Alexis Mac Allister (Up Three)
Since first arriving in the Premier League with Brighton, Alexis Mac Allister has only missed one penalty from 10, and he came up with the goods in arguably his biggest yet on Sunday to equalise against Manchester City.
Mac Allister is another who has a claim to being one of the best signings of the season, already showing he is worth at least double the £35million that Liverpool paid Brighton for his services over the summer.
He was arguably the best player on the pitch at Anfield, with two shots on target, eight passes into the final third, 86 touches, 11 recoveries and eight duels won against the best team in the universe.
He has played as a defensive midfielder, a No 8 and a No 10 at times this season for Liverpool, but in the last seven games he has become one of the go-to guys in the side at a time when there is no room for error. Seven goal contributions in seven games tell you all you need to know, and Mac Allister is surely one of the first names on Klopp’s teamsheets at the business end of this title race of all title races.
Alexis Mac Allister has only missed one of his 10 penalties since arrive to the Premier League
The Argentina international midfielder scored the all-important equaliser from the spot against City
5. Bukayo Saka (Down Three)
It’s a strange case indeed when you fall three places despite having what most players would consider a perfectly good game in a 2-1 win, but those are the ridiculous heights that Bukayo Saka has set himself over the last few years.
England’s best right-sided forward – probably – has been the talisman for Arsenal’s title push once again, Saka failed to record a goal or assist for just the third time in his last 11 appearances in all competitions.
That’s not to say he was out of the action on Saturday – he had 13 touches in the opposition box, a 100 per cent dribble success rate, was successful in 75 per cent of his duels and recovered possession three times.
Granted, it wasn’t the Gunners favourite’s most glittering display in attack, but his form has been so strong in the last few games that he rightfully retains his place in the top five after what most would consider a strong showing at home to Brentford.
Bukayo Saka may not have scored or assisted for the Gunners but was still in impressive form
4. Phil Foden (Down Three)
In a team that has Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne in it, to say that Phil Foden has been the brightest attacking spark at Man City in the last few weeks sounds incredible, but it isn’t actually far from the truth.
The England star was No 1 in our list last week, and despite a relatively quiet showing against Liverpool at Anfield, he is still one of the form players in the Premier League right now.
His last seven outings in the Premier League have seen him plunder seven goals and an assist, as he plays his way relatively uncontested at the moment into the left-wing berth in the England team.
Against Liverpool he only had a 50 per cent dribble success rate, was dispossessed four times and missed an early big chance thanks to some good work from Van Dijk, but that does not take away from the prodigious form that Foden is in right now. Expect a massive response next time out against the Gunners in the league.
Phil Foden was top of the Power Rankings last week but a rare quiet showing against Liverpool sees him drop three places
3. Son Heung-min (New Entry)
Since the start of 2022, a Tottenham player has only ever been involved in three or more goals on six occasions. All six of those belong to Son Heung-min.
Against Aston Villa, Son came up with two assists as well as an added time third goal as Spurs put the hosts to the sword to cut the gap to two points in the battle for fourth place.
As a captain Son has stepped into both pairs of shoes vacated by Harry Kane and Hugo Lloris with Spurs performing brilliantly this term. In fact you’d be forgiven for not realising the leadership vacuum that has been created in the last two windows, with long-term presence Eric Dier also leaving in January.
Son is one of the finest attackers in the world when on form; devastating pace, unerring accuracy, and lethal dribbling that let him score for fun. Sunday’s staggering showing at Villa should serve as a warning to the rest of the league with the South Korean star set to end the season on a frighteningly high note.
Son Heung-min has contributed to three or more goals in a single game six times since the start of 2022 for Tottenham
2. Kai Havertz (Up Two)
There have been some fabulous German players in the Premier League over the years – Michael Ballack, Mesut Ozil, Lukas Podolski, Jurgen Klinsmann… Kai Havertz has now done something none of those icons ever managed by scoring in four consecutive top-flight games.
The sounds of Shakira’s Waka Waka are still echoing through the streets of north London as Arsenal fans sing ‘£65m down the drain, Kai Havertz scores again!’ once again after his fantastic header against Brentford to complete the 2-1 win that sent them to the top of the table.
He had a rough start to his Arsenal career, there’s no denying it, but the way he has bounced back to become a crucial part of Arteta’s set up and make that advanced midfield role his own has been impressive indeed.
The only reason he is not top of the list – apart from another Gunners star scoring once again – is that regrettable dive late in the London derby with the Bees. Nobody wants to see that, game-winning performance or not.
Havertz has become the first German player ever to score in four successive Premier League games
1. Declan Rice (Up Four)
And so, just beating his midfield partner to the post, is Declan Rice who climbs to the top of the Power Rankings for the first time this season, which may surprise a few given how brilliant he has been for Arsenal.
Rice’s powerful header to open the scoring was just the first time ever in his 232 Premier League appearances that he has netted in back-to-back games as the former West Ham skipper thrives under Arteta’s tutelage at the Emirates.
Declan Rice has scored in back-to-back games in the Premier League for the first time ever
The Arsenal star in midfield still managed to fulfil all his defensive duties while having an impact in the final third
Rice is proving he is more than just a midfield enforcer. The addition of Jorginho to the Premier League starting XI in recent weeks has given him greater license to get up the pitch and impact the game in the final third.
Against Brentford he had four touches in the opponent box, as well as two passes into the final third, and still managed to exceed all his defensive duties with eight successful duels, including six won in the air, and had four recoveries and gave away no fouls throughout.
In his last five Premier League outings, Rice has an impressive three goals and three assists from midfield and his form is giving England fans plenty to dream about ahead of the summer. A midfield three of Rice, Foden and Jude Bellingham… just picture it for a second and savour the prospect.
With another goal and yet another commanding performance over the weekend, Rice is in with a shout for being the best player in the league right now, and after his ridiculous form has continued for another game, he rightly takes top spot in our Power Rankings.
