Son Heung-min ran riot as Tottenham beat Newcastle, Mohamed Salah shone for Liverpool and Fulham’s Raul Jimenez continued to impress – but who takes top spot in this week’s POWER RANKINGS?
- Aston Villa completed the perfect week with a 1-0 victory over leaders Arsenal
- Everton dragged themselves out the bottom three with 2-0 win over Chelsea
- Will Marcus Rashford EVER be the real deal? Listen to It’s All Kicking Off
As we hurtle towards the festive period in the Premier League, the games continue to come thick and fast.
The most recent run of midweek fixtures have seen some seismic results at both ends of the table, with plenty of late drama ensuing in the top-flight.
Arsenal, who were league leaders at the start of the weekend, were leap-frogged by Liverpool after suffering a 1-0 defeat to Aston Villa, while the Reds narrowly beat Crystal Palace.
The Gunners’ London rivals, Tottenham, got back to winning ways thanks to a stunning showing from Son Heung-min, as they handed Newcastle a 4-1 drubbing.
Here, Mail Sport takes you through our latest Power Rankings as we take a look at the most in-form players from across the Premier League.
Aston Villa continued their impressive form with a 1-0 win over Arsenal on Saturday
Meanwhile, Tottenham got back to winning ways with a thumping 4-1 win over Newcastle
LAST WEEK’S TOP 10 RANKINGS
10. Mohammed Kudus
9. James Ward-Prowse
8. Kai Havertz
7. Anthony Gordon
6. Leon Bailey
5. Gabriel Jesus
4. Alex Iwobi
3. Scott McTominay
2. Raul Jimenez
1. Trent Alexander-Arnold
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10. Richarlison (new entry)
Do not adjust your monitors. You are reading that correctly. Richarlison has sneaked into our Power Rankings after an emphatic brace against Newcastle.
The former Everton striker has struggled to showcase his form since joining Spurs back in the summer of 2022 but, perhaps, looks to finally be finding hit feet.
The Brazilian international struck either side of half-time during Tottenham’s 4-1 win over Newcastle, as he made a return to the starting line-up.
With three goals and three assists in the league thus far, perhaps Richarlison could come good for Spurs after all.
9. Abdoulaye Doucoure (new entry)
One of the most surprising players in the Premier League in recent weeks is, without a doubt, has been Everton midfielder Abdoulaye Doucoure.
With six goals in his 16 top-flight appearances this year – two of which coming in Everton’s recent wins over Newcastle and Chelsea – he’s certainly been a surprise package.
His performances have helped the Toffees climb out the relegation zone – despite their devastating 10-point deduction.
8. Dominic Solanke (new entry)
The 26-year-old has impressed for Bournemouth throughout this campaign and continued that trend when the Cherries visited Manchester United.
Solanke scored within the first five minutes of the match with a neat finish at the near post to kick-start the 3-0 victory for the visitors.
In doing so, he took his tally up to eight goals in 16 appearances and helped lift the Cherries up to 14th in the table.
Spurs’ Richarlison ended his goalscoring drought with a brace against the Magpies on Sunday
Meanwhile, Dominic Solanke (left) helped Bournemouth stun Man United with a 3-0 victory
7. Matheus Cunha (new entry)
While Wolves’ Matheus Cunha may not be getting the plaudits that he deserves, it’s safe to say he’s been one of the standout performers in the league this year.
With five goals and three assists in all competitions, the Brazilian forward has proved instrumental to Gary O’Neil’s team and continued that trend during his side’s clash with Nottingham Forest.
The forward applied the finishing touches on a neat Wolves move to earn a point in their clash with Steve Cooper’s side.
6. Trent Alexander-Arnold (down five)
By the standards he’s set in recent weeks, it’s fair to say that Trent Alexander-Arnold had a relatively quiet weekend.
In his last four club appearances, prior to their 2-1 win over Crystal Palace on Saturday, the England international picked up two goals and two assists.
But, with no goal contributions during Liverpool’s 2-1 win over Crystal Palace, the full-back failed to have a meaningful impact on the match.
However, that’s not to say he didn’t impress with his performance at Selhurst Park and, thus, keeps his place within our Power Rankings.
5. Leon Bailey (up one)
Aston Villa have been in scintillating form at home this season and former Bayer Leverkusen star Leon Bailey made sure that continued on Saturday afternoon.
The winger played a crucial role in his side’s only goal against Arsenal, which eventually proved the winner at Villa Park.
Bailey twisted inside and out before eventually pulling the ball back to John McGinn, who made no mistake by tucking his effort into the back of the net.
Leon Bailey (left) was instrumental as Aston Villa secured all three points against Arsenal
Trent Alexander-Arnold continued his good form during Liverpool’s win over Crystal Palace
4. Alex Iwobi (non mover)
Former Arsenal and Everton star Alex Iwobi has continued to find success at Fulham since joining the London side this summer.
The Nigerian international scored a brace during their 5-0 victory over Nottingham Forest last week and, this weekend, picked up an assist against West Ham.
Marco Silva’s side once again ran riot and recorded a 5-0 victory over the Hammers, with Iwobi providing a crucial assist for Willian’s header in the first-half.
All-in-all, Iwobi has found his best form at Fulham – having already surpassed his best goal tally during five years at Everton.
3. Mohamed Salah (new entry)
We now come to, arguably, the best player in the Premier League so far.
Salah’s input for Liverpool has perhaps gone under the radar this term but with 11 goals and seven assists in the top-flight, it’s hard to ignore the Egyptian.
Once again, he proved vital for Jurgen Klopp’s team on Saturday as he picked up a goal and an assist during their 2-1 win over Crystal Palace.
It marked his 200th goal for the club in just 327 appearances, a tally which he’ll look to extend throughout the remainder of the campaign.
Mohamed Salah took his goal contributions up to 18 for the 2023-24 league campaign
2. Son Heung-Min (new entry)
It’s been a while since the South Korean featured in our Power Rankings but it’s a deserved return for the Tottenham captain.
Son lit up the pitch on Sunday afternoon as Spurs got back to winning ways with a thumping 4-1 win over Newcastle at home.
Son, who played on the left-wing, caused Magpies full-back Kieran Trippier all kinds of problems in the first-half and picked up two assists in the process.
He then grabbed a goal for himself from the penalty spot after being brought down inside the box, wrapping up an impressive afternoon for the skipper.
1. Raul Jimenez (up one)
Taking top spot this week is Fulham striker Raul Jimenez, who continued his impressive form in front of goal during their 5-0 win over West Ham.
During the match, the Mexican forward scored his first headed goal since his near career-ending head injury to kick-start the impressive victory.
With three goals in his last two games, the former Wolves forward looks to be revitalised under Marco Silva and, therefore, takes top spot in our rankings.
Raul Jimenez (left) scored a header during Fulham’s 5-0 demolition of West Ham on Sunday
IT’S ALL KICKING OFF!
It’s All Kicking Off is an exciting new podcast from Mail Sport that promises a different take on Premier League football.
It is available on MailOnline, Mail+, YouTube, Apple Music and Spotify.
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