Matchday 4 of the Premier League is officially over and Manchester United and Liverpool enter the international break with humiliating, record-setting defeats at the hands (feet, actually) of Tottenham and Aston Villa, respectively. Those results and some intriguing others have resulted in some massive shifts in our power rankings.
Here's how the teams stand in our power rankings following the first four matchdays:
| RK | CLUB | CHG | ANALYSIS |
|---|---|---|---|
1. | Everton | +2 | The best-playing team in the league and rejuvenated with the addition of James Rodriguez. But let's not forget how great Dominic Calvert-Lewin is becoming. After 15 goals in 41 games last season, he's got nine in six games this season. |
2. | Aston Villa | +10 | Who in the world saw that coming? A 7-2 defeat of Liverpool shocked the world. They are no longer relegation contenders but top six contenders. The transformation of this team has been quite surprising with Ollie Watkins leading the way. |
3. | Arsenal | +1 | Three wins from four and looking like a top-four side. They weren't sharp on Sunday and held on. Last year's team would have dropped points. The improvement is evident. |
4. | Tottenham | +6 | Jose Mourinho's Sunday night surely included watching highlights of that win over Manchester United, a nice drink and plenty of laughs. He is never going to forget that one. Gareth Bale will be back after the break. |
5. | Leeds | +1 | That point against Manchester City was huge. It gives them momentum and it verifies that they can keep up with the big boys. They also should have drawn Liverpool. |
6. | Chelsea | +1 | That was a bit better from Frank Lampard's team, but we still haven't seen them at their full potential. Having Christian Pulisic back is a big boost. |
7. | Manchester City | -2 | Should have beaten Leeds. Well, they had the chance to, at least. Fortunately for them, Liverpool lost, keeping them well within striking distance this early. |
8. | Leicester City | -7 | Talk about a roller coaster. Beating Man. City 5-2 and losing to West Ham 3-0 is so hard to explain. It was an off day where everything went right for the Hammers. |
9. | Liverpool | -7 | Yikes. A deflating loss. They could have built a huge gap between them and Man. City. Let's not take too much from a game where Alisson didn't play though. |
10. | Newcastle | +1 | A bit inconsistent but three good points. Positioning themselves well towards safety but a tricky schedule awaits. |
11. | Wolves | +1 | Bounced back from the shock West Ham loss to beat Fulham, and they have a chance to earn some big points coming up with a solid schedule. Has losing Diogo Jota made this attack drop a level? |
12. | West Ham United | +4 | Where is West Ham and what have you done with them? Seven goals in their last two league games with none conceded. That's not a typical Hammers side. After a slow start, they are sitting pretty but Tottenham, Man. City and Liverpool are next. |
13. | Crystal Palace | -4 | Back-to-back defeats, but no shame in losing to this Everton side and Chelsea. A good chance they rebound next against Brighton, but the attack needs to take the few chances they create. |
14. | Southampton | +1 | Improving, but the attack is being a bit too wasteful. They will avoid relegation and the moves they are making are of quality. They can be a top-half team if the attack can just be a bit sharper. |
15. | Manchester United | -7 | Holy moly. What in the world was that? Shredded to pieces by Tottenham and putting every move they've made into question. Edinson Cavani appears to be coming, and he's great, but he can't play centerback. |
16. | Brighton | -2 | They've had a tough schedule to start, and it's going to get a bit easier. The defense though has conceded 10 goals in their last three games in all competitions. They must clean up the mistakes and regain composure. |
17. | Burnley | -- | Winless and with just one goal in their last 270 minutes. Relegation is going to come calling if this doesn't change soon. The talent on the squad just isn't there to avoid relegation comfortably. |
18. | West Brom | -- | No team has conceded more goals than West Brom. Slaven Bilic is going to be on the hot seat before long unless something changes. They are allowing over three goals a game. |
19. | Fulham | -- | They've officially hit rock bottom. Can they not find capable centerbacks? Relegation almost feels like a guarantee at this point. |
| 20. | Sheffield | -- | They finally scored a goal! Remember last season when they had a great defense, average attack and grinded out results? The first two are the same, but now they are just losing. They better hope Rhian Brewster is their savior. |
