The Premier League returned with an enthralling weekend after the second international break of the season, as fans were treated to 33 goals, four red cards and a hatful of superb team displays.
Newcastle and Aston Villa impressed as they both knocked four past Crystal Palace and West Ham respectively, Manchester City returned to winnings ways with an important victory against Brighton, and Liverpool won the Merseyside bragging rights with a 2-0 triumph over rivals Everton.
Elsewhere, Diogo Dalot’s second-half wonder strike helped Manchester United to all three points at Bramall Lane, Arsenal fought back from two goals down to earn a share of the spoils at Chelsea, and Tottenham capitalised on their rivals’ draw to take top spot after beating Fulham 2-0 on Monday.
William Saliba led Mail Sport’s Power Rankings ahead of the international break, but has the Arsenal defender held on to top spot after his side dropped points at Stamford Bridge?
Here’s how Mail Sport’s rankings have changed after the Premier League weekend…
The Premier League returned with an entertaining weekend after the second international break of the season, as Newcastle thrashed Crystal Palace 4-0 at St James’ Park on Saturday
Meanwhile, Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool beat rivals Everton 2-0 in Saturday’s Merseyside derby
10. Martin Odegaard (down seven)
The Norwegian stays in Mail Sport’s top 10 by the barest of margins, having previously held third spot ahead of the international break.
Odegaard was marshalled superbly by defensive midfield pair Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo throughout the 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge, and the Gunners captain struggled to unlock the door as he so often does in attack.
With relegation favourites Sheffield United up next, the playmaker will hope to bounce back with an impressive display on Saturday and return Arsenal to winning ways.
Chelsea kept Martin Odegaard especially quiet as Arsenal dropped points at Stamford Bridge
Jacob Murphy (right) impressed on his chance, lobbing Sam Johnstone to put his side ahead
9. Jacob Murphy (new entry)
As Newcastle forward Alexander Isak drops out of Mail Sport’s top 10, his team-mate Murphy climbs in thanks to an exceptional display against Crystal Palace.
The winger’s well-taken lob set the tone for Newcastle at St James’ Park, and he went on to set up Anthony Gordon and Callum Wilson with assists in the 4-0 win.
Murphy has needed to stay patient under Eddie Howe, with this being his first 90-minute outing of the season – but he more than made the most of his opportunity at the weekend.
8. William Saliba (down seven)
While Saliba’s performance at Stamford Bridge didn’t warrant him dropping out of the Power Rankings completely, the Frenchman had an off-day by his usual high standards.
Even if controversial, Saliba conceded a penalty to hand Chelsea the lead and generally struggled to deal with Mauricio Pochettino’s forward line.
Arguably the best defender in the league heading into the international break, he’ll be keen to get back to top form against Sheffield United.
It was a comparatively off day at Stamford Bridge for Arsenal’s star defender William Saliba (right), as he conceded a controversial penalty and struggled to contain Chelsea’s forward line
No Premier League player has produced more assists than Wolves star Pedro Neto this season
7. Pedro Neto (new entry)
The Wolves winger put in another match-winning display at the weekend as he bagged his sixth assist of the season to set up Matheus Cunha.
Neto currently leads the Premier League’s assist charts alongside Kieran Trippier and it’s about time he made it into the Mail Sport rankings.
Gary O’Neil’s side have done well to stave off the threat of relegation so far, and it’s largely down to their Portuguese talisman.
6. James Maddison (new entry)
Tottenham fans are starting to run out of superlatives to describe in-form summer signing James Maddison after he produced yet another fantastic performance to guide Spurs past Fulham.
Maddison, who dropped out of Mail Sport’s Power Rankings ahead of the international break but is back in again at No 6, dictated play superbly on Monday and got on the scoresheet with a well-taken goal in the second half.
The relationship he’s seamlessly forged with Son Heung-min has epitomised Ange Postecoglou’s attacking style, and he’s a key reason why Spurs are sitting pretty at the top of the table.
James Maddison continued his fine start to the season with a goal against Fulham on Monday
Scott McTominay has proved an important player for Erik ten Hag and Manchester United in recent weeks, having scored twice against Brentford and once at Bramall Lane last weekend
5. Scott McTominay (up five)
It seemed for all the world that McTominay’s future at Old Trafford was coming to an end over the summer, but the Scot has regained the trust of Erik ten Hag and emerged an important player for Manchester United in recent weeks.
His heroic injury-time double against Brentford earned him a Power Rankings spot ahead of the international break, and the midfielder has continued to climb the form table with yet another goal at Bramall Lane last weekend.
In what has proved a testing month for Manchester United, McTominay’s purple patch in front of goal has been a welcomed bonus.
4. Erling Haaland (up three)
Just like Manchester City did with Arsenal in the Premier League table, Haaland has overtaken the Gunners’ stars in Mail Sport’s Power Rankings this week.
The reigning Premier League top scorer was on target once again at the weekend, netting what proved to be the winner in Manchester City’s 2-1 win over Brighton at the Etihad.
Silencing the rare few who have branded him a tap-in merchant in recent weeks, the Norwegian hitman powered an effort from distance past Jason Steele and ended his four-game drought without a goal.
Leading top scorer Erling Haaland added another to his tally with the winner against Brighton
Cristian Romero put in another strong display as Spurs kept a second successive clean sheet
3. Cristian Romero (up two)
Back-to-back clean sheets for Tottenham sees Cristian Romero retain his spot in the Power Rankings and climb two places into the top three.
The defender kept Fulham quiet as Spurs emerged 2-0 winners in north London on Monday, continuing his fruitful partnership with new Tottenham favourite Micky van de Ven.
Romero was unlucky not to pick up an assist as well. His smart through ball to set up Dejan Kulusevski’s golden chance at 1-0 should’ve been taken by the Swede.
2. Son Heung-min (up two)
The South Korean is continuing to flourish as a central forward under Postecoglou, bagging his seventh of the season at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Monday.
Firmly laying the ghost of last season, Son is back to his best in a Tottenham shirt and has quelled any notion that Spurs will miss Harry Kane’s goalscoring after his summer move to Bayern Munich.
His team may be boasting top spot in the Premier League at the moment, but Son will have to settle for second place in Mail Sport’s Power Rankings this week…
Son Heung-min fired Tottenham to the top of the league with both a goal and assist on Monday
Mohamed Salah’s double against Everton earned the in-form Egyptian top spot in Mail Sport’s Power Rankings, as he took his tally to seven goals for the season at Anfield on Saturday
1. Mohamed Salah (up one)
Liverpool’s all-time Premier League scorer was at it again with a brace at the weekend, earning his side a huge 2-0 win over bitter rivals Everton.
Salah, who had to concede the limelight to Haaland last season, has been nothing short of sensational this campaign, chalking up seven goals and four assists in Liverpool’s nine league matches so far.
The Egyptian’s consistency and influence within Jurgen Klopp’s side simply cannot be overstated, and he heads into next weekend as the league’s most in-form player, as far as Mail Sport’s rankings are concerned.
