Premier League POWER RANKINGS – Cristiano Ronaldo among the new entrants

There were some fascinating games in an action packed Premier League weekend, with big results at both ends of the table.

Liverpool continued to close the gap on Manchester City who were held to a goalless draw on Monday night, while there were big victories for Manchester United and Chelsea.

At the other end of the table, Leeds finally broke their losing streak with a dramatic stoppage time winner against Norwich while Brentford made it two wins out of two against Burnley.

However, it was a horrific weekend for Everton who suffered a 1-0 defeat to Wolves, and are only out of the relegation due to superior goal difference to Watford – who picked up a massive three points at Southampton.

With that in mind, meet your latest Top 10 of our Power Rankings…

Kevin De Bruyne took our top spot last week but his position is under threat after Manchester City’s goalless draw with Crystal Palace

10. Kai Havertz (New entry)

He has been chipping away in recent weeks but the Chelsea star has finally made it into our top ten this season.

The German has found his goalscoring touch in recent weeks, scoring a brace in the 4-0 victory over Burnley, before adding a further goal in the 3-1 win away at Norwich.

This week, he was perhaps lucky to still be on the pitch after he caught Newcastle defender Dan Burn with an elbow in the first-half.

The decision by referee David Coote to only hand him a yellow proved crucial as Havertz scored an 89th minute winner to end Newcastle’s nine game run without a defeat.

Though lucky not to be sent off, he deserves his place in the team on the back of four goals in his last three matches. 

It was a great finish too, as he latched onto a cross from Jorginho, taking the ball out of the air with one touch before dispatching his strike into the back of the net with his second.

He is Chelsea’s joint-highest scorer this season with 11 and he continues to go strength to strength, following his big-money from Bayer Leverkusen last summer. 

A special mention also has to go to Watford’s Cucho Hernandez, who just narrowly misses out after his brace against Southampton.  

Kai Havertz has found his goalscoring touch, hitting the back of the net four times in his last three games

9. Luis Diaz (New entry) 

It’s remarkable that Luis Diaz has made it into the Power Rankings for a second time – despite only joining Liverpool six weeks ago. 

He has taken to life on Merseyside like a duck to water and there’s no doubt that he’s going to become a regular feature of this list. 

The Colombian is an utterly fearless player, as proven by Liverpool’s first goal against Brighton.

He bravely met Joel Matip’s brilliant long ball with a header despite getting cleaned out by goalkeeper Robert Sanchez who was fortunate not to be sent off.

Diaz has added extra energy, skill, and perhaps most importantly, competitiveness at a time when Liverpool have clawed their way back into the title race.

The Reds could prove to be very thankful of Tottenham’s bid for the 25-year-old in January, as it forced them to make a move instead of waiting until the summer – a decision which could help them win the league.

Along with Diogo Jota, the Reds have shown they can be competitive should any of Mo Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino leave the club in the next 18 months.

Liverpool winger Luis Diaz (right) is proving himself to be one of the signings of the season 

8. Kevin De Bruyne (down seven) 

There is a massive drop this week for the Manchester City star who topped our Power Rankings last week.

De Bruyne, who produced a stunning performance against Manchester United last week, has dropped down to the lower half of our top 10 following their goalless draw with Crystal Palace.  

The Belgian playmaker by no means put in a bad performance against Palace, in fact, he was the only City player with any drive or fresh ideas.  

He took the initiative to shoot on numerous occasions and despite coming close the midfielder couldn’t find the back of the net. 

It’s for that reason he doesn’t fall out of the top ten like Phil Foden and Raheem Sterling in recent weeks, though another disappointing result against Burnley could end his ten-week stay in our list.

Kevin De Bruyne drops down seven places after his side’s goalless draw with Crystal Palace

7. Christian Eriksen (up two)

Brentford have stopped the rot with back-to-back wins over relegation rivals Norwich and Burnley, and a big part of that is the impact Christian Eriksen has made.

Against Burnley, Eriksen made just his third appearance since his horrific cardiac arrest at Euro 2020 last summer.

Brentford had taken just one point out of a possible 24, but consecutive wins have pulled them back away from the relegation zone with eight points separating them and Watford.

The Dane’s presence again proved vital as he whipped in a sensational cross for Ivan Toney to head in the opener after 85 minutes.

His link-up play with Toney could see Brentford secure their Premier League status for a second season in the coming weeks.

Christian Eriksen produced a brilliant assist to set up Ivan Toney against Burnley

6. Ivan Toney (new entry)

Fans probably would have hoped for more goals from Ivan Toney after he only netted four times in Brentford’s first 21 matches this season.

However he is now joint fifth in the Premier League goalscoring chart after a sensational week.

He followed off his hat-trick against Norwich with a brilliant late brace against Burnley.

Toney headed in the opener after 85 minutes before he won a penalty which he steered past the despairing dive of Nick Pope. 

Along with Eriksen, Toney has produced huge performances in two back-to-back six-pointers.

At the end of January he had to apologise after he was filmed saying ‘f*** Brentford’ on a night out. 

Though if his goals help keep Brentford up in the Premier League then all will be forgiven. 

Ivan Toney has come trumps for Brentford just when they need it against their relegation rivals

5. Bukayo Saka (no change) 

The Arsenal man just about holds onto his top five spot ahead of the Brentford pair after the Gunners secured a 2-0 victory against Leicester at the weekend. 

Saka has been in brilliant form this term as his team edge ever closer to sealing a first return to the Champions League in five years.

The 20-year-old went into the game against Leicester on fine form after making three goal contributions in as many games.

Against Leicester, Saka was not quite as influential but still caused plenty of problems down the right flank with his dribbling and close control. 

The only criticism was that his final ball was not quite on point this week.

With other players dropping out of the top five and several new entries in the Power Rankings he maintains his spot – though he could quickly slip out with how competitive it is to make the top ten.

Bukayo Saka was a menace for Arsenal against Leicester and keeps his place in the top-five

4. Joel Matip (new entry)

What a week it has been for the cult hero of Liverpool’s defence. 

As is the case of any defensive partner of Virgil van Dijk, Joel Matip takes less of the headlines despite consistently producing top performances in the Reds’ back-four.

But he was recognised for his displays after becoming the first Cameroonian to ever win the Premier League’s Player of the Month award.

Matip helped keep three clean sheets last month and scored a brilliant goal against Leeds – charging from his own half, playing a one-two with Mo Salah and firing home like a prolific striker.

He also made a considerable impact against Brighton, with his brilliant ball over the top finding Diaz who bravely headed home.

With his injury problems over recent seasons, many expected it would be difficult for Matip to get regular football, competing with Ibrahima Konate and Joe Gomez.

However, this is proving to be arguably his best season in a Liverpool shirt and is cementing himself as one of the club’s best free agent signings.

February’s Player of the Month, Joel Matip, produced a stunning assist against Brighton

3. Harry Kane (down one)

The Tottenham star drops down another place in this week’s Power Rankings, despite bagging another goal against Manchester United.

Kane has stolen the show in recent games against Manchester City, Everton and Leeds, returning to his best form after a slow start to the season after his transfer saga in the summer.

Despite tucking away a penalty at Old Trafford, it was a player on the opposing side that stole all the headlines.

For a player that struggled to find the back of the net in the first-half of the season, it’s impressive that Kane is now joint fifth in the Premier League scoring list.

Without his struggles early in the campaign, he would most likely be challenging Liverpool star Salah for the Golden Boot.

One thing which will worry Kane though is that defeat to Manchester United leaves Spurs eighth in the Premier League standings.

Antonio Conte’s side will need to improve their consistency if they are to have any challenge of finishing in the top four. 

Harry Kane fired home from the penalty spot to continue his impressive recent scoring form

2. Virgil van Dijk (up two)

A big factor as to why Liverpool have closed the gap on Manchester City is their recent defensive record.

Whether it’s Joel Matip or Ibrahima Konate, Virgil van Dijk is comfortably whoever he plays alongside and has formed solid partnerships with both men.

Jurgen Klopp’s side have conceded just two goals since they threw away a 2-0 lead against Chelsea back in January.

There were concerns earlier in the season that Van Dijk had lost an element of sharpness following the severe knee injury that kept him sidelined for most of the 2020-21 season.

But that notion can be laid to rest now. Van Dijk is performing as well as he has in a Liverpool shirt and could spur his side on to an unprecedented quadruple.

Virgil van Dijk helped Liverpool keep their sixth clean sheet in their last eight league matches

1. Cristiano Ronaldo (new entry)

There was no way that Cristiano Ronaldo wasn’t going to top this week’s list after his stunning hat-trick for Manchester United against Tottenham.

While the power rankings are mostly about form, something which Ronaldo has lacked in recent weeks, his performance against Spurs was far and beyond any other player across the Premier League weekend.

It was a performance that shut up the critics after weeks of doubt following his struggles to find the back of the net.

There was something different with each goal, starting with his 12th minute opener which he rifled in from outside the box with such power that Spurs keeper Hugo Lloris didn’t stand a chance.

His second was much more simple as Jadon Sancho dashed behind the Spurs defence and centred the ball to Ronaldo for a cool and calm finish. 

Then with less than ten minutes to go it was one of his trademark leaping headers that sealed the three points against Spurs.

It was one of those days where he was simply unstoppable, becoming professional football’s all-time leading scorer with 807 goals and cementing himself as one of greatest to ever lace up a pair of boots.

Cristiano Ronaldo became football’s all-time leading goalscorer with his hat-trick against Manchester United