Premier League Power Rankings - week 3

The league never lies? A weekly look at who is making the real moves during the season!

1) Chelsea - It is hard to see when Chelsea will feel the heat in the Premier League. It really is unlike the FA to help those at the top have an easy time of it - imagine the surprise when Chelsea get a fixture list they couldn't have picked themselves any better. Even Terry and Lampard have been able to pick their moments to have surgery. This despite their passion for England. They turn up for the summer humiliations though. And of the game... they beat Stoke... great.

2) Arsenal - Cesc Fabregas has stayed, Theo Walcott looks sharp and Arsenal look generally solid at the back. This win against Blackburn is when title challenges begin. Arsenal may just be the best around.

3) Manchester United - Moving on up by default. Or so it seems. United look shaky at the back and slow in midfield - but no clubs seem to have recognised that. Sitting back at Old Trafford and allowing Giggs or Scholes tear you apart seems to be a ritual noone wants to live without.

4) Everton - What David Moyes' side did to Aston Villa on Sunday was something that only the teams above them in this list are capable of. Everton dominated Villa and passed the ball with authority - and were beaten. It had elements of the Spain vs Switzerland game during the group game in World Cup 2010. Spain still believed. Despite lack of goals - Moyes will too .


5) Manchester City - Hard to believe in City. Hard to back against them. Carlos Tevez should have breathed even more belief into City - instead he missed his chance, and City have lost momentum.

6) Tottenham Hotspur - Typical. As predicted here Spurs had their minds elsewhere. It is hard to see this not becoming a pattern for the season as they juggle their new found success and the weekly struggle of the Premier League.

7) Liverpool - The Torres life support has been kept on. The relief was felt all around Anfield when Torres scored on Sunday, it may be the first of many - it had better be. The Reds looked so solid on the opening day, since they have lost the Argentina captain and signed a Fulham left back - it long road lies ahead.

8) Newcastle United - There could be something brewing on Tyneside. The result against Villa was backed up with a good point against Wolves. Joey Barton got the Mick McCarthy treatment and that shows that the Magpies are still feared. It is all about momentum for Newcastle and it could push them a long way.

9) Bolton Wanderers - The result of the weekend without a doubt. Robbie Blake rolled back the years and Wanderers rolled over Birmingham with only ten-men. Results like this may mean the difference between 9th and 15th.

10) Sunderland - A lot of excitement on Wearside over the signing of a Ghana forward on Tuesday, but the real excitement for Steve Bruce will have been the fortuitous 3-points against Manchester City. Darren Bent did the business again and turned the week on its head for Bruce .

11) Aston Villa -A win is a win is a win. Not many 3-points will be greeted with such uncertainty this season. It is a real shame for the future of football that the long-ball towards the head of John Carew appears to be a busted flush. Outclassed by Everton on the day, Villa must avoid the appointment of Kevin MacDonald at all costs. Don't look at the league table Mr. Lerner.

12) Blackburn Rovers - A defeat against Arsenal is no disgrace but you just get the feeling that the talk of a takeover that now seems doomed has messed with Rovers.

13) Birmingham City - This was a week when the Blues could have made a statement. Instead they buckled when the odds were stacked in their favour. Birmingham unsettled sides last term with a stubborn resolve and fortress mentality. The next step is always the hardest. They are well-respected and nobody will give them an inch.

14) Wolverhampton Wanderers - There are certain ways to go about being competitive and Mick McCarthy's side are on the brink of getting it all wrong. Referees appear to be giving the dour pundit/football manager the benefit of the doubt as he sends his side out to kick the opposition off the pitch. He is an Alan Shearer analysis away from a flurry of red cards... and defeats.

15) Fulham - Things were seemingly going well for Mark Hughes. Two draws in games he was lucky to get out of seemed a decent start. A draw at Blackpool puts a different slant on things.

16) West Bromwich Albion - Someone associated with the Baggies got what they deserved this week - an England call-up for Scott Carson. Decisions go against you at Anfield and ultimately they did for West Brom on Sunday. A great sign that they leave Anfield feeling a point was the least they deserved.

17) Wigan Athletic - A result that was coming for Latics. Only the Wigan chairman and this website appeared to keep faith in Roberto Martinez. He could easily be regarded as a better manager than Harry Redknapp and he was the one to make the necessary adjustments to grab a result that could, even at this stage, be the key to Wigan's survival.

18) Stoke City - Quite where the ex-Barcelona and Chelsea striker will stand for the long throw-ins is anyone's guess. Probably next to Tuncay in a tracksuit is one possibilty. At least when Stoke realise they are in the middle of a scrap they are unlikely to escape from he will.

19) Blackpool - The joy for Blackpool is in the detail. The second goal against Fulham should be applauded in all quarters as a testament to the way football should be played. If Ian Holloway can become the Dario Gradi of the Premier League it would be the greatest thing football in England has seen for 20 years.

20) West Ham United - They didn't sell Scott Parker and they didn't sign Yakubu. Both matters make their Chairman look like a man of his word. It should also be taken as read that West Ham are looking down the barrel. What a shame for bright lights such as Mark Noble that Avram Grant had no blueprint to copy in this job.