It is time to reveal our first Premier League Power Rankings of the 2024-25 season and there is so much to digest after a fascinating Matchweek 1.
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Wins for title contenders Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester City got them off and running, while the duo of Aston Villa and Brighton impressed with wins in tricky away games and both Tottenham and Chelsea showed moments of promise but weren’t clinical enough.
We also saw new boys Ipswich, Southampton and Leicester grab just a point between them but there was plenty of promise for all three.
Below we rank all 20 Premier League teams based on their current form.
The strugglers
20. Everton
19. Ipswich Town
18. Southampton
17. Nottingham Forest
16. Leicester City
The Toffees created plenty of chances against Brighton but didn’t take them (sound familiar?) and were then punished by a ruthless counter-attacking display as Sean Dyche was heckled for some substitutions. Not a great start. New boys Ipswich were very good in the first half against Liverpool, as the raucous atmosphere helped them unsettle Liverpool. But then Liverpool’s class made the difference in the second half and Ipswich’s lack of creativity in the final third will be a concern. The same can be said of Southampton. They lost 1-0 at Newcastle but were the better team for the opening 30 minutes when it was an open game before Fabian Schar was sent off. One poor defensive mistakes and a slew of missed chances cost the Saints but if they keep playing like that, they’ll pick up plenty of points this season. Nottingham Forest were denied a win on opening weekend as they coughed up a late goal against Bournemouth and a draw was probably about right for Nuno Espirito Santo’s side who are solid but not spectacular. Leicester City also picked up a point, somehow, as they should have been 4-0 down (at least) against Tottenham before Jamie Vardy equalized in the second half. The Foxes actually looked the more likely to win it late on. It will be a tough season for Steve Cooper’s side with a lot of uncertainty off the pitch, but on it a lot of the expected strugglers showed they will cause plenty of surprises this season.
The middling bunch
15. Crystal Palace
14. Wolves
13. Bournemouth
12. West Ham
11. Brentford
Palace had lots of chances against Brentford but were left frustrated, but the Eagles should be just fine in midtable this season and they will have luckier days in front of goal. Wolves were outclassed by Arsenal but hung in there admirably and made life a little tricky for the Gunners in the second half. Gary O’Neil’s squad does look weaker than this time last season though, which will be a big concern. Bournemouth rallied to grab a point at Forest and with new signing Evanilson set to make his debut this weekend, that will make a big difference as they missed a focal point up top. West Ham huffed and puffed against Villa and missed some big chances as Julen Lopetegui’s side are still bedding in plenty of new signings and should look very different a few weeks from now. Brentford were Brentford as they were clinical and direct in their important win against Palace. The news about Ivan Toney’s impending departure didn’t impact them as Mbeumo, Wissa and Schade proved they’ll be just fine going forward and when their defensive injuries calm down, the Bees should be midtable.
The contenders
10. Chelsea
9. Fulham
8. Newcastle United
7. Manchester United
6. Tottenham Hotspur
It continues to be a very strange time at Chelsea but Enzo Maresca’s side show glimpses of promise in their home defeat to Manchester City. They look dangerous on the counter and their very young team should create plenty of chances but the focus is on their goalkeeper and who will put the chances away up top. Fulham were unlucky not to get anything away at Man United as Marco Silva’s side were solid and caused problems on the counter but are still missing that No. 9 to finish. 10-man Newcastle dug deep at home against Southampton and were gifted a goal and then held on admirably. Eddie Howe won’t be pleased with the performance but will be delighted with the result. The same could be said for Man United, as Erik ten Hag’s side still looked clunky and missed some big chances, but new signing Joshua Zirkzee came up with the winner late on against Fulham and there is hope this season will be more about a top four charge. Tottenham will also hope their season will see them take the next step and qualify for the Champions League and they were so dominant against Leicester it was laughable they were only 1-0 up. They were made to pay for all of their missed chances as Leicester equalized against the run of play and new signing Dominic Solanke had plenty of opportunities but couldn’t break through on his debut.
The top dogs
5. Aston Villa
4. Brighton and Hove Albion
3. Liverpool
2. Manchester City
1. Arsenal
The way Aston Villa created chances in the first half at West Ham reminded us just how good they are when they click. Unai Emery’s side had a poor preseason but they’ve added to their squad sensibly this summer and Amadou Onana grabbed a debut goal and impressed. Brighton were also very impressive in their road win at Everton as new boss Fabian Hurzeler has added a fresh feel to the Seagulls and got off to the perfect start. They were clinical on the counter and despite giving up some big chances, they were ruthless when given the opportunity to break free. Liverpool were also ruthless in the second half at Ipswich as Mohamed Salah ran the show and Arne Slot got a debut win in the Premier League. The Reds were almost caught out in the first half but managed the situation well and should have won more comfortably than 2-0. Manchester City were solid in their win at Chelsea, especially without Rodri, Kyle Walker, John Stones, Nathan Ake and Jack Grealish. Pep Guardiola’s side were far from their best but got the job done with minimum fuss. Arsenal also did that against Wolves, underlining their title credentials as Bukayo Saka scored a beauty and Kai Havertz nodded home. The Gunners looked extremely balanced and the next step is being more ruthless and putting tight games to bed sooner.