The first midweek round of Premier League fixtures threw up plenty of goals, intrigue, joy and despair, with some particularly eye-catching results.
Arsenal continued their perfect record with a 2-1 win against Aston Villa, Manchester City stayed hot on their tail with a 6-0 thrashing of Nottingham Forest and there was also late drama in Liverpool’s comeback 2-1 win against Newcastle.
Southampton shocked Chelsea 2-1, with Manchester United’s revival under Erik ten Hag continuing with a third straight win, beating Leicester 1-0, but Brighton lost their unbeaten run after a 2-1 loss against Fulham.
Crystal Palace and Brentford, West Ham and Tottenham, and Leeds and Everton played out 1-1 draws, with Bournemouth grinding out a goalless stalemate against Wolves.
City pair Julian Alvarez and Erling Haaland both impressed in the rout of Forest – but who else caught the eye from an individual perspective across the midweek round of fixtures?
Here’s the latest top 10 of Sportsmail‘s Premier League Power Rankings.
10. Lloyd Kelly (Bournemouth) – NEW ENTRY
The opening-day win against Aston Villa – who themselves now lie second bottom of the table – had evaporated for Bournemouth.
Since then, the newly promoted Cherries had lost 4-0 against City, 3-0 against Arsenal and then 9-0 against Liverpool. Manager Scott Parker was then sacked.
So with the scoreline locked at 0-0 against Wolves on Wednesday, the clock ticking down, and the visitors putting massive pressure on at Dean Court, they needed someone to step up and stand tall.
Enter Lloyd Kelly. After a lovely move involving Joao Moutinho and Raul Jimenez, Daniel Podence nodded it back across goal, past the goalkeeper Neto and… Kelly diverted it away on the line. A match-turning intervention.
On such moments seasons can turn. Yes, it was only a goalless draw and a single point against a team themselves struggling for form. But it showed captain Kelly and Bournemouth will not lie down that easily in this season’s relegation battle.
Bournemouth’s Lloyd Kelly was a key part of the side who kept a clean sheet against Wolves
9. Romeo Lavia (Southampton) – NEW ENTRY
It’s already a bit of a love story for Romeo Lavia down on the south coast.
Southampton are putting their faith in talented youngsters from top clubs – also see goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu, Samuel Edozie and Juan Larios (like Lavia, also from Manchester City and signed this summer).
The 18-year-old Belgian has already settled in so quickly into a central midfield starting spot that manager Ralph Hasenhuttl felt comfortable to sell stalwart Oriol Romeu.
Lavia’s goal, the equaliser in a spirited 2-1 win against the Blues, was two touches in two seconds which oozed class. One to set, one to ping it beyond Edouard Mendy and into the bottom corner.
News of the teenager’s injury, potentially out for six weeks with a muscle strain, will be a blow – his partnership with James Ward-Prowse is already blossoming.
Romeo Lavia (right) really caught the eye as Southampton came from behind to beat Chelsea
8. Luis Diaz (Liverpool) – DOWN FIVE
Despite no attacking returns this week, Luis Diaz was his usual livewire self, running around like a Duracell bunny.
The Colombian’s goal threat goal threat alone held four Newcastle defenders deep to allow Roberto Firmino room to score the equaliser.
Sure, he could have been more clinical with his handful of chances. But you’re not going to score a hat-trick every week (unless you’re Haaland), and his movement and pace often gets him into goalscoring positions others would never reach.
How Tottenham and Manchester United wish they could have signed him.
7. Martin Odegaard (Arsenal) – DOWN FOUR
Odegaard is Arsenal’s conductor, their metronome.
Everything flows through him and he can take a considerable amount of credit for their total of 13 goals so far in just five matches – the third-most in the division behind City and Liverpool.
Of course, Gabriel Jesus, Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka are contributing too. But the Norwegian is the one who keeps things ticking over, who allows the others to flourish.
He is undroppable at the minute in the team top of the league.
Martin Odegaard has shown real maturity and leadership for Arsenal so far this season
6. Julian Alvarez (Manchester City) – NEW ENTRY
Ahead of you in the Man City attacking pecking order are: the brilliant Phil Foden, the dazzling Riyad Mahrez, £100m man Jack Grealish, and freak of nature Erling Haaland. Oh, and Kevin De Bruyne and Bernardo Silva can play in a front three too.
Welcome to Manchester, Julian. The Argentine had played less than an hour of Premier League football across the champions’ first four games. But given a chance to start against Forest, the 22-year-old delivered and then some.
His first goal was neat and tidy and precise. His second was a sledgehammer, boomed into the top corner with his weaker left foot like a Chris Gayle maximum.
Perhaps appropriate, then, that it was that strike which hit Forest for six.
Guardiola had previously said he would happily rotate Haaland for Alvarez. The Spaniard would scarcely have said the opposite – but now he knows he can swap out the Norwegian with no worries about how the former River Plate star will adapt.
He has had to be patient but Julian Alvarez showed all of his class against Nottingham Forest
5. Harry Kane (Tottenham) – UP TWO
Harry Kane received the ball about 35 yards away from his own-goal on the half-turn. He fed it to Dejan Kulusevski and, at that point, Tomas Soucek had about a 10 yard headstart.
By the time Kulusevski had cut into the box, Kane had passed him on the overlap. He picked up the Swede’s (delicious) pass and his cross was so precise that West Ham defender Thilo Kehrer almost had to score the own goal.
Had he left the ball, it was almost certain Son Heung-min would have netted.
It was far from Spurs’ most fluent or most cutting-edge attacking performance. But one moment of brilliance from Kane was enough for a point.
4. Raheem Sterling (Chelsea) – UP TWO
Things are cooking for Raheem Sterling at Chelsea now. Three goals in the last two weeks, and a new central role seems to suit him under Thomas Tuchel.
Admittedly, the team aren’t at their top level – losses against Southampton and Leeds sandwiched by a narrow win against bottom side Leicester prove it – but Sterling is a rare chink of light for Tuchel right now.
A beautiful turn against Mohammed Salisu nearly conjured up a goal and his finish was coolly taken.
Were it not for the club’s disappointing defence he could have been the match-winner.
Raheem Sterling looks comfortable with Chelsea now and will be key to their improvement
3. Aleksandar Mitrovic (Fulham) – NEW ENTRY
The strapping Serb is a massive problem for Premier League defences at the moment.
A double against Liverpool – including a penalty he won by dribbling past Virgil van Dijk – followed by strikes in his last three games in succession put him second in the Golden Boot race, behind only Haaland.
He took his goal against Brighton clinically and his move to dispossess Pervis Estupinan, start the counter-attack and find Andreas Pereira, who would eventually cross for Lewis Dunk to score an own goal, was clever.
Not just a big strong target man – Mitrovic is finally proving he can cut the mustard at Premier League level.
Questions were being asked of Aleksandar Mitrovic but has answered all of them so far
2. Roberto Firmino (Liverpool) – SAME POSITION
Only he can make it look so easy. Running on to Mo Salah’s pass, some may have leant back and smashed it over. Some may have cut across the ball and bobbled it wide. Some might have gone for power and found the arms of Nick Pope.
Not Bobby. The brilliant Brazilian unleashed his samba magic once again, passing the ball effortlessly into the bottom corner and beginning the Liverpool comeback which would see them snatch all three points at the death.
He also nutmegged Newcastle defender Jamaal Lascelles with his shot, just to make it even sweeter.
Firmino is now into his second century of goals for the Reds – how many more can he get?
The suspension of Darwin Nunez put the spotlight back on Robert Firmino and he has thrived
1. Erling Haaland (Manchester City) – SAME POSITION
The perfect hat-trick for, seemingly, the perfect player.
We were thinking about putting someone else in the top spot, but Erling scored a 27-minute hat-trick – one left foot, one right foot, one header – to help dismiss Nottingham Forest.
Can anyone stop City? Can anyone stop Haaland? Will anyone knock him off No 1 in our Power Rankings for the next 28 years?
You wouldn’t bet on it.
Who else? The Manchester City front man looks to be in a league of his own with nine goals
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