After just 10 games in charge, Nuno Espirito Santo was sacked by Tottenham following thier 3-0 drubbing at the hands of Manchester United, in what was a pretty momentous weekend for the Premier League.
Fortunately for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, he managed to come out on top in ‘El Sackico’ after relieving some of the pressure from his shoulders, just a week on from that dismal 5-0 thrashing by arch-rivals Liverpool.
The series of events is likely to lead to Antonio Conte’s Premier League return, with the Italian being lined up as Nuno’s replacement in north London.
Nuno Espirito Santo was sacked by Tottenham after his side were beaten by Manchester Utd
Elsewhere, Liverpool surprisingly surrendered a two-goal lead against Brighton, after Jordan Henderson and Sadio Mane put the Reds 2-0 up with just 25 minutes on the clock.
Enock Mwepu and Leandro Trossard managed to turn things around for the Seagulls to earn what is an extremely impressive point at Anfield.
Newcastle’s struggles continued on the pitch at the weekend when they were soundly beaten by high-flyers Chelsea.
It leaves the Magpies winless this season, in the bottom two, and in serious trouble without a manager.
Crystal Palace secured a massive three away points at Manchester City with Patrick Vieira getting a win on his return to the Etihad, while Southampton, Burnley, Arsenal, Leeds, Wolves and West Ham also secured victories on matchday 10.
But how does that affect our rankings?
Every week, Sportsmail will be bringing you a Power Rankings table, listing the top 10 players in the Premier League after each weekend’s action is completed.
As the season continues to unwind, the rankings will provide a form guide with players moving in and out of the top 10 depending on both their performances in the previous fixture and also in recent weeks.
So, with all of that taken into account, how have Sportsmail’s latest batch of Power Rankings taken shape, and has Mohamed Salah kept hold of top spot?
10. Matt Lowton (new entry)
It took 10 matches but it finally happened – Burnley got their first win of the campaign.
On paper, Brentford were less than the ideal opponents to try and break that duck but break that duck they did – and did it in 36 minutes of work.
And right back Matt Lowton was at the heart of the victory, grabbing the second goal of the game, thumping in a solid header to take the sting out of an in-form Bees side.
Matt Lowton was the star of the show in Burnley’s first win of the Premier League season
‘It think it was the best first half we’ve had for a long time really,’ said Lowton. ‘I thought we matched their tempo and went beyond it.
‘I did more going forward today which was great. I mentioned in the week wanting to contribute more and was delighted to do that. I don’t score many back-post headers, if any actually.
‘It was nice, I went on a little bit of a run and stayed up there as the ball was in and around the box. Chaz (Charlie Taylor) put a great ball in, and I just attacked it. I managed to get good contact on it and it was nice to see it go in the net.’
9. Ben Chilwell (down one)
After scoring three goals in his last four Premier League games, Ben Chilwell has kept his place in our rankings after overseeing a comfortable win at St James’ Park.
The England left back helped the Blues keep a clean sheet on Tyneside, which in turn helped them extend their lead at the top of the table and make it four wins on the bounce.
It was another solid performance for Chilwell, who is now hoping to help Chelsea in whatever way he can, whether that’s scoring at one end, or keeping goals out at the other.
Ben Chilwell helped Chelsea keep a clean sheet and seal three points away at Newcastle
‘Scoring goals as a defender isn’t something I get to do a lot,’ said Chilwell.
‘When I do score it’s a nice feeling and thankfully last month I was able to help the team with a few goals, got my first goal for England, which was an amazing feeling as well.
‘And I think that’s part of my game that the manager now has helped me with most and improved me most – just getting the opportunities in and around the box to be more of a goal threat and contribute more with goals and assists in the team.
‘With the way the manager wants us to play, we do spend more time in attacking positions.’
8. Raul Jimenez (new entry)
It was just under a year ago when Raul Jimenez suffered that horrific injury at the Emirates, where he fractured his skull going for up for a header with David Luiz.
Many questioned whether the Mexican would, or could, ever play again given the nature of such a serious fracture.
But in one of football’s feel-good stories, Jimenez has not only returned to the field but he looks back to his best on it.
The Wolves frontman was instrumental in their win over Everton at Goodison Park on Monday, expertly linking up with the men behind him, pressing from the front and taking his chances when they came.
Raul Jimenez (right) scored a delightful chip over an on-rushing Jordan Pickford on Monday
And what a goal it was from the 30-year-old.
A sloppy back-pass from Ben Godfrey was picked up by an alert Jimenez, who had just a split second to compose himself and dink the ball over an on-rushing Jordan Pickford.
He had the ball in the back of net before that, too, but was marginally ruled out by VAR for offside.
7. Reece James (new entry)
If goals dry up on one side of Chelsea’s back-line, it seems as if the man on the opposite flank takes on the mantle.
That’s what has happened at the weekend with Reece James now taking on the scoring burden from Chilwell with a brace of his own if their 3-0 win over Newcastle.
His first goal was spectacular. James picked up a deep cross from Callum Hudson-Odoi from one wing, controlled it inside the area before blasting it into the far top corner.
Reece James (left) bagged himself a brace with two second-half stunners at Newcastle
James (third from left) crashed home two stunning efforts to secure the three points
Reece got his second 12 minutes later with another superbly-hit strike, after Ruben Loftus-Cheek’s effort was blocked and fell kindly to the feet of the right back, who thumped it in with the Newcastle keeper already on the floor.
‘Coming away from home to St James’ Park, which is a tough place, and picking up three points when the two teams behind have dropped points is obviously a great result for us and puts us in a strong position,’ Reece told the club’s official website.
‘Everyone loves playing and everyone wants to win, the team spirit in the changing room at the moment is unbelievable.’
6. Cristiano Ronaldo (new entry)
Cristiano Ronaldo just loves scoring against Tottenham.
The Portuguese superstar netted his 11th goal against Spurs – more than any other Premier League side – with arguably the goal of the weekend.
While his replacement Edinson Cavani arguably deserves a spot on this list, Ronaldo’s impact was sorely needed in north London to alleviate the pressure on Solskjaer’s shoulders.
With the ball sent towards Spurs’ back post, Ronaldo managed to slip and roll Ben Davies, giving him the tightest of angles to aim at Spurs goal.
Cristiano Ronaldo opened the scoring against Spurs with a superb volley in the first half
But with Ronaldo anything is possible. As the ball dropped out of the air, Ronaldo smashed the ball, full-volley, past a helpless Hugo Lloris to break the deadlock and stun the already frustrated Tottenham crowd.
It was a stunning goal and he added to that by setting up Cavani with a brilliant pass to help United go on to secure three crucial away points.
‘It was tough,’ the Portuguese told Sky Sports of back-to-back defeats to Leicester and Liverpool.
‘We didn’t expect the last two results in the Premier League. But I hope this time we have changed the page.’
5. Wilfried Zaha (new entry)
Wilfried Zaha looks like he’s found a new level under new Palace boss Vieira.
The Eagles talisman was an absolute nightmare for Man City to defend and he proved as much when he gave the visitors a shock lead inside six minutes.
While Zaha didn’t get off the cleanest of strikes at goal it was enough for the ball to squeeze past Ederson in the net, sparking frantic celebrations in the away end.
The Ivory Coast forward even played a crucial part in City going down to 10 men, with Aymeric Laporte having to bring Zaha down as the last man, given he was through on goal for a Palace second.
Wilfried Zaha broke the deadlock in Crystal Palace’s impressive 2-0 win over Man City
He constantly riled up the City players and led the line brilliantly, before Conor Gallagher was able to make it 2-0 and put the game to bed minutes before the final whistle.
‘The difference you see is we keep the ball from the back,’ Zaha told the BBC. ‘We actually keep the ball around the pitch.’
‘We have had a threat going forward…’ added Zaha. ‘[But now] we make our chances. I feel like now we are exploiting the talent we have up front and all around the pitch.’
4. Aaron Ramsdale (new entry)
Two weeks ago, Edouard Mendy rightly became the first goalkeeper this season to win a spot on our Power Rankings with a ridiculous performance against Brentford.
This time round, it’s Aaron Ramsdale’s turn to receive the plaudits for what was a top-class goalkeeping display against the Foxes.
Ramsdale’s incredible one-handed save from James Maddison’s free kick saw him receive high praise from his Arteta and goalkeeping legend Peter Schmeichel.
Schmeichel labelled the save as ‘the best he’s seen in years’ – that’s even with his own son donning the opposite number down the other end at the King Power.
Aaron Ramsdale pulled off one of the saves of the seasons to deny James Maddison
When asked about his save in the first-half after the game, Ramsdale said: ‘Maddison’s a top free-kick taker and I’ve come against him a few times in the league and with the England U21s.
‘I was more worried he was going to reverse it and come my side. He didn’t have too much pace on it which allowed me to get there.
‘It was one of those days where it seemed like I was saving everything that was thrown at me and the lads were blocking everything.’
3. Declan Rice (new entry)
When Chelsea were weighing up a £100million move for Declan Rice, many football fans may have raised their eyebrows.
But now, after what he’s been doing in the heart of West Ham’s midfield, it seems justified why the Blues were seriously considering it.
Rice absolute ran the show against Aston Villa and even got a goal for his troubles –his fourth of the campaign after boss David Moyes, who took charge of his 999th as a manager, pushed him to find the target more often.
‘We are joint third,’ said Rice. ‘The big question people asked before the season was whether we could do it again after qualifying for Europe. We’ve found out we can.
Declan Rice has urged West Ham to keep their foot on the gas after a superb start to the season
The England international scored West Ham’s second goal at Villa Park on Sunday
‘But there are still a lot more games to go. This is the level, the standard. We can’t drop if we want to be a big team.
‘I can definitely add [goals] to my game, I have four this season. It doesn’t get better with the feeling of scoring a goal.
‘We won 4-1 but we were so sloppy in the second half. We gave the ball away so much. The manager won’t be happy. There were times we could have countered and gave it away.’
2. Emile Smith Rowe (up eight)
What a real superstar this young lad is becoming.
Many thought Martin Odegaard’s permanent return to Arsenal earlier this summer would limit any minutes Emile Smith Rowe got on the pitch.
But after being handed a vite of confidence by Mikel Arteta with the No 10 shirt for the Gunners, Smith Rowe has more than repaid the Spaniard.
Playing out on the left, the Arsenal academy graduate was a constant problem for the Foxes and was running riot down the wings with Bukayo Saka doing the same on the opposite side.
Emile Smith Rowe (left) celebrates after firing Arsenal into a 2-0 lead at Leicester on Saturday
After Gabriel broke the deadlock inside five minutes from a corner, it was Smith Rowe who doubled the lead soon after, with the 21-year-old arriving into the box late to tuck the ball into Kapser Schmeichel’s bottom corner and put the game to bed.
His performance earned him rave reviews from United legend Rio Ferdinand, who insisted that the Arsenal playmaker is one of his favourite players to watch.
‘It was one of the best performances I’d seen in that first-half,’ Ferdinand told his YouTube channel. ‘There was an element of control about it for the first 25, 30 minutes. Emile Smith Rowe, I love this player.
‘My two favourite players are Saka and Emile Smith Rowe in that team,’ he went on to add. ‘Every time the ball goes to Saka, I think something could happen. Same with Emile Smith Rowe.’
1. Mohamed Salah (non-mover)
Liverpool’s Egyptian King keeps top spot for another week in our Power Rankings after contributing once again for Jurgen Klopp’s side.
But this time, he was unable to walk away with all three points like Liverpool usually do as they were held to a 2-2 draw by Brighton.
Salah did manage to keep up his ridiculous 11-game streak of either providing at least a goal or an assist in a game after he set up Henderson to score Liverpool’s opener on Saturday.
Mohamed Salah set up Jordan Henderson to score Liverpool’s opener against Brighton
Result aside, there is no man in better form that Salah and he is the only player to have featured in every Power Rankings list this season – and for good reason.
He’s been head and shoulders above everyone else in the Premier League this season and is arguably the most in-form player int he world right now.
He now has 15 goals and six assists in 13 games this season and rightly keeps his place at the summit of our rankings.