Premier League Power Rankings: Arsenal avoid slip despite loss to Brighton; Man United stuck in neutral

The Gunners may have lost, but they still reign supreme in our rankings

Sep 21, 2026 at 11:19 am ET • 4 min read

Five games into the season, the Premier League remains as challenging to predict as it's ever been but one thing is for certain – this weekend's results pointed out plenty of weaknesses for a wide variety of teams around England, teasing more entertainment once play resumes after the international break.

Arsenal's perfect start to the season came to an end with a surprise 3-0 loss to Brighton and Hove Albion on Saturday, Manchester City now the lone league leaders after a 5-3 win over Sunderland on Sunday. The results are not exactly indicative of these teams' actual form, or their performances this weekend – the Gunners might have a right to feel hard done by even if Brighton earned their victory, while City may have been lucky to survive as many defensive lapses as they experienced this weekend.

Looks are not always deceiving, though. Brentford increasingly look like the real deal, their 3-0 win over Chelsea on Friday their most impressive result yet and a signal that their ambitions might match their abilities. On the flip side of the table, the news keeps getting worse for Tottenham Hotspur as they slide down to last place in the league table, while Manchester United's 1-1 draw is the latest example that there's still plenty of work to do at Old Trafford.

As the club game takes a three-week pause for an extended international window, here's another batch of Premier League power rankings.

1. Arsenal (--)

Arsenal's streak of invincibility has come to an end but they outdid Brighton on expected goals, so there's no real reason to doubt their title credentials just yet.

2. Manchester City (--)

Manchester City would claim top spot here if they did not string together one of the worst defensive showings in Europe's top five leagues this season against Sunderland, but their body of work so far makes it likely that Sunday's performance is a one-off.

3. Brentford (+2)

Keith Andrews' side fully neutralized Chelsea and have a lopsided win to show for it, a genuine signal that an exciting season might be ahead for Brentford.

4. Brighton and Hove Albion (--)

No team has a nose for goal quite like Brighton does but it's hard not to wonder if they will regress to the mean at some point – they're overperforming their expected goals tally by roughly five goals, which is pretty sizable five games in.

5. Liverpool (+1)

Their 1-0 win over Bournemouth was not glamorous but it feels like Liverpool are starting to figure things out under new coach Andoni Iraola, a newfound defensive reliability key.

6. Chelsea (-3)

Xabi Alonso might be building a tactically unique Chelsea and in the long run, it all might work out, their loss to Brentford showed there's still room for improvement.

7. Leeds United (+4)

Leeds United do not go about things in a flashy way but they don't really have a bad performance on their records thus far and deserve credit for an unbeaten start to the campaign.

8. Sunderland (+2)

A look at the expected goals tally reveals that Sunderland were the better team despite their loss at Manchester City, in line with the fact that the Black Cats have been one of the league's best attacking teams early in the season.

9. Manchester United (-2)

There's still time for Manchester United to play like a normal, if imperfect, team but essentially playing an even game with relegation contenders Fulham isn't going to help their case.

10. Everton (+2)

A fairly straightforward win over newly-promoted Ipswich Town is always good news for Everton, who appear to be on course for another unfussy midtable finish.

11. Nottingham Forest (-2)

There's no joy in being the team that a newly-promoted team snaps its unbeaten streak against but their loss to Coventry City doesn't erase the solid, if unremarkable, work Nottingham Forest have done at the start of the season.

12. Ipswich Town (+2)

Ipswich Town were outdone by Everton this weekend but it helps that there are several teams doing worse than them, steering clear of crisis mode for the time being.

13. Bournemouth (-5)

It is a little bit surprising that Bournemouth have yet to win a game this season but they have yet to build upon their potential, which is starting to become troubling.

14. Newcastle United (+1)

It is going to take a lot more than a narrow win over Hull City to climb out of the lower end of the table, even if they deserve a little credit for it.

15. Hull City (-2)

Hull City finally have their first loss of the season, their form starting resembling the underlying statistics. It's only a start – they were not exactly second-best to Newcastle United, even in defeat.

16. Crystal Palace (--)

Crystal Palace offered glimpses – not full signs – of life in their 0-0 draw at Leeds, a semblance of defensive resolve proving handy for a much-needed point.

17. Fulham (--)

Fulham were not exactly impressive in their draw against Manchester United but exploiting the opponents' weaknesses has to count for something when splitting hairs between the Premier League's worst teams.

18. Coventry City (+2)

There's still no guarantee that Coventry City will climb out of the relegation zone but a win at Nottingham Forest at least marks a good start, even if stiffer tests lie ahead.

19. Aston Villa (-1)

Coming out on top of a matchup against two of the Premier League's bottom-dwellers counts for something but losing on expected goals to Tottenham Hotspur is not much to brag about, even in a 3-2 win.

20. Tottenham Hotspur (-1)

It took nearly five whole games for Spurs to score their opening goal of the season, somehow nicking two goals after the 85th minute. This team, though, still looks dangerously half-baked, which is not a great look after spending around $400 million on transfers.