After the midweek round of matches, who tops our Premier League power rankings?
Each week throughout the 2020-21 season, Sportsmail brings you a Power Rankings table, listing the top-10 hottest players in the Premier League.
As the stories of the season unravel, 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 fixtures and also in recent weeks.
After the first midweek full round of games this season, Liverpool won the match of the week, with Roberto Firmino netting a late winner in their top-of-the-table clash against Tottenham, with both managers at loggerheads in the aftermath.
Elsewhere, Arsenal finally stopped the rot as they claimed a point at home to high-flying Southampton, Chelsea lost in the final seconds at Wolves and Manchester City were held at home to West Brom, who sacked manager Slaven Bilic the following day.
Meanwhile, Everton secured an impressive win at Leicester while Leeds grabbed the headlines with a five-star display versus Newcastle – and Manchester United came from behind to beat rock bottom Sheffield United.
With all of that in mind, how do Sportsmail’s latest batch of Power Rankings look?
Roberto Firmino headed in the winner for Liverpool as they beat rivals Tottenham at Anfield
10. Jack Harrison (new entry)
The 24-year-old was Leeds’ star man in their 5-2 demolition of Newcastle on Wednesday night, in what was arguably the performance of the week.
Marcelo Bielsa’s all-action side have been struggling to convert promising displays into results in recent weeks, but they got their season back on track against the Magpies, who looked all at sea as the match ran away from them in the second half.
And Jack Harrison – the winger on loan at Elland Road for the third consecutive season from Manchester City – was their chief tormentor, making his team’s second goal with a terrific first-time cross for Rodrigo to finish accurately.
But it was his goal, Leeds’ fifth, which stole the show – a 30-yard screamer into the top-corner to cap off a wonderful individual display.
Jack Harrison scored a sublime 30-yard effort to cap off a fantastic individual performance
The winger also set up Rodrigo (right) as Leeds ran away with the game against Newcastle
9. Kevin De Bruyne (down one)
After a derby of frustration against United last weekend, it was another evening of exasperation for Manchester City’s midfield orchestrator.
Widely expected to roll over West Brom at the Etihad on Tuesday night, the Baggies were resolute in their defending and City caught their keeper Sam Johnstone in spectacular form.
Don’t be fooled into thinking De Bruyne went missing though – he didn’t. As he so often is, the Belgian was at the heart of City’s attacking threat, laying on inch-perfect crosses for Ilkay Gundogan and Raheem Sterling in the second half who couldn’t convert.
De Bruyne himself was thwarted by Johnstone too, from an accurate free-kick. All in all, a rare week to forget for Pep Guardiola’s side.
It was another game of frustration for Kevin De Bruyne as City’s attacking struggles continue
8. Theo Walcott (new entry)
Now 31, the Everton man is a man reborn on loan at Southampton, returning to the club where it all started.
And the former England winger had an exemplary opportunity to showcase his second-coming at his former home in the Emirates against an Arsenal side in dire form.
Walcott made his impact from the off, terrorising Kieran Tierney and the rest of the Gunners back-line with his pace in-behind, as well as a sharpness with the ball at his feet we have not seen from him in years.
His goal summed up his display, a composed chip over Bernd Leno, and Walcott’s only disappointment was that he was substituted in the 63rd minute when the match seemed his to grasp.
Theo Walcott finished expertly past Bernd Leno to score against his former club Arsenal
The Southampton man has been terrific recently and caused mayhem in the Gunners defence
7. Marcus Rashford (new entry)
The Manchester United forward looked back to his best against Sheffield United on Thursday night, scoring a brilliant double in a 3-2 victory.
His first, at a point in the game when United looked somewhat on the ropes a goal down, was a thing of beauty: a sublime first touch in behind followed by a rapid ripper of a strike past a helpless Aaron Ramsdale.
Did the 23-year-old celebrate? Nope, straight back to the halfway line, he wasn’t done yet.
And Rashford capped off perhaps the goal of the week, a beautiful move from the edge of United’s own penalty area, with a low strike under Ramsdale which, in the end, gave United enough of a cushion to get back to winning ways.
Marcus Rashford finished with aplomb to equalise for Man United and turn the game around
The 23-year-old striker scored in the second half too, finishing off a wonderful team move
6. Jamie Vardy (down three)
After such a eye-catching showing against Brighton last weekend, Leicester’s ascension came crashing down against a defiant Everton side at the King Power.
Leicester’s No 9 was nullified, on the whole, pretty well by Everton centre backs Michael Keane and Yerry Mina.
As James Maddison also had an off-day behind him, Vardy struggled for the service he is accustomed to.
Even when he thought he’d get a late chance to convert from the penalty spot, when referee Lee Mason gave a penalty for Andre Gomes’ foul on Ayoze Perez, it was overturned by VAR.
An unusually quiet game for Jamie Vardy, who was well marshalled by Everton’s back-line
5. Son Heung-min (non-mover)
The Tottenham forward found the back of the net again, but this time was on the losing side at Anfield.
But, from an individual standpoint, Son was his usual effective self – and his composure in front of goal really is something to admire.
After Spurs were on the receiving end of a opening 30-minute battering from Liverpool, their first chance of any note resulted in their equaliser.
The South Korean found a pocket of space to the left and was clinical in his near-post finish past one of the best keepers about in Alisson. Ultimately though, it was all in vein, in what was a setback to Spurs’ title chances.
Son Heung-min (right) scored Tottenham’s equaliser at Anfield but ended up on the losing side
4. Mohamed Salah (up two)
The Egyptian scored Liverpool’s first on Wednesday night, maintaining his impressive record against Tottenham.
He scored the winner at Anfield between the two sides last season, scored a superb brace in the 2017-18 season and, of course, netted from the spot in the 2019 Champions League final.
Salah’s goal on this occasion was somewhat fortuitous, with his first-half strike taking a wicked deflection, looping up and into the top corner.
But after saving Liverpool’s blushes against Fulham at the weekend, Salah has now scored in three consecutive league games and is the Premier League’s joint-top scorer, on 11. His influence is still so important for Jurgen Klopp’s team.
Mohamed Salah kept up his prolific record against Spurs with the opening goal on Wednesday
3. Dominic Calvert-Lewin (up one)
No goal for Everton’s leading light in the midweek win at Leicester but his performance was still vital.
Carlo Ancelotti’s No 9 was a handful for the Foxes’ backline and, after winning the match-winning penalty against Chelsea last weekend, played a part in an Everton goal this week too.
Their second, eventually slammed home by Mason Holgate, saw Kasper Schmeichel save stunningly from Keane and then Calvert-Lewin, who was quick to pounce on the loose ball.
Still joint-top of the goalscoring charts, Calvert-Lewin shows no signs of a dramatic slump, following his prolific early-season form.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin continues to flourish and again stood out as Everton beat Leicester City
2. Harry Kane (down one)
Tottenham’s star man, who has recaptured the best form of his career in the past few months, was on the losing side in the crunch midweek clash against title rivals Liverpool.
Kane did not play badly, far from it. In the second half particularly, Jose Mourinho’s talisman was at the heart of Spurs’ attacking threat, winning the original header which led to Steven Bergwijn hitting the post.
But two big moments did not swing in Kane’s direction. First, a free header from point-blank range from an out-swinging corner where the England skipper failed to land a clear connection.
Then, in the 90th minute, defending a corner in his own box, Kane at the last moment ducked out of attacking the ball – and it cost his team as Firmino planted his header into the corner. Fine margins can change games – and seasons.
Harry Kane missed a glorious chance in the second-half as Spurs lost late on to Liverpool
1. Bruno Fernandes (up one)
The Manchester United midfielder, so often his team’s saviour this season, clinches top-spot this week after another influential display at Bramall Lane.
Starting alongside Paul Pogba, with whom he flourished at the back-end of last season, the Portuguese dictated attacking proceedings for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side.
His deft touch in the build-up to United’s third goal against Sheffield United took two players out of the game, and his quick pass forward to Anthony Martial eventually led to Marcus Rashford’s finish.
A manager’s dream with his craft and quality accompanied with hard-yards all over the pitch, Fernandes continues to be United’s most consistent performer in a stop-start campaign thus far.
Bruno Fernandes was again influential as United beat Sheffield United – he is this week’s No 1
