Premier League power rankings: Liverpool look like champions, Sunderland to survive and more

The 2025/26 Premier League season is only four games in, but the early storylines are already writing themselves.

Liverpool look like champions, and Arsenal are their only challengers.

Sunderland could be the team to buck the trend of struggling new boys while sending Wolves back to the Championship with their tails between their legs in the process.

Plenty of twists and turns lie ahead, and it feels like we haven’t quite seen several teams’ proper form yet.

Every week here on Sports News Blitz, betting expert George Dempsey will be compiling the only table that matters - our very own Premier League power rankings.

20. Wolverhampton Wanderers

Ow are ya, mate? Not very good by the looks of things. Four games in and Wolves are preparing for a relegation six-pointer with Leeds.

The club were publicly adamant they wouldn’t let Jorgen Strand Larsen leave, so they wouldn’t want you to know they negotiated to the point of enquiring about Will Osula on loan.

19. Aston Villa

Having the eighth-best defensive record in the Premier League would be more pleasing for Villa if their attacking plan didn’t have as many layers as a cloud.

A 0-0 draw away to Everton is by no means a poor result, but the Villans are only spared bottom spot because Wolves are turgid. No goals yet, but at least they’ve got two points.

18. West Ham United

Singing “you sold your soul, for this s**thole” was a catchy jibe when the Hammers first moved to the London Stadium. Now it’s just a sad fact, and we think they deserve much better.

Red card or not, it was another lifeless performance during a 3-0 battering by Spurs. There’s little to inspire the loyal Hammers fans into getting behind this mess of a club at present.

17. Manchester United

Ruben Amorim has turned this football club around! We’ve lost count of how many times we’ve heard that from the United podcast, but all he’s done is make them worse. Much worse.

Man City were levels above Manchester United. The Arsenal performance was creditable, but that’s how far expectations have fallen. Amorim’s system and personnel remain miles off it.

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16. Burnley

If you’re only as good as your last game, Burnley deserve some credit. We don’t buy into their 1-0 defeat to Liverpool being harsh - they were battered and it was a penalty all day long.

That said, it was a real battling performance from so many individuals. Scott Parker’s side have faced some tough fixtures, yet no one has embarrassed them as yet.

15. Nottingham Forest

Although Evangelos Marinakis has overseen a hefty recruitment drive, which is all Nuno was asking for, it may prove to be the biggest waste of money since Antony.

It remains to be seen if Ange Postecoglou’s appointment was well thought-out based on the squad, but the most worrying aspect of their performances is that they’re still shipping goals.

14. Leeds United

Apparently, Leeds are struggling to put the ball in the net, but let’s not forget they’ve scored infinitely more goals than Aston Villa. Still, the lads are working ‘incredibly hard’.

The Whites have a defence built for the top half, accompanied by a Championship attack held together by scotch tape. Can you stay up by drawing 0-0 every week?

13. Brighton & Hove Albion

It feels like Brighton have been stuck in a time loop of good results, bad results, and reminders to trust the process for nearly a decade. Is inconsistency their ceiling?

The win against Man City is worth major brownie points, while there’s no shame in going down with a fight away to Bournemouth. The Seagulls will be fine.

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12. Newcastle United

Alexander who? Nick Woltemade is a throwback.

Gliding around the box with a long-sleeve shirt from the '80s and a pornstache from the '70s, the big German has hit the ground running.

0-0 draws away to Aston Villa and Leeds United, against a backdrop of civil war on Tyneside, are actually commendable. Beating Wolves might mark the end of their wobble.

11. Brentford

For someone who is unquestionably a horrible pundit, might Brentford’s set-piece coach actually be a decent Premier League manager?

The Bees are buzzing at the moment, but a bigger test lies ahead. They appear to lack attacking quality. Still, you can’t knock their fighting spirit.

10. Fulham

Fulham are statistically one of the more susceptible sides to a slip-up at home. They’ve hardly won at Craven Cottage this year and didn’t deserve to beat Leeds.

Gabriel Gudmundsson didn’t just hand them a get-out-of-jail-free card; he flew a f***ing Boeing into the side of the prison and sprung them himself.

9. Manchester City

Manchester City are still finding their feet after a reset under Pep Guardiola. They’ve spent bags of cash again, so no one is asking you to feel sorry for them, but they deserve patience and credit.

No one is better at reinventing the wheel than Guardiola, and if last weekend were a race, he’d have got the better of Amorim in reverse. Phil Foden and Jeremy Doku were sensational.

8. Chelsea

BlueCo continues to ruin football for the masses, and we refuse to put them in the top four just because they’re in the actual top four. They’ve spent billions and still haven’t figured it out.

Nine goals scored make them the joint-most potent attack in the top flight, which is to be expected.

Failing to beat Brentford, though, has cost Chelsea a few positions here.

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7. Crystal Palace

Oliver Glasner has worked wonders since his arrival. The German had to deal with Simon Jordan trying to sell players from under his nose while keeping the ship steady.

Losing Eberechi Ezi would harm any side’s attacking output, but it turns out that clean sheets can also be a vibe. They’re unbeaten in four, and no one has conceded fewer goals.

6. Everton

Might it be that Everton are no longer an undead zombie? The Hill Dickinson Stadium had the potential to send them down the West Ham route, but it’s done the opposite.

All this club needed was a new stadium and a pretty midfield facelift. David Moyes’ style, while still prehistoric, remains very effective.

5. Sunderland

We should all doff our berets to Regis Le Bris. That charming little Frenchman has made an absolute mockery of Leicester and Ipswich’s two-point return at this stage last season.

It’s fair to say Sunderland had the most to do of the promoted sides, but they’ve done it and then some.

They’re in pole position to be the team that stays up after drawing 0-0 with Palace.

4. Arsenal

It’s hard to believe that the player we watched for Coventry City in the Championship a few years ago has become the most sought-after striker in world football.

Gone are the days when every game feels like a referendum on Mikel Arteta’s process. Arsenal battered Forest, and this is a team built for taking the title race to the death.

3. AFC Bournemouth

Few teams could afford to ship their entire defence to Europe and get away with it. Andoni Iraola’s side looks perfectly capable of upsetting the hierarchy once again.

Antoine Semenyo still looks like a player who belongs in a seat at football’s top table as he gracefully orchestrates Bournemouth’s free-flowing attack.

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2. Tottenham Hotspur

The most entertaining part of Big Ange’s reign was the post-match interviews.

Thomas Frank isn’t an enthralling man, but three wins in four confirm Spurs have improved on the pitch.

A red card may have helped them cruise to a 3-0 win against West Ham, but it was apparent they were the much better side anyway. Can Spurs fans dare to dream again?

1. Liverpool

It’s easy to overlook how disastrous Jurgen Klopp’s departure could have been. Even the most prominent clubs endure a spell in the wilderness where they rebuild, but that hasn’t happened.

Arne Slot’s side were deserved winners of the Premier League last season, and even if they haven’t been at their brilliant best yet, they showed against Burnley that they know how to win.

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