Power Rankings: Alternative PL table after week 33

Mark Holmes
Tottenham: Host Southampton on Sunday

Tottenham: Host Southampton on Sunday

Tottenham, Leicester City, Liverpool and Swansea City were the four biggest Power Rankings winners of the weekend, but West Ham still lead the way.

In Power Rankings, we award points from 0.5 to 10, decided by an algorithm based on bookmaker odds and winning margins.

It rewards teams scoring lots of goals and also those defying expectations but sees odds-on favourites penalised for sneaking past inferior opponents by the odd goal.

West Ham continue to lead the way, helped in no small part by their early-season wins at Arsenal and Manchester City, which earned them 20 points alone. Chelsea on the other hand remain second from bottom as they continue to pay the price for their under-achievement, while the rest of last season’s top four battle it out in the top half having also failed to hit their targets.

Week 33

Tottenham – 5: The pressure was on after Leicester’s win at Sunderland earlier in the day, but Spurs showed they are not about to give up on the Premier League title without a fight as they blew Manchester United away in six second-half minutes.

Leicester City – 4: Can they do it? No, not win the Premier League title but catch West Ham at the top of the Power Rankings. The gap is down to 3.5 points ahead of the sides’ meeting at the King Power Stadium next weekend. A 2-0 victory at the Stadium of Light edged them ever closer to the dream double.

Liverpool – 4: Jurgen Klopp rotated his side between the Europa League ties against Borussia Dortmund, but Liverpool beat Stoke City comfortably at Anfield on Sunday to climb into the top half of the Power Rankings and boost their hopes of a top-six finish.

Swansea City – 4: They have been rooted in the bottom three of the Power Rankings for much of the season, but Swansea are finally clear of trouble after another win under Francesco Guidolin, this time over Chelsea, who remain second from bottom ahead of only Aston Villa.

Bournemouth – 3: One team that has never looked in serious danger, against the odds, are Bournemouth, who moved past 40 points for the season with a 2-1 win at Aston Villa.

Southampton – 3: Still seventh in both tables, Southampton maintained their bid for European football with a 3-1 win over Newcastle United that leaves Rafael Benitez’s side facing a huge battle to remain in the Premier League.

Crystal Palace – 2: It wasn’t completely convincing and earns them only two points in the Power Rankings, but Crystal Palace will simply be delighted to have finally got back to winning ways, beating Norwich 1-0 for their first Premier League success since December 19.

Manchester City – 2: They were fortunate, with our Ref Review panel arguing West Brom should have had a penalty, but City held on for a 2-1 win that moved them four points ahead of United in the battle for the fourth Champions League place.

Watford – 1.5: Outsiders against Everton, Watford claimed half a point more than the visitors, with Jose Holebas’ header cancelling out James McCarthy’s strike moments before in a mid-table battle at Vicarage Road.

West Ham – 1.5: They have led from the very first weekend, when they won at Arsenal, but West Ham’s lead at the summit is down to just 3.5 points now after they drew 3-3 with the Gunners in a thrilling game at Upton Park on Saturday.

Arsenal – 1: Having seen his side blow a 2-0 lead, Arsene Wenger was rather brave to praise the spirit of his players after their draw at West Ham. With Leicester and Tottenham both winning the following day, the Gunners’ faint title hopes are now surely over.

Everton – 1: They remain a respectable 11th in the Power Rankings courtesy of some impressive wins, but Everton’s season as a whole has been hugely disappointing. The fans are starting to turn on Roberto Martinez and held up banners calling for him to leave before the 1-1 draw at Watford.

 

Power Rankings

Team Power Rankings Points Official Points
1. West Ham 93 52
2. Leicester City 89.5 72
3. Tottenham 76 66
4. Stoke City 75 47
5. West Brom 68 40
6. Man City 65.5 57
7. Southampton 61 50
8. Arsenal 59 59
9. Man Utd 58.5 53
10. Liverpool 58 48
11. Everton 55.5 39
= Crystal Palace 55.5 37
13. Watford 54.5 38
14. Bournemouth 54 41
15. Swansea City 51 40
16. Sunderland 50 27
17. Newcastle 48 25
18. Norwich City 47.5 31
19. Chelsea 46.5 44
20. Aston Villa 27 16