Premier League manager rankings: Eddie Howe finally outfoxes Pep Guardiola

On a weekend when everything seemed to go Arsenal’s way, Eddie Howe tops the Premier League manager rankings, Andoni Iraola masterminds a fine Bournemouth comeback but still isn’t happy, and Sean Dyche keeps things simple at Anfield. How did it all affect our weekly Premier League manager rankings? Read on to find out. 

1) Eddie Howe (Newcastle 2-1 Manchester City)

Points: 10

This was Eddie Howe’s first victory against Pep Guardiola, achieved at the 17th time of asking. That in itself might be considered sufficient for the Newcastle United manager to top this week’s Premier League manager rankings. Consider that this was also just Newcastle’s second win over City in 36 attempts, a landmark that Howe nonetheless greeted with characteristic humility – “My individual stuff is irrelevant,” he said. “It’s nice to win for the team, and we needed it in the league” – and the case starts to become irresistible.

What really clinches it, though, is the meticulous attention to detail on Howe’s part that laid the foundations for victory. It is not as if there was nothing riding on the outcome. After conceding three goals at Brentford before the international break, just as they had in their previous league fixture at West Ham, Newcastle simply had to stop the rot. Without an away win since April, Howe could ill-afford to let things slip at St James’ Park, where his side had not been beaten since Arsenal’s visit at the end of September. 

So having pored over footage of recent performances during the international break, the Newcastle boss concluded there was nothing so wrong with his side that it couldn’t be solved by deploying Bruno Guimarães in the No 6 role normally occupied by Sandro Tonali, who was in turn assigned the Brazilian’s vacated No 8 position. It worked a treat. Guimarães orchestrated play superbly from the deeper position, but was not too shy to get forward, as evidenced by his involvement in both Newcastle goals. Tonali grew in stature after a quiet start, his energy and aggression never more apparent than when he rushed Nico O’Reilly into a poor clearance to begin the move that led to the opening goal.

Similarly inspired was Howe’s decision to recall Fabian Schär in central defence, with Tino Livramento and Lewis Hall restored in the full-back positions. The latter duo, starting together for only the second time all season, brought width and creativity to Newcastle’s attacking forays, while Schär overcame an early penalty scare to play a key role in keeping Erling Haaland at bay on a day when the Norwegian was targeting a 100th league goal.   

It proved a winning recipe, one that earned Howe his 100th win as Newcastle manager and arguably the most notable result of matchweek 12. Factor in the identity of the opposition – not to mention the opposing manager – and this was a watershed moment for the Englishman. He would never dream of making it about himself, of course – so we will. 

100 wins as Newcastle United boss ✊ pic.twitter.com/TPwpZHOiWD

— Newcastle United (@NUFC) November 22, 2025

2) Andoni Iraola (Bournemouth 2-2 West Ham)

Points: 9

After a flying start to the season that propelled Bournemouth to the giddy heights of second place in the table, Andoni Iraola’s side encountered some turbulence. Before the international break, they conceded seven goals in two games against Manchester City and Aston Villa. Brought back down to Earth by those defeats, they are also having to contend with the vultures circling around their best player, Antoine Semenyo, following the revelation that the winger’s contract contains a £65m release clause that can be activated in January. That Semenyo was unable to line up against West Ham after suffering an ankle injury merely added insult to injury.

Pretty much the last thing Iraola needed, then, was to see his side go two goals down before half-time against a West Ham side who arrived on the south coast languishing in the drop zone. At that point, it seemed certain Nuno Espírito Santo would guide his side to a third straight win. Iraola, however, had other ideas. 

Much has been made of Nuno’s conservative decision to withdraw Callum Wilson, the former Bournemouth striker whose double had put the Hammers ahead, shortly after the break. But Iraola’s contrasting boldness should not be overlooked. In a game dominated by Bournemouth throughout, the Spaniard’s decision to replace Bafodé Diakité with Álex Jiménez at the break gave the home side fresh attacking impetus. It was a driving run from the 20-year-old Spaniard that began the move which culminated with Marcus Tavernier’s penalty.

No less impactful was Iraola’s introduction of Enes Ünal, the 28-year-old Turkey international who was introduced with 10 minutes remaining, but needed only one to score. For Ünal, still working his way back to full fitness after suffering two successive anterior cruciate injuries, it was a cathartic moment. Not only did he claim his first goal in almost a year, he might well have added a winner as Bournemouth sought to make good on their superiority.

Iraola was unhappy afterwards – “Not a good result for us,” he opined of a game in which his side enjoyed 76% possession and had 28 shots to the visitors’ five – but his match-changing decision-making deserved greater recognition. Not least from the Spaniard himself.      

3) Sean Dyche (Liverpool 0-3 Nottingham Forest)

Premier League manager rankings points: 8

Were it not for the worst performance yet in Liverpool’s abject recent league run, Sean Dyche would be a shoo-in for manager of the week. This might have been Nottingham Forest’s second consecutive league victory at Anfield, but it was still only the club’s second success on Merseyside in 56 years, and the visiting support were not slow to acknowledge their manager’s contribution. “Dychey, Dychey, give us a wave,” they chorused as the game crept into stoppage time. Who could begrudge them their glee?

Arne Slot is merely the latest foreign sophisticate to fall victim to Dyche’s no-nonsense, play-to-your-strengths approach. Not that the Liverpool manager was unaware of what awaited. In his programme notes, he wrote of a Forest team “capable of causing problems for any opponents, especially as it is clear their own form and performances have been improving in recent weeks”. It was a point well made and yet, for Slot, forewarned was not forearmed. 

As Dyche remarked afterwards, the basics never go out of fashion. In that regard, Forest were as outstanding as Liverpool were awful. They kept things simple, working tirelessly out of possession, maintaining their discipline and shape, and seeking to play on the counter-attack. It was one such lightning raid that led to the corner from which they broke the deadlock, From that moment, Forest effectively controlled the game, ball or no ball. Liverpool had twice as many touches in the opposing box, more shots and a superior xG; none of it was enough to deny Dyche’s men, who bided their time and took their opportunities in clinical fashion. 

“I told the players that we are not going to pass it out,” said Dyche. “We decided to go long because we knew that Liverpool were going to press the life out of us. We have players who can play, we know we have good players who can play ‘good’ football, as people call it. If you have seen the performances we have had so far, you will know that we are capable of mixing up our performances. If you are willing to adapt, it has a chance of working.”

It is working. Having inherited a side in the drop zone, Dyche is steadily moving Forest up the table. This result showed why.  

https://twitter.com/NFFC/status/1992249618663620750

4) Mikel Arteta (Arsenal 4-1 Tottenham Hotspur)

Premier League manager rankings points: 7

The north London derby is never a foregone conclusion and, as we suggested last week in our rundown of things to look out for in the Premier League at the weekend, the latest edition of the rivalry was no exception. Before Tottenham arrived at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday, only Brighton had taken points off them on the road, with Thomas Frank’s side scoring more away goals than Arsenal and conceding fewer. If that offered Mikel Arteta food for thought, so too did the defeats suffered by Manchester City and Liverpool the previous day, which offered a glorious opportunity to stretch their Premier League lead further.

Credit, then, to Arteta for taking the handbrake off. Accused earlier in the season of failing to make the most of Eberchi Eze’s attacking threat, the Spaniard gave the attacker his head against Tottenham and was rewarded with a hat-trick. True, it was an utterly abysmal performance from Spurs. But Eze’s electrifying performance redefined the nature of Arsenal’s title challenge, laying to rest the notion that they are over-reliant on set-pieces, with a quartet of goals from open play offering compelling evidence of Arsenal’s multifaceted attacking threat. Another warning shot across the bows of the Gunners’ title rivals, and another feather in Arteta’s increasingly ostrich-like cap. 

5) David Moyes (Manchester United 0-1 Everton)

Premier League manager rankings points: 6

Yes, it was an absolutely bonkers game. Yes, the rush of blood that led to the dismissal of Everton midfielder Idrissa Gueye after just 13 minutes for slapping team-mate Michael Keane was inexplicable. And yes, it defies belief that Manchester United not only fell behind against 10 men, but were subsequently unable to force their way back into the game.

But as his clenched-fist reaction to the full-time whistle demonstrated, none of that diminished David Moyes’ satisfaction at claiming his first victory at Old Trafford as a visiting manager. When Everton last won at United, in December 2013, Moyes was relentlessly barracked by the visiting support. Their ire was rooted not only in the Scot’s decision to leave Goodison Park six months earlier to succeed Sir Alex Ferguson, but also in Moyes’ subsequent signing of midfielder Marouane Fellaini. It was a miserable lowlight of a miserable tenure that would end with his sacking the following April, five years and two months earlier than planned.

So yes, this was a win to savour for the visiting manager, whose side showed all the hallmarks with which he has become synonymous. “Resilience, toughness, commitment – all the things you want as a manager,” Moyes purred approvingly, who even managed to portray Gueye’s dismissal as a positive.  

“I was a bit annoyed,” said Moyes. “But I was also quite pleased, because it showed me they cared. I’m trying to demand higher standards from everybody. If we hadn’t got that fight or resilience, we would never have got through the rest of the game.”

Ever the tough guy.

6) Enzo Maresca (Burnley 0-2 Chelsea)

Premier League manager rankings points: 5

Still dealing with the fallout from a season that began barely a month after the previous campaign ended in Club World Cup glory, Enzo Maresca continues to perform admirably. The easy take would be that Chelsea, with the benefit of all their wealth and resources, have every right to take three points at Premier League newcomers Burnley. But that is to reckon without the obvious need to rotate in the interests of squad freshness.

That challenge was complicated on this occasion by the absence of Moises Caicedo, who was necessarily rested after returning from the international break on Thursday, barely 48 hours before the Saturday lunchtime trip to Turf Moor. The Ecuador midfielder has previously missed just one Premier League game – some players are too crucial to rest – but in Andrey Santos, who made his third league start, Maresca alighted upon an able deputy for Chelsea’s midfield talisman.

The Italian’s juggling act this season is getting less attention than it deserves, but the fact is that Chelsea sit second in the league, just six points behind Arsenal, whom they face at Stamford Bridge on Sunday afternoon. All things considered, three points on the road was not a bad way for Maresca to mark his 50th game as Chelsea boss.

7) Fabian Hürzeler (Brighton 2-1 Brentford)

Premier League manager rankings points: 4

Relegated to the stands after picking up three bookings this season, Fabian Hürzeler was able to enjoy a resilient, resourceful performance from his side as they fought back from a goal down to move up to sixth place in the league. By a quirk of coincidence, matchweek 12 saw Hürzeler, like Maresca, notch up a half century of games at his club, and the German’s satisfaction at picking up a 21st win was clear. 

“How we faced adversity and how my team stuck together,” enthused Hürzeler, who has also overseen 17 draws and 12 defeats over his Amex tenure. “They showed personality, they showed character, they showed more quality in the second half and they definitely deserved to win this game.” 

In similar fashion, the important contribution of a manager hailed within the club for his work ethic, tactical astuteness and commitment to bringing through talent and fostering a sense of identity, deserves to be recognised.    

8) Marco Silva (Fulham 1-0 Sunderland)

Premier League manager rankings points: 3

It is true that Sunderland were below their best. Fulham should probably have had the game won well before Raúl Jiménez popped up with the winning goal six minutes from time. But a vital three points maintained Fulham’s solid record at Craven Cottage, where they have secured 13 of a possible 18 points this season, and ensured they remain three points clear of the drop zone in 15th place. 

Like his Bournemouth counterpart Iraola, Silva made pivotal substitutions. While Emile Smith Rowe brought greater goal threat when he came on for Josh King, Samuel Chukwueze, the winger on loan from AC Milan, provided the cross for Jiménez’s late winner. Not all Fulham fans are entirely enamoured of their manager, but 24 shots and a third clean sheet of the season in the league made this a decent afternoon for the club, particularly since it was only their second win in the past eight outings across all competitions.

9) Oliver Glasner (Wolves 0-2 Crystal Palace)

Points: 2

A first Premier League goal from Yéremy Pino, the £26m winger signed from Villarreal this summer to fill the void created by Eberechi Eze’s departure. A sixth clean sheet in 12 league outings. Fourth place in the table, albeit temporarily. And all delivered with a confidence and authority that suggests Crystal Palace belong. Can Oliver Glasner maintain the club’s lofty trajectory? Don’t bet against it. From last season’s FA Cup win to this term’s Community Shield, the Austrian is breaking new ground at Selhurst Park. A place in the Champions League might just be a natural progression.    

10) Unai Emery (Leeds 1-2 Aston Villa)

Points: 1

Remember when Aston Villa couldn’t score a goal for love nor money? The opening weeks of the season, when Unai Emery’s side went five games without a win, seem a distant memory now. This was Villa’s third straight victory across all competitions, and they have now won all but one of their past seven Premier League outings, scoring 14 goals in the process. As that pattern would suggest, Emery’s ability to steady the ship has been a key theme in the club’s season, and so it was again at Elland Road after Villa had fallen behind to an early goal from Lukas Nmecha. They were level within three minutes of the restart, suggesting that whatever Emery said at half-time had the desired effect, and went on to clinch the win when Morgan Rogers claimed his second goal of the afternoon with a superb free-kick. Villa move up to fourth, Emery continues to impress.