Arsenal sit top of the Premier League table and have firmly put the defeat at Brighton behind them. While they might have been shocked by Fleetwood Town in the League Cup, the bigger picture is looking rosier by the week for the Gunners, especially with Manchester City entering the international break with three defeats on the bounce.

As with September, football.london has been keeping score of the player’s performances. In our last update after the Brighton game, many of the ratings had been impacted by such a poor performance, but with 17 games played, the picture is becoming clearer for players who are standing out.

We can also see which players have taken a step up and those who have slipped. Player ratings only take into account those who started games unless a substitute came on and provided a match-winning moment such as Noni Madueke at Nottingham Forest, so to avoid substitute appearances for short cameos impacting the overall ratings.

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David Raya – 7.1 (Up from 7)

The Spaniard has continued to be excellent for the Gunners and now has four successive clean sheets in the league, taking his total to seven in just ten games.

Kepa Arrizabalaga – 6 (-)

The Spaniard has not featured since the last break; Illan Meslier was chosen instead to start in the League Cup, rating unchanged.

Illan Meslier – 4

Had little to do against Fleetwood in the shock defeat but was beaten with a shot through his legs, and did little to show why he should replace Kepa as the number two.

Ben White – 6.6 (Up from 6.3)

No surprise that White’s score has increased; he delivered an excellent performance and assist against Everton upon returning to fitness and has now returned to the England squad for the first time since last season.

Jurrien Timber - 6.2 (Up from 3*)

Now in the squad after returning from injury, the Dutch international has been a welcome sight for the squad and delivered a 9/10 score against Lille in the Champions League and was excellent against Liverpool in the 1-0 win too, despite getting somewhat fortunate with a potential penalty call not given on Alexander Isak.

Marli Salmon – 5 (Down from 7*)

After a great display against Ipswich in the third round of the League Cup, he was responsible for the goal at Fleetwood and was taken off at half-time. There is so much talent in this young defender and this will have been a learning experience.

Cristhian Mosquera – 6.3 (Down from 7)

His only start after a good start to the season which was hit by injury came in that shock defeat to Fleetwood where he sadly was involved in a bad team performance. With the return of William Saliba to fitness, minutes will be even trickier to come by.

Ezri Konsa - 7.2 (Up from 5.7)

It is fair to say that Brighton performance is behind Konsa, he has been unbelievably good for Arsenal since the last break, with three 8/10 games and two 9/10 games taking his score up considerably. Saliba returning would usually be a formality but Konsa has been so consistent, he will be asking the question of why on Earth he should be dropped for the Frenchman?

Gabriel – 7.3 (Up from 7)

Another brilliant run of games for Gabriel, which is making him a player of the season contender; he even grabbed himself a goal against Everton too and was excellent at Anfield, bagging back-to-back 9/10 scores along the way.

Riccardo Calafiori – 6.6 (Up from 6-2)

Another steady riser and an important goalscorer against Leeds, too, finding the equaliser in the game. It seems very difficult to see him losing his place in the starting eleven.

Piero Hincapie – 5.3 (Down from 7*)

In his two starts against Fleetwood and Slavia Praha he couldn’t quite impose himself or impress in the games and with just three starts so far his average has taken a steep dip since the Napoli game which should be a reminder of how good he can be.

Declan Rice – 7.4 (Up from 7)

Another brilliant month of football from Rice, the assist at Anfield and a goal in Munich among a string of consistently very impressive performances which are just the norm these days.

Martin Zubimendi – 6.3 (Down from 7*)

A poor game at Fleetwood but a very good performance in Prague reminding everyone what he is capable of. There is hope in the weeks to come; he should be getting plenty more minutes.

Myles Lewis-Skelly – 6.7 (-)

A consistent performer so far this season, Lewis-Skelly appears to be struggling to break into the league side but is getting minutes in Europe. Similarly to Zubimendi, with the fixture list heating up and the weather cooling down, the Hale Ender will surely get more game time.

Bruno Guimaraes – 6.6 (Up from 6)

Another winning goal, this time against Leeds United after his Sunderland heroics, he has been consistent without being necessarily impressive and even Mikel Arteta spoke after the Hull City win that he wants more from the Brazilian.

Mikel Merino – 6.2 (Down from 6.5)

More minutes have come for Merino which have unsurprisingly brought down the average from the impressive game at Ipswich. He is mainly being used off the bench as a finisher.

Martin Odegaard – 7.6 (Up from 7.3)

Another very impressive few weeks from the skipper, and a winning goal against Hull City. The Norwegian continues to remain sharp and dangerous in midfield after confirming his revival to his top level.

Bukayo Saka – 6.4 (Down from 6.7)

Injured early on against Bayern Munich following two underwhelming starts against Leeds and Forest, Saka is now expected to be out for several more weeks but hopefully can return before the end of the year.

Max Dowman – 8 (Down from 9*)

Hard for his rating to go higher than the 9 he scored at Ipswich Town, Dowman however was sent off at Fleetwood Town despite being arguably Arsenal's most threatening player. This will be a lesson for the youngster, despite the red card being seen as very harsh at the time.

Noni Madueke – 7.6 (Up from 7)

For me, the player of this block of games and a testament to how hard work pays off. Madueke looks a different player, scoring against Forest from the bench and in Prague. The energy, sharpness and improvement is very obvious after an already decent start to the campaign as Saka’s understudy.

Kai Havertz – 5.8 (Down from 6.5)

The winning goal at Anfield has not been enough to hide some underwhelming performances after such a good start to the campaign for the German. With Gyokeres showing good form, it could be after the break the Swede has an opening to begin starting matches.

Viktor Gyokeres – 5.5 (Up from 4.5)

Things could really only get better for Gyokeres but he has been much better in this last block of games, scoring twice and assisting twice with his pass to Rice in Munich the main highlight. As mentioned, the Swede is making a big case to start after this break.

Christos Tzolis – 6.6 (Down from 6.7)

Back from injury with mixed results. At Anfield he drew plenty of positives for his performance but then looked very desperate in his play against Hull City – he needs to rediscover the sharpness, and that will come with minutes on the pitch.

Eberechi Eze – 6.3 (Up from 5)

Despite improving from his early-season horrors, many feel Eze can deliver even more but is struggling to bring what his manager wants. Given a run of games after Tzolis’ injury, and despite scoring in Munich, the 28-year-old remains at a crossroads and needs to choose the right path over the winter.

Ceadach O'Neill – 6*

Earned a start at Fleetwood and in the mess that was that game, the youngster came out as one of the few with his head held a little higher due to his performance, providing the cross for Gyokeres’ goal.

Mikel Arteta - At football.london we don't give the manager a match-by-match rating, but the Spaniard has again continued to fight back against the narratives facing his side. Despite claims of Arsenal not being entertaining enough, they just keep winning and have become the hardest side to score against on the continent at the top level.

There has been some question marks over Arteta's use of players, such as Rice who completed the full 90 against Liverpool and Slavia Praha before being taken off against Hull City, plus whether he has given the likes of Zubimendi enough game time so far. But overall, he continues to do an excellent job.