Four matches played — it’s a short distance to draw final conclusions about the championship intrigue. However, at the start of the 2026/27 season, Arsenal and Manchester City, who have fought for the title in three of the last four years, look like insurmountable monoliths compared to the completely dismantled challengers.
While direct competitors scramble to adapt to new managers, the championship race is swiftly morphing into a two-horse race.
Perfect duopoly of leaders: cynicism over flair
Only Arsenal and Manchester City have achieved the maximum — 12 points from 12 available. They have already carved out a four-point lead over surprise package Hull City in third, while the rest of the peloton has fallen behind by at least five points.
Defending champions Arsenal approached this season as frontrunners. Mikel Arteta, who ended a 22-year wait for the title with a pragmatic style, hasn’t let up. The summer kicked off with a resounding 3-0 win over Manchester City in the Community Shield, followed by four straight league victories against Coventry, Aston Villa, Chelsea, and Sunderland, and an away triumph over Napoli in the Champions League. The Gunners' winning streak in the Premier League, counting the end of last season, has now reached nine games, and they haven't lost in normal time since April.
Meanwhile, City has experienced more upheaval. Pep Guardiola departed after a decade of absolute dominance with six titles and a treble, leaving his former assistant Enzo Maresca at the helm. After recovering from the Wembley debacle, the Italian has delivered a perfect start in the league, defeating Bournemouth, Crystal Palace, and Coventry, as well as Porto in Europe and Manchester United at Old Trafford (1-0). Erling Haaland netted the derby winner, although the officials later admitted it was a gross error, acknowledging the goal came from a clear offside position.
Interestingly, the basic statistics of the leaders reveal they’re far from overwhelming:
- Both clubs have scored eight goals, trailing Brighton (13) and Chelsea (10).
- In terms of shots, Arsenal and City rank only 10th and 11th in the league.
- For touches in the opposition penalty area, they sit in fifth and sixth places, respectively.
Yet defensively, they exhibit iron discipline: the Gunners have conceded just one goal, while City has let in two. It’s this solid backline that provides the leaders with the necessary resilience.
A crisis quartet: from chaos at the Bridge to historic shame for Spurs
The three main challengers according to bookmakers — Chelsea, Liverpool, and Manchester United — alongside Tottenham, were all hoping for a breakout season. However, their starts range from inconsistent to downright disastrous.
Both Chelsea and Liverpool underwent managerial changes over the summer: Xabi Alonso took charge at Stamford Bridge, while Andoni Iraola stepped in at Anfield. Michael Carrick at Manchester United and Roberto De Zerbi at Spurs had full pre-seasons with their squads.
Chelsea currently occupies fifth place: while they’ve scored 10 goals, they’ve also conceded a catastrophic nine — the fourth-worst record in the division. The Blues have let in two or more goals in each of their opening four Premier League matches for the first time since the disastrous 2015/16 season.
Liverpool finds themselves stuck in seventh. The team technically remains unbeaten, but three draws from four outings have extinguished their early momentum. This is only the third time in 63 years that the Merseysiders haven’t managed to win either of their first two home matches at Anfield.
Manchester United have plummeted to 13th with just four points, matching their worst start since the Premier League began in 1992/93. They’ve attempted more shots than anyone else in the league (84) and have allowed the second-fewest attempts against them (41), yet woeful finishing has seen them balance their scoring tally at 7-7.
Finally, Tottenham, after two consecutive 17th-place finishes, are back in familiar territory at 17th. De Zerbi’s debut has resulted in a national embarrassment: for the first time in the club's history, they’ve failed to score a single goal in their first four league matches.
History's verdict: chances for salvation are slim
In the entire history of the English top flight, 80 teams have started with four consecutive wins, but only 24 of them reached the title. In the Premier League era, this has only been achieved by nine teams out of 28 — the last triumphant side being Manchester City from the 2023/24 season.
This season marks just the seventh in league history where two clubs have started with four consecutive wins. Historical statistics offer little mercy to those who rest on their laurels: throughout the Premier League’s existence, only two teams have managed to claim the title while trailing the leader by five or more points after four games.
The great Sir Alex Ferguson orchestrated such miracles with Manchester United five times (in the seasons 1992/93, 1996/97, 1998/99, 2007/08, and 2008/09), while Pep Guardiola turned the tide during the 2020/21 season with City. Whether any of the floundering giants can replicate those feats in the face of Arsenal and Maresca's apparent invincibility is the burning question of the autumn.
