Premier League after five games: Manchester City perfect as Chelsea, United and Spurs struggle

Manchester City have made the only perfect start to the Premier League season, while Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur have all shown early signs of weakness after five matches.

The leaders have taken 15 points from 15, most recently beating Sunderland 5-3. They are the only side with a 100% record and have the league’s longest winning run this season, strengthening hopes of reclaiming the title.

City have also won their opening five matches in a top-flight season for only the fifth time in their history. They previously achieved the feat in 1912-13, 2015-16, 2016-17 and 2023-24.

Their Italian manager Enzo Maresca has matched that start, winning each of his first five Premier League games with the club. He is only the sixth manager in the competition’s history to do so, joining Carlo Ancelotti, Pep Guardiola and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who each won their opening six games, as well as Craig Shakespeare and Mauricio Sarri, who also won their first five.

Arsenal suffer early setback

Arsenal began the campaign as champions and the leading candidates to retain the title after ending a 22-year wait for silverware under Mikel Arteta.

They collected 12 points from their first four matches, but their perfect record ended abruptly in the fifth round when they lost 3-0 to Brighton. The defeat came early enough for Arsenal to recover, with the title race still in its opening stages.

Four other teams remain unbeaten: Brentford, Leeds United, Liverpool and Everton.

Liverpool are sixth with nine points, but three draws from their opening five matches mean they have already dropped six points despite avoiding defeat. It is only the third time in the past 63 seasons that Liverpool have failed to win either of their first two home league games.

With the gap to Manchester City already growing, further dropped points could make Liverpool’s return to the title race more difficult. Leeds United have also avoided defeat, while newly promoted Hull City have impressed and sit eighth on eight points.

Chelsea’s defensive problems

Chelsea are 10th with seven points after losing twice in their first five matches. They have scored 10 goals, but have conceded 12 the worst defensive record in the league.

The club conceded at least twice in each of their first four games, a sequence not seen at Chelsea since the 2015-16 season. Their attack offers a platform for improvement, but the defence requires urgent attention if they are to challenge Arsenal and Manchester City.

Manchester United have won only once and are 12th with five points. They are the only Premier League team to have recorded more than 100 shots this season, yet those attempts have produced just eight goals. They have conceded eight as well, highlighting their difficulty in turning possession, pressure and opportunities into results.

Tottenham at the bottom

Tottenham Hotspur are bottom with two points and have yet to win. They were not regarded as serious title contenders after finishing 17th in each of the previous two seasons, but expectations were higher under Roberto De Zerbi after he had a full pre-season to work with the squad.

Instead, Tottenham failed to score in their first four league matches the first time that has happened in the club’s history. They finally ended the drought in the fifth round, scoring twice in a 3-2 defeat by Aston Villa.

That leaves them with their worst start after five Premier League games: two points and a -6 goal difference, surpassing their opening in 2008-09, when they also had two points but a -3 goal difference.

What history suggests

Early form does not guarantee how a season will finish. Only nine of the 28 teams to win their opening four matches in the Premier League era have gone on to win the title, with Manchester City in 2023-24 the most recent example.

Falling five or more points behind the leaders after four matches is also difficult to overcome. Only two teams have gone on to become champions from that position: Manchester United did so five times under Sir Alex Ferguson, while Manchester City, managed by Pep Guardiola, recovered to win the 2020-21 title.

After five rounds, Manchester City have set the pace, Arsenal have suffered their first blow, Chelsea are exposed at the back, Manchester United lack end product and Tottenham face an early fight to prevent a poor start becoming a wider crisis.