Matchweek 4 delivered more evidence that early season form tends to stick — for both the good and bad.
Teams chasing consistency showed their strengths, while those still searching for identity have more questions than answers.
With several tight results, late winners, and a few heavy defeats, the picture is becoming clearer of who might challenge and who might struggle.
The Weekend’s results & shocks
Here are some of the key results:
Match
Result
Manchester City 3-0 Manchester United
City dominated the derby.
Liverpool 1-0 Burnley
A stoppage-time pen by Mohamed Salah sealed it.
West Ham 0-3 Tottenham
Spurs dismantled 10-man West Ham.
Brentford 2-2 Chelsea
Late equaliser from Carvalho frustrated Chelsea.
Arsenal 3-0 Nottingham Forest
A convincing win for Arsenal.
Bournemouth 2-1 Brighton & Hove Albion
Close win for Bournemouth.
Fulham 1-0 Leeds United
Tightly contested; Fulham edged it.
Everton 0-0 Aston Villa; Crystal Palace 0-0 Sunderland
Two goalless draws.
Shocks / Surprises:
The big one was probably Manchester City 3-0 Manchester United. Given United’s status, expectations are higher—even early in the season—and City’s comfortable win underlines United’s struggles so far.
Liverpool’s win was expected, but the manner (needing a very late penalty) suggests they aren’t yet breezing through. Burnley defended well and might feel hard done by.
Tottenham beating West Ham convincingly (3-0) especially after going down to ten men showed grit and quality. It also deepened West Ham’s early season woes.
The draw between Brentford and Chelsea was less shocking but perhaps disappointing for Chelsea, expected to win against a mid-table side.
Stars of the weekend
Erling Haaland (Manchester City) – Two goals in the Manchester Derby. Again proving his clutch status.
Phil Foden (City) – Scored the opener vs. United, looked sharp.
Jeremy Doku had a strong outing, contributing with assists and causing problems for United’s defence.
Mohamed Salah (Liverpool) – although quiet for much of the match, delivered when it mattered with the 95th-minute penalty.
Players who failed and underwhelmed
Manchester United defenders in the derby, especially Luke Shaw. Their shape and discipline were lacking on all three City goals.
Altay Bayindir (United goalkeeper) wasn’t at his best; exposed on set-ups and crosses.
Chelsea (collective) – they couldn’t close out vs. Brentford, letting in a late equaliser. Their defence has shown vulnerability in recent weeks.
Pick of the weekend
If I have to choose one standout match, Manchester City vs Manchester United wins that honour. It wasn’t just because of the result, but the clarity City showed in attack and overall control.
Haaland’s finishing, Foden’s intelligence, plus how City’s defence contained a United side that had shown signs of threat in earlier games, made it a statement performance.
For United, it laid bare their defensive issues and lack of attacking firepower on current form.
The Table: Top and Bottom
After Matchweek 4, here’s how the table is shaping up (top few, bottom few):
Top teams: Liverpool sit at the top with four wins from four. Arsenal, Tottenham, and Bournemouth also have strong starts.
Struggling: Manchester United are well down — 14th after their poor derby showing. West Ham are in the relegation zone or close, having lost heavily and shown defensive frailties. Burnley are also precarious, having drawn or lost tight games and dropped late points.
Conclusion
This matchweek reinforced that good teams are making statements early: Liverpool’s perfect record, City’s dominance in the derby, Arsenal and Spurs pushing.
The margin for error is shrinking for those who’ve not started well — United especially, but also West Ham and others.
With Matchweek 5 looming, several big tests await, and we’ll start seeing whether the early runners can keep pace or stutter.
Momentum is real in the Premier League, and those who build it now could make all the difference.
