The Premier League is heading into a near three-week break for a four-game international window. After five rounds of the season, several themes have emerged: Arsenal have been beaten, Manchester City are setting the pace under Enzo Maresca, Brighton and Brentford are flying high, the promoted sides are competing, and pressure is building at Manchester United and Tottenham.
Arsenal were the Premier League champions and had looked close to unstoppable in the opening weeks. A win over Brighton on Saturday would have equalled a club-record eighth consecutive win in all competitions to start the season. Instead, that run ended with a 3-0 defeat at the Amex Stadium. Arsenal had not lost a league game by more than one goal, let alone three, since October 2024, and it was their heaviest league defeat since May 2023, when they also lost 3-0 to Brighton. “That’s not going to take away what the team has done and the boys have done in the last six or seven weeks since coming back from the World Cup,” said manager Mikel Arteta. “What we’ve done, the way we’ve competed and the amount of games we’ve won has been remarkable – but this is a big lesson for all of us to understand what it takes to win at this level.”
At Manchester City, many wondered whether there would be a post-Pep Guardiola slump after the legendary boss left following a decade in charge. Things did not start too well under Enzo Maresca, with a Community Shield defeat by Arsenal, but City have since won all five of their Premier League games and seven in a row in all competitions after Sunday’s 5-3 win over Sunderland. That has taken them three points clear of Arsenal. “In the press conference before the game, I said I expect a very tough game,” said Maresca. “Then we also conceded two or three goals but we have learned a lot in these eight weeks and this is good.”
Brighton and Brentford, two clubs who have never won a major trophy, have continued to impress. Fabian Hurzeler’s Brighton sit third, only two points behind Arsenal, after their 3-0 win over the champions. They have now won at home against the reigning Premier League champions in each of the last three seasons. Star player Pascal Gross laughed and said “no” when BBC Sport asked him if Albion were in the title race, though stranger things have happened. Just one point below Brighton are Keith Andrews’ Brentford, who are fourth and unbeaten after five games. Many tipped the Bees to struggle after Thomas Frank’s departure last summer, but they have improved under their former set-piece coach, with their 3-0 home win over Chelsea their most impressive result. Leeds, impressing again under boss Daniel Farke, are also on nine points and in a potential Champions League place, with Andoni Iraola’s Liverpool and Everton just below them on goal difference.
The promoted sides have also made an early mark. In 2024 and 2025, the three promoted teams went straight back down, mostly with very low points tallies. That streak ended last year when Sunderland finished seventh to qualify for Europe and Leeds came 14th, with only Burnley going down. The opening weeks of this season suggest a similar situation could unfold. Hull City are eighth after five games, with their 2-1 loss to Newcastle their first defeat. Ipswich are 11th. Coventry, after losing their first four games without scoring, beat Nottingham Forest 1-0 and only sit in the drop zone on goal difference.
At Manchester United, Michael Carrick is under pressure. Seven years apart, United have twice appointed a club legend who last managed in Britain in the Championship after a good start as caretaker boss. In 2019 it was Ole Gunnar Solskjaer; this time it was Carrick. After having a summer to work on his team, the Red Devils have won only once in the league this season. Their five points after five league games is their joint fewest at this stage of a Premier League season. They go into the international break on the back of a 1-1 draw against Fulham, and even needed a late deflected Matheus Cunha strike to stop the Cottagers winning their first game all season. Lisandro Martinez’s own goal had given Fulham the lead, after which former United captain Gary Neville said on Sky Sports: “I’ve watched Manchester United since the age of five and that’s the worst 15 minutes I’ve ever seen. Absolutely pathetic. I’ve never seen such a lack of effort.” United’s owners will have almost three weeks to stew before the club host fellow underachievers Tottenham on 10 October.
Tottenham have their own problems. They finished 17th in each of the last two seasons, their lowest two finishes since being in the second tier in 1977-78. Expectations were raised after a summer of big spending, with Spurs splashing out £302m as well as making two high-profile loan signings. Defence and midfield in particular were overhauled, with new wingers too. But they are left with one senior striker in Dominic Solanke, who has only scored 12 Premier League goals in over two years at the club. “I feel they have overpaid for every player they bought this summer – you can’t rule them out from being in and around the relegation battle,” said TNT pundit and former England international Joe Cole. Saturday’s 3-2 loss against Aston Villa leaves Tottenham 19th going into the break, despite scoring their first two league goals of the campaign. “We have to put on the pitch something more than we are putting,” said manager Roberto de Zerbi. “Football is tactical but it is blood, it is fighting, it is first one on the ball. We will suffer until the next game.”
Chelsea have been the great entertainers. Many were keen to see what Xabi Alonso could do at Chelsea this season after the Spaniard memorably led Bayer Leverkusen to a historic unbeaten German double in 2023-24. Chelsea made big changes to their squad in the summer, with £117m attacking midfielder Morgan Rogers and new first-choice keeper Emiliano Martinez both coming in from Aston Villa. There have been 22 goals in their five league games, more coming against them than for them, and they sit 10th. That is not even counting their 6-3 win over Leeds in the Carabao Cup. It has been hugely entertaining for the neutrals, but perhaps not for Chelsea fans or management.