Arsenal's defence are powering their title charge

Arsenal are five points clear at the top of the Premier League table and are building their title defence on an astonishingly strong backline.

Their defensive metrics make for difficult reading for any forwards about to face them. They have kept seven clean sheets in 10 games, conceding less than one goal per game on average (0.5), and the win against Hull City before the international break was their fourth 1-0 victory of the campaign.

It is in stark contrast to rivals Manchester City, who topped the table at the previous international break. Enzo Maresca's team have failed to keep a clean sheet in their last eight games in all competitions and have slipped to third place in the Premier League after three straight defeats.

Brighton establish themselves as UEFA Champions League contenders

They have already beaten Arsenal and Man City this season, and it is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore Brighton & Hove Albion as genuine contenders to qualify for the UEFA Champions League.

The Seagulls are soaring under head coach Fabian Hurzeler, playing some of the most exciting football in the league while maintaining a solid defence.

No side has netted more than their 26 league goals — the next highest scorers are Man City on 21. Meanwhile they have kept the same number of clean sheets as Arsenal and have conceded just seven times, with only the league leaders conceding fewer goals.

Brighton's goals are being shared around. Joint-top scorers Pascal Gross, Charalampos Kostoulas, Yasin Ayari and Jack Hinshelwood have scored three times apiece, while Brighton rank highly across an array of statistics, marking them as strong all-rounders.

They are top for accurate long balls per match, set-piece goals and possessions won in the final third and second for accurate crosses.

Barry's brilliant turnaround

Everton fans could have been forgiven for believing Thierno Barry was never going to make the grade. After signing from Villarreal in summer 2025, the striker failed to score in his first 16 games and netted only eight times in a debut season to forget.

This season, however, Barry's form has undergone an extraordinary transformation. The Frenchman has scored 10 goals in 13 appearances in all competitions and six in the league, leaving him joint-third in the Coca-Cola Golden Boot race alongside Nicolas Jackson, one goal behind Alexander Isak and three adrift of Erling Haaland.

Barry also leads the league for Expected Goals (xG) with 7.3, suggesting he is consistently getting into dangerous places and could have scored even more as Everton remain in contention for a Champions League place.

Jackson finds a home under Emery

Aston Villa head coach Unai Emery is renowned for improving players and helping them reach their potential.

It is no surprise, then, the Spaniard played a key role in Jackson’s formative years at Villarreal before his performances earned a move to Chelsea in July 2023.

Nor is it a shock that Jackson is thriving under Emery following his transfer to Aston Villa in the summer, reuniting the pair.

After failing to establish himself at Chelsea and spending a season-long loan at Bayern Munich, Jackson has flourished under Emery’s guidance. His nine goals in 14 appearances across all competitions have helped Villa recover from a difficult start to close the gap on the top five.

Chelsea badly miss Joao Pedro

Any side is likely to suffer when their top scorer is sidelined, but Chelsea are feeling that more than most in the absence of Joao Pedro.

With the Brazilian in the side, Chelsea have averaged an impressive three goals and 2.2 points per game. Without him, both their results and goal threat have declined sharply.

In the four league games Joao Pedro has missed this season, Chelsea have scored only twice, and have averaged just 0.75 points per match.

Win at Crystal Palace sums up Liverpool's season

Crystal Palace and Liverpool shared 39 shots at Selhurst Park, 19 for the hosts and 20 for the visitors, in a high-octane end-to-end match that encapsulated Andoni Iraola’s first season in charge of the Reds.

Star players delivered at both ends of the pitch. Florian Wirtz and Isak — both expensive acquisitions in recent seasons — scored while marquee summer signing Bradley Barcola, Dominik Szoboszlai and Wirtz all registered assists.

At the other end, goalkeeper Alisson pulled off a string of saves to preserve Liverpool’s lead and was named Premier League Player of the Matchweek.

After drawing three of their first four games, Liverpool are firmly in the Champions League places and excitement is growing at the outside prospect of a title challenge.

Watch Alisson's performance v Palace

Bournemouth click under Marco Rose

Four consecutive wins have lit the fuse on Marco Rose’s first season and rocketed AFC Bournemouth up the table.

Former head coach Iraola was initially proving a difficult act to follow, but Bournemouth are now flourishing. As Rose suggested when he arrived, he has not overhauled Iraola’s successful model, instead refining it by retaining the team’s pressing intensity while making them more direct.

Bournemouth lead the league for interceptions per match (12.2) and rank second for possessions won in the final third (5.7). They are also in third place for accurate long balls per game (25.2).

Evanilson is enjoying the best form of his career, scoring in seven of Bournemouth’s last eight games in all competitions and moving level with Haaland on nine goal involvements — a league high.

Manchester United struggle for balance

There is no denying Manchester United are struggling this season, but a tighter defence could have made the table look very different.

With Bruno Fernandes and Bryan Mbeumo contributing four goals each, Man Utd have scored 14 in total, the same amount as fourth-placed Liverpool. Yet they have conceded 19, and only bottom club Palace and 14th-placed Ipswich Town have let in more.

They have had on average 5.4 shots per match — bettered only by Chelsea and Man City — and have an Expected Goals of 17.6, suggesting they could have scored several more times.

But at the same time, they have not kept a league clean sheet this season. It is the first time they have failed to keep one in the first 10 games of a campaign since 1986/87.

Race for Europe heating up

In a sign of how fine margins will likely make a big difference this season, only four points separate fifth-placed Chelsea from 12th-placed Newcastle United in a congested race for European qualification.

After languishing towards the bottom of the table in the opening weeks, Villa and Tottenham Hotspur, 10th and 11th respectively, have climbed rapidly and remain firmly in contention.

If Newcastle rekindle their early-season form under head coach Matthias Jaissle, they could quickly surge back up the table. 

Bournemouth, Brentford and Leeds United are also producing strong performances to stay in the mix, while Chelsea and sixth-placed Everton are level on points.

Relegation battle tightening up

The picture at the bottom of the table is equally as congested, where four points separate Palace in 20th place and Hull in 13th.

No side has been cut adrift. A victory for Palace in Matchweek 11, combined with dropped points for Sunderland, Man Utd, Coventry City and Nottingham Forest, could lift them out of the relegation zone into 16th place.

The promoted clubs remain outside the bottom three, though Hull, who started the season strongly, and fellow newcomers Ipswich both have 11 points and will be determined to avoid being sucked into the bottom three when the Premier League reconvenes on 21 November.

Coventry have eight points, only one more than Man Utd and Sunderland in 18th and 19th place respectively.