Football writer Alex Keble analyses Arsenal's victory over Crystal Palace, Aston Villa's dominant performance against Manchester City, and AFC Bournemouth's best-ever start in the Premier League.
One look at the Premier League table with nine games played tells you just how strange and unwieldy the 2025/26 season is shaping up to be – and just how big a chance this might be for league leaders Arsenal.
Mikel Arteta’s side are four points clear at the top of the table but six clear of Manchester City and seven clear of Liverpool, after a weekend in which all of Arsenal’s title rivals, including Chelsea, were beaten.
In many ways there was nothing new to learn and nothing out of the ordinary about their 1-0 victory over Crystal Palace on Sunday afternoon. But that is precisely the point.
As the rest of the big clubs wobble, Arsenal are striding confidently forward.
Typical resilience continues Arsenal's marked improvement on 2024/25
Another set-piece goal, another clean sheet, another telling contribution from a summer signing to exemplify their new-found squad depth: this was the most Arsenal of Arsenal wins at Emirates Stadium.
The fact they made it look relatively easy is to their immense credit.
"I just told the boys I value this victory over any victory this season," Arteta said after the game, and understandably so.
Palace had scored eight goals in their last four Premier League games going into this one but Arsenal restricted them to just one shot on target. It was arguably the Gunners' best defensive performance of the campaign so far.
Arsenal have kept 10 clean sheets in 13 matches in all competitions this season, which is the joint-fastest an English top-flight side has ever reached double figures. That’s not a Premier League statistic. That’s all-time.
Most clean sheets in 25/26 Premier League
| Team | Clean sheets |
| Arsenal | 6 |
|---|---|
| Newcastle | 5 |
| Bournemouth, Man City, Sunderland, Spurs | 4 |
| Aston Villa, Chelsea, Crystal Palace | 3 |
| Leeds | 2 |
Arteta’s side have only conceded three goals in the Premier League, two of which were against Liverpool and Man City. David Raya faced two shots on target in the whole of October.
It gets better. Arsenal aren’t just top of the league, they have improved substantially on their record from last season; each of their last four Premier League wins have been against sides who took points off them in 2024/25, taking 12 points this time versus just two last season.
Arsenal's results compared last two seasons
| Match | 24/25 result | 25/26 result |
| Newcastle (A) | Loss | Win |
| West Ham (H) | Loss | Win |
| Fulham (A) | Draw | Win |
| Palace (H) | Draw | Win |
Palace drew 2-2 at Emirates Stadium last April in a hectic end-to-end game, which many predicted today, such has been the form of Oliver Glasner’s side. But Arsenal simply stayed calm and took total control.
If that wasn’t enough good news on a perfect day and perfect weekend for Arsenal supporters, their next two Premier League opponents are Burnley and Sunderland.
With a defensive record like theirs, it’s hard to see how anybody can stop them right now - especially not in a season when so many of their rivals are stumbling.
"This has got to be their year," Premier League pundit Gary Neville said on Sky Sports. "I've had Arsenal to win the league the last three years - now four.
"They aren't miles better than last year but are repeating levels of consistency and that's all they are going to have to do this year to win the league. They aren't going to have to get 100 points, or even 90. High 80s will win the title - they can do that."
But there is a footnote of caution for Arsenal fans. This is the seventh time the Gunners have had 22 points or more from their first nine Premier League games of a season (W7 D1 L1) but they only went on to win the title in one of the previous six, in 2003/04 (23 points after nine games).
Brilliant Villa display defined by Onana domination of struggling City midfield
Liverpool’s four-game losing streak in the Premier League is the more dramatic and attention-grabbing story but Man City’s foggy, meandering performances – particularly in central midfield – are just as significant to this season's title race.
Aston Villa were outstanding. Unai Emery took several tactical gambles that all paid off, first deploying an unusual 5-4-1 formation (when Villa were out of possession) with Boubacar Kamara at centre-back and Morgan Rogers in a two-man midfield.
This meant Villa could get Rogers on the ball quicker and deeper, with the England international one of several Villa players confidently weaving through the thirds. Emiliano Buendia, Jadon Sancho, John McGinn, and Ollie Watkins all had a go piercing straight through the City midfield.
And Villa were just as impressive defensively, riding out a tough final 20 minutes thanks in no small part to Amadou Onana, imperious both on and off the ball. He constantly made himself available as the lone No 6 to help Villa play (securing an incredible 97.7 per cent pass accuracy from 43 passes), and then bossing in his own third.
But as good as Villa were, Onana’s dominance and Villa’s dribbling skills were indicative of a disjointed and passive Man City midfield performance.
Pep Guardiola’s side suffered without Rodri or Nico Gonzalez, who came on for the final 30 minutes, and no matter what the manager tried – John Stones stepping into midfield for a spell in the second half; Tijjani Reijnders moving positions twice; Nico O’Reilly inverting from left-back into a No 8 role; Rayan Cherki thrown on for the final minutes – nothing seemed to help.
The disorganised and arrhythmic Man City performance is summed up the tangled look of their "average positions" (shown below).
This is becoming an unwanted habit, with Reijnders too often struggling with the pace of Premier League football and Phil Foden unable to grab the game by the scruff of the neck from a central position.
In the Premier League, Man City have only beaten Wolverhampton Wanderers, Brentford, Burnley, Everton, and a Manchester United side at its lowest ebb. The better performing teams simply outmuscle and outthink City at the moment.
Guardiola has to find a solution if his team are to challenge Arsenal.
Bournemouth’s best-ever start has them thinking the unthinkable
As we’ve said, it’s a very strange-looking table with so many of the supposedly stronger teams unable to put a run of form together.
That presents an opportunity for an outsider to do something special.
AFC Bournemouth’s 2-0 victory against Nottingham Forest has put them in second place. This is their best-ever start to a top flight season, and one that make them serious contenders for Champions League football – at the very least.
Bournemouth have lost just once – at Anfield on the opening weekend – and increasingly look like a complete team. They can win when sitting deep and countering (like their 1-0 victory at Tottenham Hotspur) or when forced to dominate territory, as they were today by an ultra-direct Sean Dyche-led Forest.
Next up for them is Man City at the Etihad, which looks set to be a huge game for both clubs.
If Bournemouth can make Guardiola’s midfield look ordinary, as others have, then Andoni Iraola might just be fending off questions about a title challenge.