Nine matches into the 2016/17 Premier League campaign, never before has the race for the title been as close as the current standings.
Manchester City, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur all failed to win at the weekend, while Liverpool and Chelsea both claimed three points to close the gap to top spot.
5️⃣ teams
— Premier League (@premierleague) October 24, 2016
1️⃣ point
It's tight at the top... pic.twitter.com/9iVXO7we2A
The results of Matchweek 9 mean that the top five teams in the Premier League table are separated by only one point.
It is the smallest gap between the front-running sides after each team has played nine matches of any season in PL history.
Previously, the lowest points margin separating the top five after each team had played nine times was in 2001/02, when two points was all that differentiated Leeds United, Liverpool, Arsenal, Aston Villa and Manchester United.
In that season it was Arsenal who ended champions, halting three seasons of dominance for Man Utd as they clinched the title in the defending champions' back yard with a 1-0 win at Old Trafford and finished the season seven points clear.
Least points separating top 5 after nine matches
| Season | Points gap |
| 2016/17 | 1 |
| 2001/02 | 2 |
| 1996/97; 1997/98; 2000/01 | 3 |
Conversely, the biggest points gap covering the top five was a 10-point margin in 2004/05.
After each team had played nine matches in that campaign Arsenal (25pts) led the way by five points, ahead of Chelsea (20pts), who came back to end a 50-year wait for a top-flight title. Everton (19pts), Liverpool (16pts) and Bolton Wanderers (15pts) made up the rest of the top five.
Most points separating top 5 after nine matches
| Season | Points gap |
| 2004/05 | 10 |
| 2005/06; 2014/15 | 9 |
| 2003/04 | 8 |
