Liverpool with 5-point lead and new odds favorite

Is the race for the Premier League title already down to just two teams—after only eleven games this season?

Probably not, but Liverpool has enjoyed a dream weekend. Their 2-0 victory over Villa, combined with City’s loss to Brighton and the draw between Arsenal and Chelsea, now gives Arne Slot and his men a five-point lead over the reigning champions, with nine points or more over the other teams.

Liverpool is now also the odds-setters' new Premier League favorite, with odds as low as 2.00. Only Liverpool, City, and Arsenal have odds below 5.00, while Chelsea is next at 21 times the payout. Tottenham currently sits at an unassuming 71, with no other teams below 100 in odds.

Liverpool holds a clear lead, while the race for the remaining top-four spots is wide open.

One out of six

This season was expected to be more of a transitional one for Liverpool, after they had to bring in a replacement for Jürgen Klopp over the summer. The newly appointed Arne Slot was an unknown figure in the Premier League, making it difficult to gauge the club's potential for the season. However, Slot has delivered right from the start, now boasting 15 wins—and only one loss—from his first 17 games in charge. Liverpool is now just the sixth team in the 33-year history of the Premier League to have established a lead of five points or more after eleven league rounds. Each of the previous five teams, including Liverpool in 2019, went on to win the league title.

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History is not on Arsenal’s side

For the past two seasons, Arsenal has been Manchester City’s only real challenger for the title, and with City now showing signs of struggle, this could have been their big opportunity. However, after Sunday’s draw at Stamford Bridge, they are already nine points behind league leaders Liverpool. A small consolation, though, is that Arsenal has so far faced six of last season’s top 10 teams, five of which were away games. Additionally, they’ve been missing Martin Ødegaard for a while, who once again proved his value in his comeback from injury on Sunday.

History, however, is not on Arsenal’s side. No team has ever won the Premier League title after being nine (or more) points behind the leader after 11 games. Manchester City managed it in the 2013-14 season, but at that point, the league leaders, Arsenal, had played 12 games.

Brentford – Bournemouth 3-2

Brentford came from behind twice to secure a win over Bournemouth, bouncing back after Monday’s heartbreaking loss to Fulham—where a 1-0 lead turned into a 2-1 defeat in stoppage time. The Bees have surrendered more points from winning positions than any other team in the Premier League this season, but on Saturday, the outcome favored them. They equalized in both halves before Yoane Wissa scored the winning goal, maintaining the team’s strong home record in the Premier League.

Bournemouth, who defeated reigning champions Manchester City in the previous round, started the game well, with a weak pass back from Sepp van den Berg giving Evanilson the opening goal. However, the hosts remained resilient, and Wissa headed in the equalizer from a long throw-in just before the half-hour mark. Bournemouth regained the lead early in the second half, but just 80 seconds later, Mikkel Damsgaard leveled the score from a tight angle, before Wissa netted the winner—his seventh goal of the season.

Crystal Palace-Fulham 0-2

Fulham continued their strong start to the season with a comfortable victory over Crystal Palace. The result lifted The Cottagers to sixth place in the table, just one point behind Chelsea in fourth. Emile Smith Rowe gave Fulham the lead in stoppage time of the first half. After a mistake from Palace defender Maxence Lacroix, Smith Rowe sprinted onto a pass from Raul Jimenez and slotted the ball past Dean Henderson with his left foot. On an afternoon where Marco Silva‘s side could and should have won more convincingly, Harry Wilson scored his third goal of the week after coming on as a substitute with seven minutes remaining. To make matters worse for Palace, Daichi Kamada was sent off in the 76th minute for a reckless challenge on Kenny Tete.

West Ham-Everton 0-0

West Ham failed to relieve the pressure on manager Julen Lopetegui as they delivered a lackluster and goalless performance at home against Everton. The visitors quickly settled into the game at London Stadium, but aside from a weak attempt from Iliman Ndiaye from the edge of the penalty area, West Ham goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski had little to do in a dull first half. West Ham were almost nonexistent offensively but came close to taking the lead just before halftime when Jordan Pickford saved Jarrod Bowen’s shot at the near post with a one-handed stop.

Lopetegui’s side showed some improvement after the break, and Guido Rodriguez forced another good save from Pickford ten minutes into the second half. Everton’s goalkeeper made yet another fantastic save in stoppage time, preventing a shot from Danny Ings that was deflected on its way to goal. Everton held firm and secured a point.

Brighton-Manchester City 2-1

Manchester City have lost four consecutive matches for the first time since 2006. City seemed to be on track to end their disappointing losing streak when Erling Haaland capitalized on a strong start at Amex Stadium, scoring the opening goal after just over 20 minutes. However, Brighton kept their composure and took full control after halftime. Only poor finishing prevented them from equalizing earlier, before substitute Joao Pedro scored the equalizer following a chaotic situation 10 minutes before the end.

City, who had looked increasingly vulnerable, were on the back foot, and Brighton took a deserved lead when Matt O’Riley broke through a porous defense and outsmarted goalkeeper Ederson five minutes later. Brighton finally got their reward after wasting several chances, including when Jack Hinshelwood headed straight at Ederson from close range, and Georginio Rutter also missed a golden opportunity—before City ultimately succumbed to the constant pressure. The Blues are now five points behind Liverpool and four points ahead of Chelsea.

Wolves – Southampton 2-0

Matheus Cunha scored a spectacular goal, inspiring Wolves to their first Premier League victory of the season. The striker found the net from 25 meters, calming nerves at Molineux and lifting the hosts off the bottom of the table, moving them past Southampton. Cunha had earlier provided the assist for Pablo Sarabia‘s opening goal, and the win, which brings Wolves just one point away from safety, eases the pressure on manager Gary O'Neil. Instead, it is Southampton manager Russell Martin who now finds the spotlight on him—after a ninth loss in 11 matches. This was also the first time in 22 matches that Wolves kept a clean sheet in the Premier League.

Liverpool-Aston Villa 2-0

Liverpool took full advantage of Manchester City's slip-up in the title race by beating Villa and extending their lead to five points at the top of the table. Just before the match at Anfield started, the reigning champions had lost 1-2 to Brighton. Darwin Nunez opened the scoring for Liverpool in the 20th minute. He pounced on a loose ball after Mo Salah was brought down in a duel with Leon Bailey following a brilliant counterattack, and Nunez expertly lifted the ball over Emi Martinez.

Nunez should have added a second not long after, as he broke through following another quick counterattack, but this time his shot went over the bar. This could have cost Liverpool dearly, if not for Caoimhin Kelleher's two brilliant saves, first from Amadou Onana and then from Diego Carlos just before halftime. However, Salah sealed the three points six minutes from the end, running through and slotting the ball home at the near post, his fourth consecutive league goal. Villa fell behind, while Liverpool secured their gap at the top.

Manchester United-Leicester 3-0

Bruno Fernandes marked his 250th game for Manchester United by playing a key role as Ruud van Nistelrooy ended his stint as interim manager with a solid 3-0 win over Leicester in the Premier League. Fernandes opened the scoring, was credited with a second goal that was eventually registered as an own goal by Victor Kristiansen, and provided a brilliant assist to Alejandro Garnacho for the third goal of the match. This was United's third win in four matches since Erik ten Hag was dismissed. United are still only 13th in the Premier League table, but they are just four points behind 4th place. Leicester are three points behind United, with two wins and four losses from their first 11 games.

Nottingham Forest-Newcastle 1-3

Newcastle delivered an impressive second half and secured a deserved victory over surprise team Forest. Murillo gave Forest the lead at halftime, but Alexander Isak, Joelinton, and Harvey Barnes all scored after the break, preventing the hosts from claiming their fourth consecutive top-flight win for the first time in 29 years.

Newcastle started the game better, but were punished for allowing Murillo space to head in Anthony Elanga's free kick after 21 minutes. The visitors were unfocused, both defensively and offensively, and failed to challenge Forest properly. However, they came out after the break with renewed energy and equalized within ten minutes when Alexander Isak scored his fourth goal in as many matches. Joelinton gave them the lead a quarter of an hour before the end when he curled the ball into the net from the edge of the box, before substitute Harvey Barnes sealed the win.

Tottenham-Ipswich 1-3

Ipswich held firm and secured a 2-1 victory over Tottenham, celebrating their first win of the season—and their first in the Premier League in 22 years. Town have struggled to hold onto leads since their long-awaited return to the Premier League, but this time they managed to secure all three points. Sam Szmodics gave them the lead with a stunning bicycle kick, before Liam Delap doubled their advantage ten minutes later. Rodrigo Bentancur gave Tottenham hope with 20 minutes left, heading in a corner from Pedro Porro, but Solanke's last chance, which was blocked by goalkeeper Arijanet Muric, was as close as they came to equalizing.

Chelsea – Arsenal 1-1

Pedro Neto delivered a fantastic equalizer, but both Chelsea and Arsenal fell further behind league leaders Liverpool after an entertaining match at Stamford Bridge. Arsenal are now without a win in their last five matches across all competitions. The visitors took the lead when Gabriel Martinelli sent the ball past Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez at the near post, after receiving a lovely cross from Martin Ødegaard, who was finally back from injury. However, Chelsea responded.

Neto ran onto a pass from Enzo Fernandez, cut inside, and placed a hard and low left-foot shot past David Raya. Arsenal came closest to the win, but Leandro Trossard failed to direct William Saliba's cross into the net from six yards, just seconds before referee Michael Oliver blew for full-time. A setback for Arsenal, while Chelsea now only have City and Liverpool ahead of them in the table.