New Delhi, Sep 17 (IANS) The 2026/27 Premier League season is only four rounds old, but Matchweek 5 already offers several intriguing statistical narratives.
Manchester City are chasing a fifth straight victory, Arsenal are attempting to extend their winning run to 10 league matches, while Liverpool head into their meeting with Bournemouth looking to turn a run of draws into victories. Elsewhere, Bournemouth’s extraordinary draw record in 2026 and Erling Haaland’s unusual scoring record against Sunderland provide two of the weekend’s standout talking points.
Brentford v Chelsea
Brentford are still searching for their first Premier League home win over Chelsea, having drawn four of their previous five meetings at the Gtech Community Stadium. Ten of Brentford’s last 14 league matches have also ended in draws, while they are unbeaten in their last six.
Chelsea, meanwhile, have won only one of their last six away league matches. Their opening five games have produced 19 goals, more than those of any other side.
The set-piece numbers could prove significant, with Brentford recording 2.34 set-piece xG excluding penalties, the second-highest figure in the division. Chelsea have conceded 1.57 set-piece xG. João Pedro leads the league for goal involvements with six, including three goals and three assists.
Tottenham Hotspur v Aston Villa
Tottenham and Aston Villa have not played out a draw in their last 22 Premier League meetings, with Spurs winning 15 and Villa seven.
Villa have won four of their last six league visits to Tottenham, despite winning only three of their previous 21 trips. Spurs, meanwhile, have opened the campaign with consecutive 0-0 draws, as many goalless draws in their last two matches as in their previous 181 league games.
Villa are still without a victory this season, matching only three previous five-game winless starts in their top-flight history.
Tottenham also have three players ,Mathys Tel, Omar Marmoush and Sávio ,among the six league players with at least nine completed take-ons. Sávio became the first player this season to complete four take-ons and create four open-play chances in the same match against Everton.
Brighton v Arsenal
Arsenal arrive at the Amex on a nine-match Premier League winning streak, conceding only twice during that run. Victory would take them to 10 consecutive league wins, a feat they have achieved only on a handful of occasions in their Premier League history.
Brighton have scored 13 goals so far, the most in the division, with nine coming in their two victories. They have also registered 41 high turnovers, another league-leading figure.
Arsenal have conceded just 2.7 xG across their opening four matches, the lowest total in the division. Bukayo Saka has scored on each of his last three league visits to Brighton and has five goal involvements across six away appearances against the Seagulls.
There is also a creative battle between Pascal Groß and Martin Ødegaard. Groß has created 13 chances this season and Ødegaard 12, while both have created 11 from open play.
Everton v Ipswich Town
Everton are unbeaten after four matches, their best start since 2021/22. They last went unbeaten through their opening five games in 2020/21.
Ipswich have collected six points despite conceding 10 goals. They are only the third Premier League side to reach six points after conceding at least 10 in their first four matches.
Jordan Pickford recorded his 100th Premier League clean sheet in the goalless draw against Tottenham, moving into an elite group alongside the likes of Ederson and Alisson.
Ipswich forward Zian Flemming has scored 12 Premier League goals in 31 appearances, with a goal every 152 minutes across the last two seasons, a rate bettered by only three players with at least 10 goals in that period.
Leeds United v Crystal Palace
Leeds have collected eight points from their first four matches, their best start since 2001/02. A victory would give them their joint-best points tally after five games.
Crystal Palace, however, have conceded at least twice in each of their last 10 Premier League matches. They have also faced the division’s highest xG at 8.15, conceded 11 goals and allowed 164 opposition touches in their own box.
Leeds forward Noah Okafor has seven goals and one assist in his last 11 league appearances, contributing a goal or assist every 79 minutes during that stretch.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin has scored in each of his last five Premier League home appearances for Leeds. Another goal would make him only the second Leeds player to score in six consecutive home league appearances, following Mark Viduka’s run between March and August 2003.
Manchester City v Sunderland
Manchester City have won all four matches so far and can begin a top-flight campaign with five consecutive victories.
Their record at home against Sunderland is equally impressive: City are unbeaten in 14 previous Premier League meetings at home, winning 12 and drawing two.
Sunderland, though, have scored in each of their last eight away league matches, matching their longest such run since 2015/16.
Haaland arrives in form, having scored nine times in his last nine appearances. Yet Sunderland remain the only Premier League side he has faced without scoring against. Across two previous meetings, he has taken three shots worth 0.75 xG without finding the net.
For City, Enzo Maresca can become only the sixth manager to win his first five Premier League matches in charge of a club.
Newcastle United v Hull City
Hull have never lost a Premier League away game at Newcastle, winning twice and drawing once across three previous visits to St James’ Park. The newly promoted side are also seeking to become the first team to be promoted since Portsmouth in 2003/04 to remain unbeaten through their opening five matches.
Newcastle have faced 76 shots, more than any other side, while only Crystal Palace have faced more xG. Despite that, they have scored seven times from just 3.9 xG, an overperformance of 3.1.
Hull midfielder Mohamed Belloumi has two goals and an assist in his first four Premier League appearances. Newcastle’s Lewis Hall has won possession 31 times, the most in the league, while his six completed dribbles are also the most among defenders.
Nottingham Forest v Coventry City
Coventry’s return to the Premier League has begun with four defeats and no goals. Only Crystal Palace in 2017/18 endured a longer losing start without scoring, losing their first seven games.
Forest have also struggled in front of their home supporters, failing to score in any of their three Premier League matches at the City Ground. They have never previously opened a league campaign without scoring in their first three home games.
Morgan Gibbs-White has been one of the league’s most productive players in 2026, contributing 13 goals and five assists. Only Bruno Fernandes has been involved in more Premier League goals during the calendar year.
Coventry’s Jack Rudoni has registered five shots and created eight chances without a goal contribution.
Bournemouth v Liverpool
Liverpool have dominated the historical head-to-head, winning 14 of 18 Premier League meetings with Bournemouth. All three Bournemouth victories have come at home. The Reds have scored in 17 of those 18 encounters and average three goals per game against the Cherries, their highest average against any opponent they have faced at least 10 times in the competition.
Liverpool have drawn three of their first four matches, the first time they have done so since 2005/06. Bournemouth have an even more remarkable draw record in 2026. They have drawn 13 of their 23 league matches this calendar year, meaning 56.5% have ended level, the highest draw ratio recorded by a team in a single calendar year in English top-flight history.
The Cherries have also led in all four league games this season without winning any. Marcus Tavernier has scored in four of his last five appearances, matching his combined total from his previous 24 matches.
Fulham v Manchester United
Manchester United have lost only once in their last 21 Premier League meetings with Fulham, winning 16 and drawing four.
United have collected four points from their opening four games, matching their joint-lowest tally at this stage of a Premier League season. Their shot volume, however, has been high, with 84 attempts across the first four matchdays, the most in the division. Their 8.3 xG is second only to Brighton.
Fulham have struggled for goals, failing to score in 10 Premier League matches during 2026, the most of any team.
Marcus Rashford leads United for chances created with nine, while his 14 completed dribbles and 23 touches in the opposition box are also team-high figures. Bruno Fernandes, meanwhile, has provided five assists in his last five Premier League appearances in London, adding another individual subplot to Sunday’s fixture.
–IANS
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