Four on Six: Manchester City and Arsenal Lead an Already Crowded Title Race

Two matchweeks into the new Premier League season, the title race already has a crowded look about it. According to the Premier League table, four clubs have taken maximum points from their opening two fixtures, and while three of the names are familiar, the fourth is the sort that makes an early table worth a second glance.

• Manchester City — first, six points, +4 goal difference (W,W)
• Arsenal — second, six points, +4 goal difference (W,W)
• Hull City AFC — third, six points, +3 goal difference (W,W)
• Chelsea — fourth, six points, +2 goal difference (W,W)
• Liverpool — fifth, five points from three games, +2 (W,D,D)

City and Arsenal set the early standard

Manchester City lead the way on goals scored, six to Arsenal's four, with the pair level on six points and a goal difference of +4. According to the table, City have conceded twice along the way; Arsenal have yet to concede at all.

That clean sheet is the foundation of Arsenal's start — two wins, four scored, none against — and only one other club in the division can match it.

Hull City, third in the table

That other club is Hull City AFC. Two matches, two wins, three goals scored and none conceded: according to the Premier League table, Hull sit third, above Chelsea on goal difference. How sustainable that proves across a full season is a question for the spring, but as opening statements go, an unbeaten, shutout run into the top three takes some beating.

Chelsea: entertainment first, defence later

Chelsea complete the six-point club in fourth, and they are getting there the dramatic way. No side in the division has scored more than Chelsea's seven — a tally matched only by Brighton & Hove Albion down in tenth — yet five goals conceded is the worst defensive return of any team in the top four. Six points is six points, though, and it keeps Chelsea firmly in the conversation.

Liverpool: unbeaten and lurking

Liverpool are fifth with five points from three matches, the only top-five side to have played a game more. One win and two draws leaves them unbeaten but a point off the summit — already the only member of the leading group without a perfect record.

The pack behind them

Brentford, Newcastle United, Everton and Leeds United all sit on four points. Brentford's return has been built on defence, with just one goal conceded in two matches, while the other three have each collected a win and a draw. None will be plotting a title challenge on this evidence, but all four occupy the top half of the table.

Early trouble at the other end

The flip side of the table is stark. According to the standings, Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa prop up the division with zero points, five goals conceded and none scored between them, while Manchester United languish in eleventh with three points from two games.

The September caveat

Barely a fortnight of football — two matches for most clubs, three for a couple — is the smallest of samples. September tables are a poor guide to May, and the margins between these sides are a single result wide. What the early standings do establish is the shape of the chase: City's firepower, Arsenal's mean streak, Chelsea's front foot and Liverpool's unbeaten base — with a Hull City side refusing to read the script along for the ride.