Nine matchdays in, the Premier League table already has its storylines — a perfect start ended, a sleeping giant in crisis, and a title race nobody predicted in August. Here are the five stories of the season so far.
1. Villa Ended City’s Perfect Start
Manchester City won their first seven league games under Enzo Maresca — then went to Villa Park and lost 2-1 to a Nicolas Jackson double. The result of the season so far, and the moment the title race opened up.
2. The Villa Surge
That win was no fluke: Unai Emery’s side are unbeaten in seven in all competitions, winning at Newcastle and Tottenham along the way. They visit Old Trafford on Sunday as the division’s form team — our Aston Villa preview has the full picture.
3. United’s Crisis Start
Seven points from nine league games, the club’s worst start since 1986-87, a winless run that stretched to nine matches before the Roma comeback eased the pressure. Manchester United’s season has been the crisis story of the autumn — and the predicted lineup for Sunday shows a team still juggling suspensions and injuries.
4. Chelsea, Transformed
Fifth with the division’s most exciting attack, Xabi Alonso’s Chelsea have been the season’s great improvers. Their 2-0 win at home to United last weekend underlined the gap the rest are chasing.
5. Goals Everywhere, Certainty Nowhere
Across the league, the promoted sides have fought, the big spenders have wobbled, and nobody has run away with anything. If the first eight weeks are a guide, 2026/27 is the most open Premier League season in years — which is bad news for the patient and wonderful news for everyone else.
