Premier League overreactions: Title race already down to two teams? Scrap VAR?

Despite seeing some breathtaking action in the Premier League over the past few days, it was another weekend dominated by talk of VAR and officiating. More on that later, but it was a round where Manchester City and Arsenal both got wins on the road, Hull City continued to impress, Tottenham Hotspur failed to score again and Coventry City were humbled at home.

There are plenty of takes around after the weekend, and ahead of the next batch of fixtures we look at some snap judgements before weighing up whether they are overreactions or legit takes.

Let’s start with the two teams that have separated themselves at the top of the table.

Jump to:
Title-race contenders already decided?
Newly promoted clubs even better than last year’s?
VAR in need of an overhaul?
Spurs to battle relegation … again?
Coventry’s Lampard not up to PL standard?

The title race is already down to just two teams

With two teams getting four straight wins to start the season, the top of the league has a familiar look. Defending champions Arsenal and Manchester City, who won their most recent title in 2024, have opened up a four-point lead between themselves and third-place Leeds. The league looks certain to end up either with Gunners manager Mikel Arteta or the new coach at the Etihad Stadium, Enzo Maresca.

Verdict: NOT AN OVERREACTION

Regardless of the subplots, Arsenal and Manchester City are ahead of the rest in the Premier League. Chelsea have the attack to trouble the best teams in the league, but their defense is so vulnerable, leaving Arsenal and City out on their own. Both teams have claimed all 12 available points and are setting the standard.

Arsenal needed Bruno Guimarães’ wondergoal to help them past Sunderland on Saturday evening, while the controversial Erling Haaland goal gave City their 1-0 derby win over Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday. City’s win came after having Phil Foden sent off in the first half, but their hugely impressive game management guided them home.

Arsenal have barely missed a beat since winning the league last season, and their summer recruitment has made them even sturdier. It helps when you have the outstanding David Raya in goal (who saved Enzo Le Fée’s penalty) but other players are showing some eye-catching early-season form. Midfielder Martin Ødegaard is playing brilliantly, while winger Bukayo Saka is showing signs of being back to his best.

The teams around them are showing vulnerabilities. Liverpool are lacking a clinical touch under Andoni Iraola. Manchester United have made a poor start under Carrick. All the while, Arsenal and Manchester City are ticking along nicely.

This season’s promoted clubs are even better than last year’s

Four matches in, Ipswich Town, Hull and Coventry are arguably surpassing the achievements of last year’s promoted teams already. Hull were briefly the league leaders when they pulled ahead of Chelsea during their match on Saturday, while Ipswich are 10th in the table at this early stage.

Verdict: OVERREACTION

Hull have been outstanding. They could’ve quite easily come away from Stamford Bridge with three points on Saturday with Mohamed-Ali Cho having a late effort well-saved by Emiliano Martínez, but their draw meant they sit on eight points from four matches. They’re undefeated, laughing in the face of those who predicted they would slip straight back down to the Championship without creating much of a ripple.

At this point last year, Sunderland had seven points, one fewer than Hull’s total. Sunderland would go on to finish seventh. For Hull, their aim is still the same as it was preseason: survival. Their affable manager, Sergej Jakirović, would not be convinced to make any more ambitious goals as he talked to the media after Hull’s 2-2 draw at Chelsea.

Of the other promoted teams, Ipswich won 3-2 at Crystal Palace on Saturday, thanks to new signing Zian Flemming’s late goal. They sit on six points, their win at Selhurst Park coupled with their opening-round triumph over Sunderland. But then there’s Coventry (more on them later), who are yet to pick up a point and fell 5-0 at home to Brighton & Hove Albion on Sunday.

Compare this with last season after four rounds: Leeds United were on four points, and Burnley three alongside Sunderland’s lightning start. That means of the promoted teams, they have collectively amassed 14 points from the opening four rounds. To add further perspective, this year’s batch of promoted teams have collectively spent in the region of €557 million over the summer transfer window. Last year’s forked out €434 million. Per million spent, last season’s are faring better.

Can we make any sweeping statements about the quality of this year’s teams compared to last season? It’s far too early, but two things are for certain: Hull are hugely impressive, and Ipswich have started life nicely in the top flight. As for Coventry, is it time to panic?

Arteta is right: The game is unprotected

The Arsenal manager was left fuming over a controversial penalty against his team in their trip to Sunderland, while Manchester United were angry at Erling Haaland’s winner — a goal that Pro Ref, the Premier League referees’ body, later said an “error of judgement” had contributed to being awarded. It’s time for VAR to be overhauled as right now, it’s not fit for its purpose.

Verdict: NOT AN OVERREACTION

It feels like any and every weekend comes accompanied with moaning about a VAR error. On Saturday, Arteta’s Arsenal won 2-0 at Sunderland, but he was unhappy with the decision to award a penalty against his team in the second half. You can see why. Ezri Konsa was deemed to have fouled Dan Ballard at a corner. Replays showed that it was Konsa who was being fouled, Ballard putting in a judo-roll-type maneuver on him.

Postmatch, Arteta said: “We have a lot of cameras and VAR, we have to take responsibility to protect the game. Today the game was unprotected, and it could have cost us the game and the momentum which is a really, really serious thing.”

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Carrick fumes over ‘worrying’ officiating standards after VAR mistake

His point was underlined further the next day, when Haaland’s winner was somehow given despite VAR paying close attention to the whole passage of play. The goal was originally disallowed as Haaland was deemed offside. The VAR clarified he was being played onside by Patrick Dorgu. But what the VAR bafflingly decided was that City’s Enzo Fernández was not interfering with play in the middle of the box, despite him clearly trying to head the ball under pressure from Lisandro Martínez. Both goalkeeper Senne Lammens and Martínez were distracted by Fernández, leaving Haaland free at the far post. It was a bizarre call, and soon came the admission of fault from the body ironically called Pro Ref. “It’s worrying if that’s how the game is seen,” Manchester United manager Michael Carrick said.

Talking on the BBC after the match, former United star Wayne Rooney called it perfectly: “I’m so sick of VAR, it’s horrendous. It takes all the emotion out the game, the energy that the game is played with.”

Spurs will be in the relegation battle … again

After four matches, Spurs have two points and no goals. This past weekend, they drew with Everton in a dreary 0-0. After two successive 17th-place finishes in the league, Tottenham are in for another torrid season.

Verdict: OVERREACTION

Remember last season when Aston Villa went the first five matches of the season without a win? They ended up in the fourth. When questioning Spurs’ form so far, you can bracket Villa into this question, really, given they are one point worse off than Spurs: three defeats and a loss. But Unai Emery is molding a much-changed squad, and that will take time. They’ll be fine.

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Nicol: De Zerbi should be concerned about Tottenham’s attack

Spurs are in the same boat. They spent €366.5 million over the summer, and they have a new-look midfield and a tenacious manager, to boot. Yes, their early-season form has been slow, and they’ve shown limitations in front of goal, but it will click. Sávio and Omar Marmoush will get used to Roberto De Zerbi’s way, and Mohammed Kudus will play his way back into form. Meanwhile, De Zerbi is clearly working on Mathys Tel’s confidence judging by their exchange on the field after their 0-0 draw with Everton on Saturday.

Their form has been a little alarming, with defeats to Brentford and Newcastle United, and a draw at Forest alongside the Everton result, but Spurs will finish in the top half of the table.

Coventry City’s Frank Lampard hit his ceiling in the Championship

This was meant to be Coventry’s grand return to the Premier League, back in the top flight for the first time in 25 years. But after four matches and a collective spend of €160 million, they are already under the pump. They are still without a point and yet to score a goal. Manager Frank Lampard, who has led the club since late 2024, is now under the spotlight.

Verdict: OVERREACTION

When a manager loses the fans, that’s the beginning of the end. Coventry’s are still behind Lampard.

They have started life in the Premier League with a 3-0 defeat at Arsenal, a 1-0 loss at home to Hull, a 1-0 defeat at Manchester City and then the 5-0 capitulation to Brighton on Sunday. The first three are explainable, but the margin of the latest loss looks alarming.

But let’s take a breath. Coventry played well in the first half against Brighton, and Taiwo Awoniyi’s red card in the 53rd minute effectively ended this as a contest. At that stage, Coventry were still carving out chances but were 2-0 down, chasing the match.

Lampard’s Premier League record is mixed. In his first season with Chelsea (2019-20), they finished fourth, but he was gone by January 2021. He took charge of Everton in January 2022 and kept them up on the final day of the season. He was sacked by January 2023. Then came the emotional return to Chelsea: He was caretaker from April through the end of the 2022-23 season but won just one of his 11 matches.

Talk to Coventry fans, and they’re still fully behind the man who led them back to the promised land. As the team gets used to the pace and physicality of the top flight, Lampard can still get things right, and Coventry’s fans still believe. Just listen to the noise that greeted full time on Sunday. Boos? Not a bit of it — Coventry’s fans stood and applauded their team. It was remarkable — but Lampard does need to find wins.