— Premier League Matchweek 4 delivered 24 goals across the nine completed Saturday and Sunday fixtures, with no home side recording a victory. Five matches produced away wins, while four ended in draws.
EPL Weekend at a Glance
- Matches completed:9
- Goals scored:24
- Away wins:5
- Draws:4
- Home wins:0
- Highest-scoring match: Crystal Palace 2–3 Ipswich Town and Coventry City 0–5 Brighton
- Biggest winning margin: Brighton's 5–0 victory at Coventry
- Perfect starts: Arsenal and Manchester City both remained on 12 points
- Notable clean sheets: Arsenal, Liverpool, Tottenham, Brighton and Manchester City
The weekend's most significant results came at both ends of the table. Arsenal remained perfect after beating Sunderland 2–0, while Manchester City matched the champions' four-from-four record by winning 1–0 at Manchester United. Liverpool and Chelsea both dropped points, and Tottenham remained without a Premier League goal after four matches.
Premier League Results: September 12–13, 2026
| Date | Fixture | Result |
|---|---|---|
| September 12 | Aston Villa vs Nottingham Forest | 1–2 |
| September 12 | Bournemouth vs Brentford | 2–2 |
| September 12 | Chelsea vs Hull City | 2–2 |
| September 12 | Crystal Palace vs Ipswich Town | 2–3 |
| September 12 | Liverpool vs Fulham | 0–0 |
| September 12 | Tottenham Hotspur vs Everton | 0–0 |
| September 12 | Sunderland vs Arsenal | 0–2 |
| September 13 | Coventry City vs Brighton & Hove Albion | 0–5 |
| September 13 | Manchester United vs Manchester City | 0–1 |
Sunderland 0–2 Arsenal: Champions Stay Perfect
Arsenal preserved their 100% Premier League record with a disciplined 2–0 victory at Sunderland. The decisive moments came after half-time: David Raya saved Enzo Le Fée's penalty in the 56th minute before Bruno Guimarães opened the scoring with a superb curling finish. Bukayo Saka then converted a stoppage-time penalty to seal all three points.
Arsenal had 58% possession and completed 321 passes to Sunderland's 217. The hosts actually attempted one more shot, 12 to 11, but Arsenal produced five shots on target compared with Sunderland's three. Sunderland finished with four yellow cards and a late red card, while Arsenal had two bookings. FFootball Web Pages
The result left Arsenal on 12 points from four matches and at the top of the early-season table, with their defensive organisation proving just as important as their attacking quality.
Manchester United 0–1 Manchester City: Haaland Decides Ten-Man Derby
Manchester City's victory at Old Trafford was the weekend's most dramatic result. Phil Foden was sent off in the 23rd minute after an altercation with Bruno Fernandes, leaving City to play more than an hour with 10 men. RReuters
Despite their numerical disadvantage, City found the breakthrough in the 60th minute. Josko Gvardiol supplied the cross and Erling Haaland finished from close range. The goal initially appeared to be offside but was awarded following a VAR review. R Reuters +1
United came agonisingly close to an equaliser, with Marcus Rashford and Kobbie Mainoo both hitting the woodwork. Gianluigi Donnarumma then produced an important late save to preserve City's clean sheet.
The VAR decision subsequently became a major talking point. Pro Ref, the body responsible for elite refereeing oversight, later acknowledged that VAR should have recommended an on-field review because of the potential interference from Enzo Fernández. R Reuters
The victory kept City perfect after four matches, with 12 points, while United remained on four points. R Reuters
Coventry City 0–5 Brighton: Seagulls Run Riot
Brighton produced the weekend's biggest win, crushing Coventry City 5–0 away from home. Charalambos Kostoulas opened the scoring in the 35th minute, Malick Yalcouyé doubled the advantage shortly after half-time, and Pascal Groß made it three in the 70th minute. Lewis Dunk added a fourth before Yasin Ayari completed the rout in stoppage time. R Reddit
The five-goal performance was particularly emphatic given Brighton's sustained attacking pressure. The result represented the weekend's largest winning margin and one of the clearest statements of attacking intent in Matchweek 4.
Chelsea 2–2 Hull City: Belloumi Double Stuns Stamford Bridge
Chelsea were forced to settle for a draw after Hull City overturned an early deficit and twice threatened to leave Stamford Bridge with all three points. Morgan Rogers put Chelsea ahead after seven minutes, but Mohamed Belloumi scored twice to turn the match around before half-time. João Pedro restored parity in the 66th minute. O Opta Analyst +1
Chelsea dominated possession, recording roughly 68% of the ball and completing 479 accurate passes compared with Hull's 179. The hosts also won the final-third battle and registered seven shots on target, but Hull still produced more total attempts, 13 to 12, and recorded the higher xG figure in one statistical analysis. M Minuto 90 Score +1
Hull's unbeaten start therefore continued, while Chelsea were left to rue another match in which possession and attacking pressure did not translate into three points.
Crystal Palace 2–3 Ipswich Town: Flemming Wins Five-Goal Thriller
Ipswich Town stunned Crystal Palace 3–2 with a dramatic stoppage-time winner from Zian Flemming. Palace took the lead through Anan Khalaili in the 14th minute, but Emersonn equalised before Leif Davis put Ipswich ahead just before half-time. Jørgen Strand Larsen levelled for Palace in the 75th minute before Flemming struck in the 90th. R Reddit +1
Ipswich edged possession 53% to 47% and recorded six shots on target to Palace's four. The visitors also created 110 attacks to Palace's 90, underlining how effectively they competed away from home. O OFStats
Flemming's late intervention completed one of the weekend's most notable away victories and ensured Ipswich left Selhurst Park with maximum points.
Bournemouth 2–2 Brentford: Schade Brace Denies Cherries
Bournemouth and Brentford produced an entertaining four-goal draw at the Vitality Stadium. Kevin Schade headed Brentford ahead in the 34th minute, but Justin Kluivert equalised four minutes later. Marcus Tavernier then put Bournemouth ahead in the 52nd minute before Schade scored again four minutes later to complete his brace. F Football Web Pages +1
Bournemouth enjoyed the greater share of possession and chances. One statistical set recorded 56% possession, 20 shots and 10 shots on target for the Cherries compared with eight shots and two on target for Brentford. NNDTV Sports
The draw extended Bournemouth's frustrating habit of surrendering leads, while Brentford maintained their unbeaten start.
Aston Villa 1–2 Nottingham Forest: Igor Jesus Completes Comeback
Nottingham Forest recorded their first Premier League victory of the campaign by beating Aston Villa 2–1 at Villa Park. Liam Delap broke the deadlock shortly after half-time, but Alysson equalised for Villa before substitute Igor Jesus scored the decisive goal in the 88th minute. SSports ZA+1
Forest were more direct and dangerous despite Villa having 53% possession. The visitors registered 22 shots to Villa's seven and seven shots on target to five. Forest also produced 14 attempts from inside the box, compared with six for the hosts. F Football Web Pages
The victory was especially notable because Forest had not won at Villa Park since 1994. Villa, meanwhile, continued their difficult start to the league campaign.
Liverpool 0–0 Fulham: Reds Frustrated at Anfield
Liverpool were held to a goalless draw by Fulham at Anfield in a match that exposed the champions' lack of attacking sharpness. Fulham created several of the clearer opportunities, while Liverpool struggled to reproduce the attacking fluency shown in their previous matches. N NBC Sports +1
Liverpool finished with 56.1% possession and 14 shots, but only three were on target. Fulham had 10 attempts and four on target, while both goalkeepers made three saves. Liverpool also won five corners compared with Fulham's eight. R Reddit
The draw meant Liverpool had now drawn three of their opening four league matches, making consistency in front of goal one of the early questions surrounding their campaign.
Tottenham 0–0 Everton: Spurs' Goal Drought Continues
Tottenham's difficult start continued with another goalless draw, this time against unbeaten Everton. Spurs controlled possession for long stretches but could not find the decisive finish, while Everton remained organised and dangerous enough to threaten on the counter. O Opta Analyst
Tottenham had 62% possession and 14 shots, but only two were on target. Everton had 12 shots and three on target, with the visitors also posting the higher xG figure: 1.17 compared with Tottenham's 0.64. O Opta Analyst +1
The result extended Tottenham's unwanted run without a Premier League goal to four matches. Jordan Pickford also produced a late save to deny Lucas Bergvall, while Tottenham goalkeeper Antonín Kinský made several important interventions of his own. O Opta Analyst
Key EPL Weekend Statistics
| Statistic | Figure | Context |
|---|---|---|
| Total goals | 24 | Across nine completed weekend matches |
| Away victories | 5 | Every weekend win was recorded by the visiting team |
| Draws | 4 | Four matches ended level |
| Largest victory | Brighton 5–0 Coventry | Five-goal winning margin |
| Most goals in a match | 5 | Palace 2–3 Ipswich and Coventry 0–5 Brighton |
| Perfect records | Arsenal & Man City | Both reached four wins from four |
| Tottenham goals | 0 | Spurs failed to score in their first four league games |
| Manchester derby winner | Manchester City | 1–0 at Old Trafford despite playing with 10 men |
Five Biggest Talking Points
- Arsenal and Manchester City set the early pace. Both sides moved to 12 points after four matches, establishing themselves as the two perfect-start teams.
- City's resilience was the story of the derby. Playing with 10 men from the 23rd minute, City still found a way to beat United through Haaland's second-half goal. R Reuters
- Brighton delivered the weekend's statement performance. A 5–0 away win at Coventry was the largest victory of the weekend.
- Hull continue to impress. The newly promoted side remained unbeaten after holding Chelsea to a 2–2 draw at Stamford Bridge. O Opta Analyst
- Tottenham's attack is becoming an emergency. Four consecutive league games without a goal underline the scale of the problem facing Roberto De Zerbi's side. O Opta Analyst
EPL Weekend Roundup: The Bigger Picture
Matchweek 4 produced an unusually strong away-team trend, with all five victories belonging to visitors. Arsenal and Manchester City emerged as the two sides with perfect records, but the weekend also showed how unpredictable the league remains.
Brighton's five-goal demolition of Coventry was the clearest attacking statement, while Ipswich's last-gasp win at Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest's victory at Aston Villa demonstrated the growing competitiveness outside the traditional title contenders.
At the top end, Liverpool and Chelsea both dropped points at home, while Tottenham's failure to score in their opening four league matches is already one of the season's defining stories. Meanwhile, Manchester City's derby victory came with the added controversy of a VAR decision that refereeing authorities subsequently admitted was mishandled.
With Arsenal and Manchester City level on 12 points, the early Premier League title race is already taking shape. The next round of fixtures will provide another test of whether the early hierarchy is sustainable or simply a product of a chaotic opening month.
