Premier League: Arsenal Maintain Winning Start But Liverpool, Chelsea And Spurs Held

Last Updated:September 13, 2026, 11:40 AM IST

Arsenal beat Sunderland 2-0, extending their flawless Premier League start. Chelsea, Liverpool, and Tottenham drew their matches.

Kai Havertz (left) and Reinildo Mandava challenge for the ball. (AP Photo)

Arsenal maintained their perfect start to the Premier League title defence with a 2-0 victory at Sunderland, powered by a stunning long-range strike from Bruno Guimaraes. David Raya also played a key role, saving Enzo Le Fee’s penalty before Guimaraes opened the scoring just over two minutes later with his first Arsenal goal. Bukayo Saka then converted a penalty with the final kick of the match.

The result leaves Mikel Arteta’s side three points clear of Manchester City after four wins from four in the Premier League standings. City can draw level by beating Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday.

Chelsea’s Defensive Woes

Chelsea were held 2-2 by unbeaten Hull at Stamford Bridge despite another impressive display from their attacking trio of Morgan Rogers, Joao Pedro and Cole Palmer. Rogers gave Chelsea the lead on seven minutes, but Mohamed Belloumi struck twice before the interval as the hosts were punished for defensive mistakes. Joao Pedro restored parity after the hour mark, but Chelsea could not find a winner.

In five games against top-flight opposition since Xabi Alonso took charge, Chelsea have scored 16 times and conceded 12.

“(It’s) maybe entertaining, but I hope one day you’ll say it was a boring game and we win and we don’t give these entertaining moments,” Alonso said.

Liverpool Held Again

Liverpool remain unbeaten under Andoni Iraola but were frustrated by Fulham in a goalless draw at Anfield. The hosts’ £100 million trio of Bradley Barcola, Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak failed to break through.

“When you draw, especially at home, you can’t be happy,” said Iraola, who blamed fatigue after Wednesday’s Champions League game against Atletico Madrid. “Today we lacked a bit of freshness and we did not do enough offensively to make the difference.”

Liverpool are sixth and already six points behind Arsenal.

Tottenham Still Searching

Tottenham’s £300 million spending spree has yet to translate into goals. They remain just inside the relegation zone after another scoreless draw, this time against Everton.

Aston Villa are also in the bottom three after Nottingham Forest claimed a late 2-1 win. Liam Delap and Igor Jesus scored for Forest, while Alysson netted Villa’s first league goal of the season. Crystal Palace lost 3-2 at home to Ipswich, with Zian Flemming scoring in stoppage time after Axel Disasi’s red card.

Brentford remain unbeaten after Kevin Schade’s double secured a 2-2 draw at Bournemouth.

With AFP Inputs

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How did Arsenal secure their 2-0 victory against Sunderland?

Arsenal secured their victory with a stunning long-range strike from Bruno Guimaraes, which marked his first goal for the club, followed by a Bukayo Saka penalty converted with the final kick of the match. Goalkeeper David Raya also played a crucial role by saving Enzo Le Fee’s penalty just over two minutes before Guimaraes opened the scoring.

Why did Liverpool manager Andoni Iraola blame fatigue for the goalless draw against Fulham?

Andoni Iraola blamed fatigue on Liverpool’s recent Champions League match against Atletico Madrid, which took place on the Wednesday before the Fulham game. He noted that the team lacked freshness and did not perform well enough offensively to make a difference, leaving Liverpool sixth in the standings and six points behind Arsenal.

What is Chelsea’s recent defensive record under manager Xabi Alonso?

Under Xabi Alonso, Chelsea has shown defensive vulnerabilities, conceding 12 goals while scoring 16 times in five games against top-flight opposition. This trend continued in their 2-2 draw against Hull, where defensive mistakes allowed Mohamed Belloumi to score twice before halftime.

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Feroz Khan

Feroz Khan has been covering sports for over 12 years now and is currently working with Network18 as Principal Correspondent. He embarked on his journey in 2011 and has since acquired vast experience …Read More

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