Arsenal and Manchester City are the only sides to have collected the maximum 12 points from their opening four matches.
The pair already sit four points clear of third-placed Hull City, whose excellent early results may not yet make them genuine title contenders, and five ahead of every other team.
Arsenal entered the campaign as reigning champions and the pre-season favourites to retain the title.
Mikel Arteta guided them to their first championship in 22 years last season, often using a style viewed as patient and physically demanding.
They opened the new season with an emphatic 3-0 Community Shield triumph against Manchester City.
That momentum has continued with wins over Coventry, Aston Villa, Chelsea and Sunderland, as well as Napoli in the Champions League.
Taking last season into account, Arsenal have now won nine consecutive league games and have not suffered a defeat inside 90 minutes in any competition since losing to City on 19 April.
Manchester City, by contrast, are adjusting to a major change after Pep Guardiola departed following 10 years, six league titles and a historic Treble.
Former assistant Enzo Maresca has succeeded him and overseen four victories from four league fixtures since the Community Shield defeat to Arsenal in Cardiff.
City have defeated Bournemouth, Crystal Palace and Coventry, along with Porto in the Champions League, before earning a disputed 1-0 victory at Manchester United on Sunday.
Erling Haaland scored the match’s only goal, although the league’s refereeing authority later acknowledged that it should have been disallowed for offside.
Although both clubs have made perfect starts, their underlying statistics suggest they have not been completely dominant.
Brighton, with 13 goals, and Chelsea, with 10, have each outscored Arsenal and City, who have both found the net eight times.
Arsenal and City sit 10th and 11th respectively for total shots, while they rank sixth and fifth for touches inside the opposition penalty area.
Their defensive records remain among the league’s strongest, however, with Arsenal conceding just once and City allowing only two goals.
What do you feel about this post?
Like
Love
Happy
Haha
Sad
