Premier League's promoted trio could be here to stay

It turned out that Liverpool didn't even need their late heroics that beat Everton in the Merseyside derby to keep their place at the Premier League summit as their closest rivals Arsenal needed a loan of the Reds' last-minute luck just to rescue a point against Manchester City with Gabriel Martinelli's 93rd-minute strike.

The weekend's results showed that it is likely to be those two battling it out for glory again, but what else did we learn from the most recent action in the top flight?

Here we pick out five key things we learned from the weekend:

Promoted sides are not there to make up the numbers

The three promoted teams have all gone straight back down in each of the last two Premier League seasons but things may be different this time around with Burnley, Leeds and Sunderland all finding themselves outside the relegation zone after five games and the Black Cats are flying high in seventh.

All three picked up great results at the weekend. Burnley and Sunderland drew 1-1 with Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa while Leeds landed an impressive 3-1 victory at Wolves and there have been plenty of signs that they are not just there to make up the numbers.

Bookmakers have acted on that early promise, too, with bet365 pushing out the odds on all three going back down to a huge 12-1 from an ante-post 2-1.

Wolves, West Ham, Brentford, Aston Villa and Forest have all endured miserable starts, meaning Burnley, Sunderland and Leeds have teams they could conceivably usurp.

It's by no means certain yet, but the signs are positive that the vast Championship-Premier League gap is finally narrowing.

Guardiola has lost his pep

Pep Guardiola was once a manager whose sensational tactics and attacking intent led Barcelona to a stunning sextuple and helped Lionel Messi to score a ludicrous 91 goals in a calendar year.

However, if his stifling of Jack Grealish or willingness to play four centre-backs at once wasn't enough of a sign that his mojo and willingness to play on the front foot has waned in recent years, his substitutions against Arsenal should be.

Manchester City held a 1-0 lead at the Emirates for 81 minutes and that would have represented a great result, but the old Pep would have looked to build on that rather than consolidate it.

This new version of the Spaniard instead chose to take off Phil Foden, one of few creative sparks on the pitch, and Erling Haaland, his only striker, for centre-back Nathan Ake and defensive midfielder Nico Gonzalez.

That ultimately proved costly as the Citizens defended deeper and Martinelli equalised. There is seemingly a lack of belief from Guardiola that could prove costly in their attempts to wrestle back the title from Liverpool. It may be another two-horse race for the Premier League.

Don't rule out a comeback from Pep Guardiola's new-look Manchester City side

Pep Guardiola's tactics are not as fun as they used to beCredit: Getty Images

Cherries are the pick of the bunch

Losing four-fifths of your back five would be enough to send most managers into meltdown and leave mid-table Premier League teams in a relegation scrap.

Andoni Iraola is not most managers, however, and Bournemouth are certainly not most clubs. The Spaniard is an excellent tactician and his Cherries side continue to punch above their weight.

Bournemouth have taken ten points from their opening five games to take up a lofty position in fourth. With their only defeat coming when they were extremely unlucky in a 4-2 thriller at Anfield, there are plenty of reasons to believe they can finally make the jump to European football.

Only Manchester City, Arsenal and Crystal Palace have a higher xG difference than the Cherries' 2.9 while they also rank in the top five for shots and recoveries, highlighting their strength and both ends of the pitch.

It is strange that Michel, who has Girona propping up La Liga, is still the favourite to be next Manchester City manager when Iraola is right there and punters should also look at the 10-3 for Bournemouth to finish in the top six, especially with Manchester United, Newcastle and Aston Villa all making poor starts to the season.

Soaring Eagles can take Europe by storm

Crystal Palace's unbeaten run now stands at 17 games. That streak contains an FA Cup final win over City, a Community Shield victory against Liverpool, draws at Anfield and Stamford Bridge and numerous other impressive results.

Saturday's 2-1 win over a shocking West Ham outfit does not fall into that latter category but they were dominant again, despite the absence of key man Ismaila Sarr, and Oliver Glasner's side are quickly becoming one of England's most consistent teams.

Their league form could take a hit when the Conference League gets going but the Eagles have enjoyed the perfect preparation to make a real go of their first foray into European competition.

Glasner won the Europa League with Frankfurt, so knows exactly what it takes to succeed in continental tournaments, and it is a surprise to see the in-form Eagles as big as 5-1 to take the Conference League crown.

Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner needs some new faces with Eberechi Eze on his way out

Oliver Glasner's Crystal Palace look a big price for Conference League gloryCredit: DeFodi Images via Getty Images

Hapless Hammers undone by another set-piece

Death, taxes and West Ham conceding from a corner. Crystal Palace's first goal on Saturday was the seventh the Hammers have conceded from a set-piece this term and punters should be all over that ahead of Monday's clash with Everton.

You would think Tottenham's barrage of corners last week – each of which looked like they could result a goal – would have led to a week of vigorous set-piece training but instead the Hammers looked as hapless as ever when defending corners against Palace.

That doesn't bode well for a clash with Everton, who are managed by their former boss David Moyes – whose West Ham side scored more than their fair share of set-piece goals over the years.

Only James Ward-Prowse (nine) and Kieran Tripper (eight) have created more chances from set-pieces than Everton's Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall this season, so 5-1 looks a big price for the Toffees playmaker to assist, while 15-2 for James Tarkowski or 8-1 for Michael Keane to find the net could be worth a punt, too.

Untitled Document

Recommended Offer

4/5

NEW CUSTOMER OFFER

Get £50 In Free Bets When You Place £10

NEW CUSTOMER OFFER

Free bets with Betfair's Rewards Club

CLAIM OFFER

Gabriel Martinelli strikes late to seal Emirates draw and further frustrate Manchester City title hopes

Click for free bets and betting offers from the Racing Post

Commercial notice: This article contains affiliate links. Offers are handpicked and come from operators our experts have first-hand experience of. Opening an account via one of these links will earn revenue for the Racing Post, which will be used to continue producing our award-winning coverage of horseracing and sports betting.

Jamie GriffithRacing Post

Published on 22 September 2025inPremier League