With more than a third of the 2024-25 campaign already in the books, the Premier League standings are taking shape: 30 points now separate leaders Liverpool and bottom-placed Southampton.
The season has already thrown up some major surprises, with perennial champions Manchester City picking up just eight wins from their first 15 games to sit in fourth place behind Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal.
However, not everything has been rosy for the Gunners, who failed to close the gap on Arne Slot’s Reds this weekend with a 1-1 draw against Fulham, as the Liverpool Merseyside derby against Everton was postponed. due to Storm Darragh.
Meanwhile, Chelsea triumphed 4-3 over Tottenham on Sunday to move within four points of the league leaders, taking a real claim to the title race after several seasons of disappointment under the ownership of Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital.
Reflecting on Man City’s disappointing 2-2 draw against Crystal Palace in this weekend’s Match of the Day, Alan Shearer ruled Pep Guardiola’s side out of the title race – and the Newcastle legend’s take is shared by several of the game’s leading experts.
Perhaps surprisingly, City are only three points worse off than at this point last season, despite having won just one in six in the Premier League since November.
Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City is only three points worse than last season
Meanwhile, Cole Palmer and Chelsea have 12 more points than this time last season.
In-form Nottingham Forest are also 12 points better off and top the table alongside Chelsea.
Meanwhile, Chelsea and Nottingham Forest are 12 points better than last season, with the Blues on 31 points under Enzo Maresca compared to 19 during Mauricio Pochettino’s tenure in 2023-24.
Stats Perform’s points comparison table shows how well Nuno Espirito Santo is doing at the City Ground, with Forest currently on 25 points compared to 13 points last season.
Nottingham Forest’s most recent win came against Manchester United, when Chris Wood continued his good run in front of goal to condemn Ruben Amorim’s side to a 3-2 defeat with what emerged as the winners at kick-off late on Saturday.
No club is worse off than Manchester United compared to last season, with the Red Devils now eight points behind their 2023-24 season tally of 27 points at this stage.
Under Amorim, his sacked predecessor Erik ten Hag and interim coach Ruud van Nistelrooy, Man United have recorded just five wins in 15 matches so far, losing six and drawing four.
It makes discouraging reading for both sets of fans in north London too, with Arsenal and Spurs each seven points worse off than last season, along with Unai Emery’s Aston Villa, who have not maintained the magnificent levels that saw them finish in a Champions League in 2023-24.
West Ham fans will be hugely disappointed by the start their club has made under new boss Julen Lopetegui, who replaced David Moyes at the end of last season.
The Hammers, who face Wolves in a seismic match for both Lopetegui and Gary O’Neil who are under pressure, sit 14th in the table despite making a number of exciting high-profile signings in the summer.
It has been a disaster for Man United, who have suffered the biggest drop compared to last season.
Tottenham and Arsenal are also much worse than last season, with seven points to recover.
Arne Slot’s Liverpool is one of the six teams that are in the best situation in points so far this campaign
Both Wolves and West Ham are six points behind last season, with Eddie Howe’s Newcastle also sharing that margin.
Only Chelsea (12), Forest (12), Bournemouth (8), Fulham (5), Liverpool (4) and Brentford (4) are better at this stage than in 2023-24.
Andoni Iraola’s Cherries looked to be on the brink of defeat against Ipswich on Sunday, before a notable turnaround allowed Bournemouth to claim a late stoppage-time victory thanks to goals from substitutes Enes Unal and Dango Ouattara.
Brighton fans will also be pleased with their team’s performance during Fabian Hurzeler’s debut season at the Amex, as they are just one point behind last season and sit comfortably in seventh place in the Premier League table. League.