After an 11-game week and the final international break of 2025 underway, the Premier League table is starting to give an accurate picture of where teams stand.
Sunderland’s strong start turned into sustained success after a draw with title-chasing Arsenal, but Liverpool’s decline was more than a temporary one.
Opta has ranked all the teams in the top league by their match condition, i.e. how much of the match they spent playing from the back, but for Arne Slot it’s even worse news…
rank | team | Percentage of playing time lost |
1 | crystal palace, chelsea | 13% |
2 | man city | 14% |
3 | arsenal | 17% |
4 | newcastle united | 18% |
5 | sunderland | twenty one% |
6 | AFC Bournemouth | twenty two% |
7 | everton | twenty four% |
8 | Aston Villa & Man United | 26% |
9 | Fulham | 30% |
10 | Brentford, Tottenham, Leeds, Nottingham Forest | 32% |
11 | brighton | 35% |
12 | burnley | 36% |
13 | liverpool | 37% |
14 | west ham | 47% |
15 | wolf | 58% |
1
chelsea and crystal palace
It has been a promising start to the season for both Chelsea and Crystal Palace, with Enzo Maresca’s side still in contention to challenge for the title, given they are currently just six points behind league leaders Arsenal.
Meanwhile, Palace continued their unbeaten run from last season, which was finally brought to an end after a record 19 games with Everton winning 2-1 at the Hill Dickinson Stadium in early October.
Both London clubs have spent 13% of their games at the back, with the Eagles on track to advance to Europe with 17 points from their opening 11 games.
2
manchester city
Man City have also emerged as title contenders, with their latest win arguably their most impressive to date, defeating reigning champions Liverpool 3-0 at the Etihad Stadium.
Having won six of the last eight Premier League titles, City cannot afford to be ignored. City have only spent 14% of their games on the back foot, with Erling Haaland scoring a whopping 14 goals in his career in the Premier League alone.
3
arsenal
Mikel Arteta will be hoping this is finally the Gunners’ year after finishing second on the spin for the first time in three years. The early signs were very positive, with the team opening up a four-point lead at the top.
Arsenal have had to bounce back from time to time and Gabriel Martinelli scored a stoppage-time equalizer against Man City in September, canceling out Haaland’s opener and securing what could be a crucial point in the Premier League title race.
Arteta’s side were on the back foot for much of the match against Newcastle United, but late performances from Mikel Merino and Gabriel helped them to a 2-1 victory.
But some other wins have been more routine, including a 5-0 win over Leeds United in August and a comfortable 2-0 win at Burnley earlier this month, meaning the north Londoners are losing just 17% of the time.
4
newcastle united
Newcastle, on the other hand, are unlikely to feel as positive about their start to the season as they currently sit 14th, seven points behind rivals Sunderland, despite being behind in just 18 per cent of their games.
The main reason for this was that the Magpies had developed a very bad habit of conceding goals late in games, with Rio Ngmoja scoring a dramatic late winner to give Liverpool victory in August, while Gabriel’s 96th-minute winner secured Arsenal a 2-1 win in September.
However, if Eddie Howe’s side can keep their goals in check in the final stages, there is still plenty of time for a successful season as European places are within reach.
5
sunderland
Few would have expected Sunderland to soar near the top of the table, but thanks to the late heroics of Brian Brobbey, they have made the Stadium of Light their fortress and have had a fantastic start, most recently holding Arsenal to a draw.
With 19 points from their opening 11 games, the Black Cats are already almost halfway to the magic 40 points mark and will almost certainly secure Premier League safety.
There are some difficult fixtures on the horizon, with trips to Liverpool and Man City set to take place in December, but manager Regis Le Bris will no doubt be happy with how things are progressing, with his side losing just 21 per cent of their games.
6
AFC Bournemouth
Bournemouth may have been expected to struggle after losing key players such as Milos Kerkes, Ilya Zabarny and Dean Heusen in the summer, but that was not to be.
The Cherries are one of five teams currently sitting on 18 points, having spent just 22% of their games at the back, and look set to push towards Europe once again.
7
everton
It was a solid, if unspectacular, start for Everton, who picked up 15 points from their opening 11 games and cemented themselves in mid-table, exactly where they had hoped.
The Toffees are only chasing 24% of the game, which is a respectable figure considering they have already traveled to both Anfield and the Etihad Stadium and played some very tricky games.
8
aston villa and manchester united
Both Aston Villa and Man United had a very poor start to the season, with Unai Emery’s side failing to score in their opening four games, while the Red Devils suffered a 3-0 defeat in the Manchester derby and a disappointing 4-2 defeat at Brentford.
But since then, the Villans have won eight of their last 10 games in all competitions, while United have also improved with 11 points from their last five Premier League games.
With both teams trailing 26% of the time, a European push could be on the cards.
9
Fulham
Marco Silva has been successful in stabilizing the Cottages in the Premier League, but he is currently under serious pressure, with the team sitting just one point above the relegation zone after a 2-0 defeat at Everton last time out.
It’s still too early to panic, but the early signs were certainly not good for the west Londoners, who spent 30 per cent of the game in underdog conditions.
10
Brentford, Tottenham Hotspur, Leeds United, Nottingham Forest
The Thomas Frank era is finally beginning to dawn, but Tottenham are yet to achieve consistent results, with away wins against the likes of Manchester City and Everton erased by disappointing defeats at home to Aston Villa and Chelsea.
However, despite being one of only four clubs to spend 32% of their games behind, Spurs currently sit fifth in the table, two points ahead of Brentford, who have undoubtedly exceeded expectations under new manager Keith Andrews.
Things are not so rosy for Leeds, who currently sit just one point above the relegation zone after losing four of their last five games, while Nottingham Forest, who have already had their third manager, currently sit in 19th place.
