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Ranking All 20 Premier League Teams’ Performances on Matchday Four

A weekend riddled with controversy and VAR reviews spat out a few eye-opening results.
Grey Whitebloom|
Bruno Fernandes could not inspire a Manchester United turnaround.
Bruno Fernandes could not inspire a Manchester United turnaround. | Joe Prior/Visionhaus/Getty Images

The two buzzwords surrounding the implementation of VAR heading into this new Premier League season were “lighter touch.”

The fourth round of fixtures in England’s top flight were dictated by the clumsy influence of officials who came under heightened scrutiny. Hands were wringed, teeth gnashed and future of the sport put into question by a series of steaming managers, players and fans.

Between the bursts of controversy and frame-by-frame replays, some actual soccer broke out over the weekend.

Ranking Criteria

  • Performance: This is the crux of the exercise: How well did each team play when considering the flow of a game divorced from the final score. If it was simply a judgement of scoreboard statistics you may as well go straight to the table.
  • Expectations: Not all results are equal. Teams that upset the odds with their display are rewarded more favorably.
  • Venue: As the behind-closed-doors season of 2020–21 proved, playing in front of your home fans is a huge advantage, so any away results are given a little extra bonus.

20. Newcastle (4–1 Loss vs. Leeds)

Newcastle’s players looking sad.
Newcastle were wretched at Elland Road. | Paul ELLIS/AFP/Getty Images

All of the energy and excitement of Newcastle’s season under Matthias Jaissle evaporated into the night air above Elland Road on Monday. The Magpies were meek bystanders on what their manager fairly described as a “tough night.”

19. Crystal Palace (2–3 Loss vs. Ipswich)

Pierre Sage insisted that his Crystal Palace team “deserved at least a point” against Ipswich Town—but he was in the minority. Axel Disasi’s bone-headed red card set the Eagles up for failure which eventually arrived in stoppage time.

18. Coventry (5–0 Loss vs. Brighton)

It will be washed away by torrent of Brighton goals after they had Taiwo Awoniyi sent off to start the second half but Coventry actually started brightly. By halftime, Frank Lampard’s side were only trailing 1–0 and had forced Bart Verbruggen into three crucial saves.

“We did some good stuff,” Lampard offered before admitting, “then the game became very, very difficult for us.”

17. Man Utd (1–0 Loss vs. Man City)

Bruno Fernandes arms outstretched.
Bruno Fernandes could not inspire a Manchester United turnaround. | Alex Livesey/Danehouse/Getty Images

It can only really be viewed as a feat of mismanagement when a team gets so demonstrably worse after their opponents are reduced to 10 men.

United came close to breaking Manchester City’s resolve, hitting the post twice before Bryan Mbeumo only succeeded in finding Gianluigi Donnarumma’s right palm from point-blank range, but the fact that they let that contest in those favorable circumstances be decided by a refereeing error is damning.

16. Aston Villa (2–1 Loss vs. Nottingham Forest)

Oliver Glasner (left) and Unai Emery.
Oliver Glasner (left) has never lost to Unai Emery. | Nick Potts/PA Images/Getty Images

At this point, Unai Emery’s inferiority to Oliver Glasner must play on his mind. Aston Villa’s beleaguered boss has failed to beat his Austrian counterpart in eight encounters, losing six. This worryingly toothless iteration of Villa never really threatened to end that streak during another home loss.

15. Chelsea (2–2 Draw vs. Hull)

Chelsea players looking discontent.
Chelsea were out-shot and outplayed for large swathes of Saturday’s affair. | Henry NICHOLLS/AFP/Getty Images

Chelsea are quickly becoming a must-watch for neutrals but Xabi Alonso is already sick of his team’s chronic chaos. “I hope one day you will say it was a boring game and we won,” the adventurous tactician sighed during a press conference cut suspiciously brief.

The brilliance of the Blues’ front three contrasts violently with the ineptitude of the other eight positions on the pitch. For every penetrative surge forward, Chelsea give up a golden chance of their own. Across just six games, 12 goals have been conceded.

14. Sunderland (2–0 Loss vs. Arsenal)

When he wasn’t tearing into the officials, Mikel Arteta found time to praise Sunderland’s resilience: “They are a really, really good side,” the Arsenal boss fretted, “and in any other moment we could’ve conceded.”

13. Brentford (2–2 Draw vs. Bournemouth)

It was a typically chaotic encounter between the two most volatile clubs in the Premier League. Possession changed hands 206 times at the Vitality Stadium, more than any other fixture this season. The ball threatened to break the way of Bournemouth but the Bees would escape the south coast with a fortuitous point. “We did not hit the levels we set for ourselves,” Keith Andrews quietly seethed.

12. Tottenham (0–0 Draw vs. Everton)

After a second consecutive goalless draw, Roberto De Zerbi came out swinging: “In Italy, I should be the best coach, no? Two games, two clean sheets.” Whether La Gazzetta dello Sport would ignore Tottenham’s distinct lack of goals or any cohesion in the final third is not as clear as De Zerbi may argue.

11. Everton (0–0 Draw vs. Tottenham)

This was a typical Everton display under David Moyes; solid but not entirely satisfying. To borrow the manager’s expression, it was “gutsy.” Glitzy has never been his chief consideration.

10. Liverpool (0–0 Draw vs. Fulham)

Bradley Barcola
Liverpool were off the pace from the first kick. | James Gill/Danehouse/Getty Images

This was the most worrying display of Andoni Iraola’s Liverpool tenure thus far. Liverpool not only failed to create any clear-cut chances against one of the most defensively inept sides in the division, but seemingly struggled to even run.

One of Iraola’s Anfield predecessors Brendan Rodgers likened management to “building an aircraft while it is flying.” It remains to be seen if Liverpool’s new manager can improve the stamina of his squad during the blast furnace of an ongoing Premier League season.

9. Fulham (0–0 Draw vs. Liverpool)

Some matches don’t deserve a goal. This one barely deserved a corner. After coming out on the wrong side of three thoroughly eventful and unsuccessful fixtures, Álvaro Arbeloa was perhaps grateful for the respite.

8. Ipswich (3–2 Win vs. Crystal Palace)

The sweet satisfaction of securing a precious win won’t be dampened by Ipswich’s defensive frailties for many fans, although Gary O’Neil should be concerned by how a 10-man Crystal Palace side scored twice against his team.

7. Arsenal (2–0 Win vs. Sunderland)

Bruno Guimarães
Arsenal have a 100% record through five outings in all competitions. | Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC/Getty Images

This was an arm wrestle of a victory won in the space of 121 seconds. Bruno Guimarães proved to be the fitting matchwinner on his return to the north east but only after David Raya’s stunning penalty save two minutes earlier.

For all the focus shifted towards the divisive refereeing, Arsenal won’t maintain their 100% for much longer if they continue to be beholden to moments of individual brilliance.

6. Bournemouth (2–2 Draw vs. Brentford)

At what point to Bournemouth just stop taking the lead? Marco Rose’s side failed to capitalize on a winning position for the fourth game in succession after some typically wayward finishing, but the way that the Cherries played their way into that lead by passing Brentford off the park will surely inspire some encouragement.

5. Hull (2–2 Draw vs. Chelsea)

Sergej Jakirović could afford to joke around in the aftermath of his side’s entirely deserved 2–2 draw at Chelsea. Sorba Thomas was likened to F1 star Max Verstappen after his car crash in the week by a jovial manager soaking up a start to the season he could scarcely have envisaged.

4. Nottingham Forest (2–1 Win vs. Aston Villa)

Nottingham Forest had not left Villa Park with a win since 1994, before every outfielder who started Saturday’s triumph had even been born. Thanks to a wonderfully cohesive and coordinated team performance in the image of Oliver Glasner, that drought was broken.

3. Brighton (5–0 Win vs. Coventry)

When Lewis Dunk is stuffing the ball into the top corner from 30 yards out, you know it’s your day.

2. Man City (1–0 Win vs. Man Utd)

haaland celebrating
Erling Haaland scored his sixth goal of the new season. | Alex Livesey/Danehouse/Getty Images

The way Enzo Maresca and his players celebrated the narrow derby win said everything about the 90 minutes of tactical, technical and mental endeavor which had been expended at Old Trafford.

Maresca hailed the impact of his perennial matchwinner after the 1–0 victory—“How do you say in English? Happy wife, happy life? For us, happy Erling, happy life. My wife will be upset with me for that one,” he chuckled—but this was a mightily impressive victory for the collective.

1. Leeds (4–1 Win vs. Newcastle)

Even a cheap concession of a 90th-minute consolation couldn’t take away the sheen of Leeds’ emphatic thrashing. “My boys were brilliant,” Daniel Farke justifiably beamed.

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Grey Whitebloom
GREY WHITEBLOOM

Grey Whitebloom is an Associate Editor for SI FC. He has more than half a decade of experience in sports media across all its various guises, from the fast-paced demands of news articles and match reports to in-depth research required for features. Whitebloom graduated with a First Class Honours from University College London and found himself named on the Dean’s List—which, despite his initial fears, was a form of praise rather than a punishment. He specialises in the Premier League and Champions League, while also boasting an extensive track record of La Liga coverage.

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