Barclays Premier League Table: Updated 2015 EPL Review After Week 4 Results
Manchester City opened up an eight-point lead over defending champions Chelsea in the Premier League table. City maintained their 100 per cent start to the new season by seeing off Watford 2-0.
By contrast, Chelsea were stunned at home by Crystal Palace in manager Jose Mourinho's 100th league game at Stamford Bridge.
Elsewhere, Arsenal recovered from the criticism received during the week to beat 10-man Newcastle United 1-0 away from home. Magpies striker Aleksandar Mitrovic was dismissed for a foul on Francis Coquelin in the 16th-minute.
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It was just one dismissal on a day of red cards. There were two during Liverpool's shock 3-0 home defeat by West Ham United. Stoke City also saw Charlie Adam and Ibrahim Afellay walk as former manager Tony Pulis' West Bromwich Albion left the Britannia Stadium with a 1-0 win.
Here are the full results from the season's fourth week:
| Date | Home | Score | Away |
| Saturday, August 29 | Newcastle United | 0-1 | Arsenal |
| Saturday, August 29 | Aston Villa | 2-2 | Sunderland |
| Saturday, August 29 | Bournemouth | 1-1 | Leicester City |
| Saturday, August 29 | Chelsea | 1-2 | Crystal Palace |
| Saturday, August 29 | Liverpool | 0-3 | West Ham United |
| Saturday, August 29 | Manchester City | 2-0 | Watford |
| Saturday, August 29 | Stoke City | 0-1 | West Bromwich Albion |
| Saturday, August 29 | Tottenham Hotspur | 0-0 | Everton |
Here's what those results mean for the table:
| Position | Played | Team | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goals For | Goals Against | Goal Difference | Points |
| 1 | 4 | Manchester City | 4 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 10 | 12 |
| 2 | 4 | Crystal Palace | 3 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 9 |
| 3 | 4 | Leicester City | 2 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 8 |
| 4 | 3 | Manchester United | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 7 |
| 5 | 4 | Arsenal | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 7 |
| 6 | 4 | Liverpool | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | -1 | 7 |
| 7 | 4 | West Ham United | 2 | 0 | 2 | 9 | 6 | 3 | 6 |
| 8 | 3 | Swansea City | 1 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 5 |
| 9 | 4 | Everton | 1 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 5 |
| 10 | 3 | Norwich City | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 4 |
| 11 | 4 | Bournemouth | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 6 | -1 | 4 |
| 12 | 4 | Aston Villa | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 5 | -1 | 4 |
| 13 | 4 | Chelsea | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 9 | -3 | 4 |
| 14 | 4 | West Bromwich Albion | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 | -3 | 4 |
| 15 | 4 | Tottenham Hotspur | 0 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 4 | -1 | 3 |
| 16 | 4 | Watford | 0 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 4 | -2 | 3 |
| 17 | 4 | Stoke City | 0 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 5 | -2 | 2 |
| 18 | 4 | Newcastle United | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 5 | -3 | 2 |
| 19 | 3 | Southampton | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 | -3 | 2 |
| 20 | 4 | Sunderland | 0 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 10 | -4 | 2 |
Champions Still Struggling
Chelsea's problems are real. A second defeat in four games offers ample proof of that. The Blues, normally known for their miserly defence, have already shipped nine goals this season.
All this adds up to almost historic ineptitude for a defending champion, as B/R UK's Instagram highlighted:
It was Palace adding to the misery thanks to goals from winger Bakary Sako and defender Joel Ward. Former Wolverhampton Wanderers star man Sako exposed the real issue for Chelsea at the back this season. The Blues simply cannot deal with pace in wide areas.
Sako, Wilfried Zaha and substitute Yannick Bolasie tormented Chelsea's full-backs. Branislav Ivanovic was their favourite victim. The Serbian international wasn't quick enough on the turn to keep pace.
It didn't help that Ivanovic and Cesar Azpilicueta received next to no cover from wide players Eden Hazard and Pedro. This is a problem manager Jose Mourinho has to solve fast.
It was clearly weighing on Mourinho's mind. He couldn't even muster much enthusiasm for Radamel Falcao's first goal in a Chelsea shirt, per London Evening Standard Sport on Twitter:
The Blues certainly have a lot to fix during the international break, starting with all those problems at the back.
Gunners Recovery
After being subjected to fierce criticism following a tame start to the new season, the Gunners staged an important recovery in the north-east. Arsenal's chief critic had been Sky Sports' analyst Gary Neville.
During a recent broadcast of Monday Night Football, he chided manager Arsene Wenger for not favouring more powerful players in midfield:
Neville later clarified his critique during an article for the Daily Telegraph, but he maintained his belief Arsenal's soft middle will be their undoing. One of the players he'd singled out, Santi Cazorla, offered an excellent response against Newcastle United.
Cazorla exerted a lot of influence at St James' Park, according to Squawka:
The diminutive Spaniard was directing a midfield missing primary schemer Mesut Ozil, out with a knee problem, per ESPN FC. But the game became defined by Mitrovic's red card.
His challenge was heavy, one of several against Coquelin, and the studs-up stamp warranted a red.
That all Arsenal could manage against 10 men was forcing a Fabricio Coloccini own goal spoke of the Gunners real problem. Strength in the middle isn't the issue, at least not the main one. A lack of goals is.
B/R UK's Instagram detailed Arsenal's woes in front of goal so far this season:
Wenger tried to freshen things up by playing the pacy Theo Walcott instead of natural centre-forward Olivier Giroud. The experiment was hardly a success.
Forget midfield steel, Arsenal need something different up front to spark a genuine title challenge this term.
At the moment, only City appear legitimate challengers. The likes of Arsenal and Chelsea are among those with too many questions to answer before they can be taken seriously.
