EPL Table: 2016 Standings After Saturday's Week 2 Results and Top Scorers
Don't look now, but Manchester City and Manchester United have quickly ascended to the top of the table, as the Premier League's usual suspects seek to restore order during the new campaign after Leicester City's memorable championship run last term.
Chelsea also sit on six points after posting back-to-back victories under new manager Antonio Conte. In addition, Everton and Tottenham have earned four points apiece through two matches. It leaves Hull as the only real surprise among the top group in the early going.
Let's check out all of the important information from the second week of action in the EPL. That's followed by a breakdown of some top storylines from Saturday's play.
TOP NEWS
Madrid Fines Players $590K 😲
'Mbappé Out' Petition Gaining Steam 😳
Star-Studded World Cup Ad 🤩
Matchday 2 Results
| Aug. 19 | Manchester United | Southampton | 2-0 |
| Aug. 20 | Stoke | Manchester City | 1-4 |
| Aug. 20 | Burnley | Liverpool | 2-0 |
| Aug. 20 | Swansea | Hull | 0-2 |
| Aug. 20 | Tottenham | Crystal Palace | 1-0 |
| Aug. 20 | Watford | Chelsea | 1-2 |
| Aug. 20 | West Brom | Everton | 1-2 |
| Aug. 20 | Leicester | Arsenal | 0-0 |
| Aug. 21 | Sunderland | Middlesbrough | Sunday |
| Aug. 21 | West Ham | Bournemouth | Sunday |
Week 2's Top Scorers
| 2 | Zlatan Ibrahimovic | Manchester United |
| 2 | Sergio Aguero | Manchester City |
| 2 | Nolito | Manchester City |
| 1 | Bojan Krkic | Stoke |
| 1 | Sam Vokes | Burnley |
| 1 | Andre Gray | Burnley |
| 1 | Shaun Maloney | Hull |
| 1 | Abel Hernandez | Hull |
| 1 | Victor Wanyama | Tottenham |
| 1 | Michy Batshuayi | Chelsea |
| 1 | Diego Costa | Chelsea |
| 1 | Etienne Capoue | Watford |
| 1 | Kevin Mirallas | Everton |
| 1 | Gareth Barry | Everton |
| 1 | Gareth McAuley | West Brom |
Updated League Table
| 1 | Manchester City | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 6 |
| 2 | Manchester United | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 6 |
| 3 | Hull | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 6 |
| 4 | Chelsea | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 |
| 5 | Everton | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| 6 | Tottenham | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| 7 | Burnley | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 8 | West Brom | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| 9 | Liverpool | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | -1 | 3 |
| 10 | Swansea | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | -1 | 3 |
| 11 | Middlesbrough | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 12 | Arsenal | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | -1 | 1 |
| 13 | Watford | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | -1 | 1 |
| 14 | Leicester | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | -1 | 1 |
| 15 | Southampton | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | -2 | 1 |
| 16 | Stoke | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | -3 | 1 |
| 17 | Sunderland | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | -1 | 0 |
| 18 | West Ham | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | -1 | 0 |
| 19 | Bournemouth | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | -2 | 0 |
| 20 | Crystal Palace | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | -2 | 0 |
Saturday's Top Storylines
Manchester City's Attacking Explosion
City opened the campaign with a 2-1 victory over Sunderland last week. While it was a solid way to start the season, it was clear the attack wasn't clicking on all cylinders quite yet. That changed Saturday, as they poured in four goals to ease past Stoke.
Sergio Aguero and Nolito each found the net twice in an exhibition of what the supporters hope to see on a consistent basis under new boss Pep Guardiola. The effort is even more impressive considering it came away from home against a side that's typically stingy defensively.
Squawka Football passed along the match statistics:
The Sky Blues are usually going to win the possession battle in Guardiola's system, and the defense should be strong, especially after adding John Stones to bolster the back line. So it really comes down to how efficient the attacking group can be.
Judging by the amount of progress it displayed in the course of one week, the early signs are positive. Of course, it's still too early to make any definitive conclusions.
Arsenal, Leicester Play To Scoreless Draw
Anybody who expected a lot of fireworks from Arsenal and Leicester when both clubs sought their first win of the campaign walked away disappointed. The marquee matchup of the weekend featured plenty of listless play from both sides.
Both clubs had some promising moments on the attack, as they combined for 21 shot attempts. However, the execution inside the attacking third looked more like what you'd expect to see during an early preseason match, not a high-profile Premier League encounter.
For the Foxes, the draw continued a sluggish start to their title defense. After a season where it seemed like most of the breaks went their way, they are immediately finding out that staying on top is probably more difficult than getting there in the first place.
Those who are looking for a bright side can point toward their unbeaten stretch at home, as noted by OptaJoe:
Although it's far too soon to start pressing the panic button, Arsenal and Leicester can't be pleased with how things have started over the past few weeks. Saturday's lackluster match showcased how much work each club needs to do.
Early Setback for Liverpool
It's not uncommon for a club to suffer a poor result one week after logging an impressive away triumph over a top club. That's what happened to Liverpool, as they showed only sporadic signs of energy in a loss to Burnley after a wild win over Arsenal to start the season.
The Reds controlled the tempo for most of the fixture. They held over 80 percent possession and generated 26 shot attempts. But, just like with Arsenal and Leicester, the sheer lack of execution at key moments led to a boatload of frustration.
Chris Shaw of the club's official site passed along comments from manager Jurgen Klopp, who said his side must do more when it holds the ball for extended stretches:
"[Possession] is what we did well, but in the end you have to use it.
It's not allowed that you suffer under your own ball possession, that makes no sense. It's not that we didn't want it—six or seven times Phil [Coutinho] alone was in the right position to shoot.
In England you use the word 'clinical'—in a lot of situations I saw we were clinical but even then we didn't score. That's how it is and we have to accept it.
"
All told, Liverpool probably would have been fine coming out of the first two matches with three points when the season started. But the fact the win came against Arsenal makes it feel like a lost opportunity for them to join the clubs at the top of the table with six quick points.
