Man City make it 5 wins from 5
A 5-3 win over Sunderland leaves Man City top on 15 points, with 13 scored and 5 conceded.
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Man City have won all 5 of their Premier League matches. The fifth came at home against Sunderland on Sunday 20 September, finishing 5-3. Five games, five wins, no draws, no defeats.
The table says the same thing. 1st place, 15 points, 13 goals scored and 5 conceded for a goal difference of +8. The run reads WWWWW.
What separates this start from a good start is the spread of it. Man City have taken 11 points at home and 8 on the road. Both columns are healthy. Neither is carrying the other.
Erling Haaland has 5 of the 13 goals, which puts him at the top of the scoring list. Alexander Isak of Liverpool sits on 4, with Bukayo Saka, Marcus Tavernier and João Pedro all on 3. Nobody is close to the leader yet.
The gap at the top is three points. Arsenal are 2nd on 12, with a goal difference of +4. Brighton Hove are 3rd on 10 and, oddly, own the best goal difference in the division at +11 — better than the leaders. Brentford and Leeds United each have 9, Liverpool the same.
So the cushion is real but thin. One slip and Arsenal are level.
Next comes a trip to Liverpool on Sunday 11 October, matchday 6. Liverpool are 6th on 9 points with a goal difference of +3. That is the first genuine test of the sequence, and it arrives away from home.
Win that one and the conversation changes. Drop points and 15 points from 5 games starts to look like a very good start rather than a procession.