Last season's table after five games, and why early form doesn't decide the Premier League


The Premier League table after five games last season proved a poor guide to the final standings, with Spurs dropping 14 places and Aston Villa climbing from 18th to fourth.

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Tottenham Hotspur go into the international break bottom of the Premier League without a win from their opening five games. They only scored their first league goal of the season in the most recent of those, a 3-2 home defeat to Aston Villa. Their next few games will have fans checking the football betting odds as well as a grim table to read alongside them.

Five games is a small sample, though. At the same stage of 2025-26, Spurs were third, and the table that September turned out to be a poor guide to how the season ended.

The table after five games in 2025-26

Matchweek five of 2025-26 finished on 21 September 2025 with a 1-1 draw between Arsenal and Manchester City. Reigning champions Liverpool were top with 15 points from five wins, five clear of the three clubs below them. Wolverhampton Wanderers were bottom without a point.

Position after five gamesClubPoints after five gamesFinal positionFinal points
1Liverpool15560
2Arsenal10185
3Tottenham Hotspur101741
4Bournemouth10657
5Crystal Palace91545
6Chelsea81052
7Sunderland8754
8Fulham81152
9Manchester City7278
10Everton71349
11Manchester United7371
12Leeds United71447
13Newcastle United61249
14Brighton & Hove Albion5853
15Nottingham Forest51644
16Burnley41922
17Brentford4953
18Aston Villa3465
19West Ham United31839
20Wolves02020

Liverpool: five wins, then fifth

Liverpool won each of their first five league games and spent almost all of August and September at the top. That ended on 4 October 2025, when they lost 2-1 at Chelsea on the same day Arsenal beat West Ham 2-0. They finished fifth on 60 points and only secured the Premier League's fifth Champions League place on the final day.

Arsenal: from second to champions

Arsenal were second after five games, with 10 points and just two goals conceded. They went top on 4 October and led the table for 238 days in total. Mikel Arteta's side finished on 85 points and were confirmed as champions with a game to spare, winning the league for the first time in 22 years.

Tottenham: from third to 17th

Spurs had 10 points and 10 goals from their first five games. They won only seven more league matches all season and finished 17th on 41 points. Their place in the division was settled on the final day. They went into it two points above West Ham, and needed a draw against Everton at least to stay up. Although West Ham won 3-0 against Leeds, it was not enough, and they went down with 39 points, the highest total of a relegated side since Blackpool in 2010-11.

Bournemouth and Brighton: two different routes to Europe

Bournemouth were fourth after five games and finished sixth on 57 points. They drew 18 of their 38 league games, and sixth place was enough for a Europa League spot. Brighton & Hove Albion went the other way through the table. They were 14th with five points in September and finished eighth on 53, which earned a Conference League play-off place.

Manchester City and Manchester United: the climbers

Manchester City were ninth with seven points after the draw at Arsenal. They finished second on 78 points and won the FA Cup and the EFL Cup. Manchester United were 11th, also on seven points, with a negative goal difference. They finished third on 71 points, eight places higher than in September, thanks to the help of Michael Carrick, appointed as interim manager to replace Ruben Amorim.

Aston Villa: one goal in five, then fourth

Aston Villa scored once in their first five league games and sat 18th with three points. They finished fourth on 65 points and won the Europa League final on 20 May 2026. Brentford made a similar climb, from 17th with four points to ninth.

Crystal Palace: fifth to 15th

Crystal Palace were unbeaten after five games with nine points. They won only nine of their remaining 33 league games and finished 15th on 45 points. Their season still ended with a trophy, as they beat Rayo Vallecano in the Conference League final on 27 May 2026 to earn a Europa League place.

Where the promoted sides and Wolves finished

Sunderland were seventh after five games and seventh at the end, with 54 points and a Europa League place in their first season back.

Wolves were bottom in September and bottom in May. They were the first club relegated, on 20 April 2026, and finished with 20 points. Burnley dropped from 16th to 19th and went down with them.

Leeds United, the third promoted side, were 12th in September and finished 14th. Their safety was confirmed on 10 May 2026, and with Sunderland they became the first promoted clubs to stay up since 2022-23.

What it means for Spurs in 2026-27

Spurs have two points from five games this season, eight fewer than at the same stage of 2025-26, when they still needed the final day to stay up. The 2025-26 table also shows how much can change over the remaining 33 games. Aston Villa climbed 14 places from 18th, and Spurs fell 14 places from third.



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