Arsenal Premier League table: position, points and title race

Arsenal stay top of the Premier League. That is confirmed after Manchester City’s 1-0 win at Old Trafford on Saturday, 3 October. The gap at the summit has narrowed to almost nothing.

Mikel Arteta’s side had already done their job on Saturday night, beating Sunderland 2-0 well before City kicked off at Old Trafford. City’s win in Manchester now puts them level with Arsenal on points, but Arsenal keep first place on goal difference alone.

Existing section 1: title race picture

Four games into the season, Arsenal and Manchester City have both won every match they have played. That run keeps them clear at the top, level on 12 points each, with the rest of the division already behind.

Points alone cannot separate the pair, so goal difference decides who leads. Arsenal’s stands at +7, City’s at +6, and that single goal is the only thing keeping Arsenal first. For more on how this race developed, our earlier title-race update covers the ground that led here.

Existing section 2: Arsenal’s position

Arsenal’s 2-0 win over Sunderland on Saturday night did exactly what was needed. David Raya saved a penalty, and Bruno Guimarães then scored his first goal for the club. Together, those two moments settled the contest.

The victory extended Arsenal’s unbeaten start and pushed their goal difference to +7. Some of the match’s contested calls prompted debate among supporters, and we talked through them in our VAR verdict. That followed a busy September, one that also included the Ipswich cup tie and a league trip covered in our Brighton head-to-head.

Existing section 3: Manchester City’s win at Old Trafford

City’s afternoon at Old Trafford started badly. Phil Foden was sent off inside the opening 25 minutes, leaving City to play most of the match with ten men.

Despite that setback, Erling Haaland scored the second-half winner. The result moves City level with Arsenal on points from four matches, though a goal difference of +6 leaves them just short of top spot.

What happens next

Arsenal stay top of the Premier League for one reason: goal difference. Both clubs are level on points, and both remain unbeaten after four matches, so that single goal gap is the entire story at the summit right now.

It is a narrow advantage, and it could change with either side’s next match. For now, the table reads Arsenal first and Manchester City second, the position as the season moves into October.