The Premier League is under way and the first three matchdays have seen their fair share of drama and excitement.
While the likes of Arsenal and Manchester City have made good starts, traditional heavyweights like Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool have had mixed fortunes.
There have been several enthralling matches already, hopefully setting the tone for the rest of the season. While club partisans would continue to root for their respective clubs, neutral watchers would want some of the underdogs to pull out some unexpected results.
On that note, we take a look at three factors that stood out in the first three weekends.
The young Gunners are a treat to watch
The young Arsenal team under Mikel Arteta have proven to be the standout side in the Premier League thus far. It is no coincidence they are at the top of the league table with three wins. They have scored 9 goals and only conceded twice.
Gabriel Jesus, the new signing from Manchester City, seems to be in stupendous form with 2 goals and 3 assists. Martin Odegaard contributed a brace against Bournemouth and Oleksandr Zinchenko, another new signing from City, seems to have settled nicely into the left-back role.
This Arsenal side is brimming with youth. Players like Bukayo Saka, William Saliba, Gabriel and Ben White are in fine form and their fluid passing football is a visual treat for viewers. Moreover, they have good bench-strength with Emile Smith Rowe, Eddie Nketiah and Rob Holding ready to sub in and thus have the capacity to trouble any side in the competition.
Some less accomplished Premier League teams have impressed
There have been a few lesser sides in the Premier League that have impressed a great deal so far and their supporters are eager to pin their hopes on them for the entire season.
Brighton (5th place) and Leeds United (3rd place) have recorded big upsets, beating Manchester United and Chelsea, respectively.
Brighton and Leeds United showed exceptional speed and intensity in stunning their much-vaunted rivals and should continue to pose serious threats to the more fancied sides in the league. It should make the season more interesting and a neutral football lover could not ask for anything better.
Newcastle United are 6th at the moment and almost defeated Manchester City, the defending champions, in a match that saw the Citizens bounce back from a two-goal deficit to snatch a point.
Traditional powers struggling, but all not lost for them
Big clubs like Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea have made less than flattering starts and their supporters are probably worried. However, it is too early to despair in a marathon league and there is more than enough time for resurrection.
Manchester United, who lost their first two games meekly, have already taken a step forward under new manager Erik ten Hag by beating Liverpool 2-1 on Monday. The Red Devils would take heart from the fact that each of Jaden Sancho, Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial did well against Liverpool.
Liverpool are yet to register a win, but the likes of Mohamed Salah and Darwin Nuñez seem to be in good touch. Jurgen Klopp, however, might want to tweak his defense, which has conceded two goals in each of their matches thus far.
Chelsea would also consider themselves unlucky to miss out on 3 points against Tottenham Hotspur, who needed a last-gasp equalizer to steal a point. New signings like Raheem Sterling and Kalidou Koulibaly started off well in their first two matches. However, Chelsea’s tame surrender against Leeds United, which saw Koulibaly sent off, would have caused significant bother to Thomas Tuchel.