No making sense of the Premier League’s most extraordinary beginning

It was a bizarre end to another wild weekend in the Premier League. First Tottenham tore apart Manchester United 6-1 to spark talk of crisis at Old Trafford. A couple of hours later, Aston Villa stole Spurs’ thunder, hitting seven past the stunned champions, Liverpool.  

It was a rare and shocking sight to see the two true giants of English football dismantled in quick succession, but then it wasn’t entirely against the grain. This season is only four weeks old but already we’ve witnessed unpredictability at every turn, and netfuls of goals. As we enter the international break, a chance to step back and catch our breath, the nascent Premier League table has Everton and Aston Villa at the top while Manchester United are 16th. Last season’s top three – Liverpool, Manchester City and United – have collectively conceded 28 goals in only 10 games.

As sports reporters, trying to figure out what on earth is going on is the hardest part. Could it be because there are no fans in the stadiums, freeing attacking players of the usual anxieties that come with the scrutiny of 40,000 supporters? But then that was the same at the end of last season, and it’s the same in Scotland and in the Championship too, where results have not been so remarkable. Could it be that preseason was so disrupted and truncated that defences have not yet gelled and formed strong bonds? Again though, this should be the same in the Championship.  

Certainly, new and stricter interpretations of the handball law have played their part in more penalties than ever. And maybe, like the wider world, football has been knocked off its stride by everything going on right now. Or perhaps it’s all just a huge coincidence.

The truth is that we don’t really know, and perhaps we shouldn't search too hard for an answer. For whatever reason, Premier League football is throwing up some of the most extraordinary and compelling results in its near 30-year history. Watching from the press seats behind a mask, with just the players’ shouts to fill the air, the only pity is that fans can’t be in the stadiums to see the football firsthand and create the atmosphere it deserves.

Yours,

Lawrence Ostlere

Assistant sports editor