Matchday 4 of the Premier League featured a trio of statement-making 3-0 wins by Big Six clubs Manchester City, Tottenham, and Arsenal.
After those matches, let’s take an early look at a predicted top 5 Champions League places for the 2025/26 Premier League season before Matchday 5 gets under way.
### 5\. Tottenham
We need to see a little bit more from Tottenham before we can pick them ahead of perennial Premier League title contenders Manchester City, but, honestly, we’ve seen enough from Thomas Frank’s side to feel that they are clear favorites to cinch the fifth spot over the likes of Aston Villa and Newcastle.
Tottenham would be expected to beat a reeling West Ham on any Matchday, but a 3-0 win on the road in a derby is always impressive. And Spurs only figure to get even better after the acquisition of Dutch star Xavi Simons.
### 4\. Manchester City
Erling Haaland was an unleashed beast against Manchester City rivals Manchester United, finishing with clinical efficiency and pressing like an absolute madman.
If the strong performance from Phil Foden is an indication of a roaring bounce-back year to come from the England international, then Man City aren’t far away from the crowd in the top three either.
### 3\. Chelsea
Chelsea hurt their stock with a 2-2 draw against Brentford, and while the backups failed to impress, more serious concerns have been raised about a defense that wasn’t really upgraded this past summer transfer window.
The Blues are darkhorse Premier League title contenders, but their question marks defensively are precisely why they are a darkhorse and not one of the favorites.
### 2\. Arsenal
Arsenal faced the toughest challenge of any of the top Premier League contenders this past weekend on Matchday 4, and they answered the call with aplomb, tearing Nottingham Forest – a Champions League contender last season – to shreds 3-0.
Viktor Gyokeres now has three goals in four games to quietly make his mark as the new Arsenal No. 9, but the real hero of the afternoon was a different attacking signing, Noni Madueke.
He and Cristhian Mosquera deserve a lot more credit, and both of them could be decisive players, even as rotational options, for the Gunners this season.
### 1\. Liverpool
[Liverpool](https://walkon.com/) were better against Burnley 1-0 than the scoreline suggests, and they will get better at breaking down low blocks with their new-look attack, which is still integrating playmaker Florian Wirtz and hasn’t yet seen Alexander Isak make a start.
Isak is going to be the great equalizer for Liverpool in games like this, but as much as we are hyping up the new signings, nobody can forget that the best player in the Premier League was already at Anfield and responsible for their dominance last season: a Mr. Mohamed Salah.
**Joe Soriano** is the editor of _The Trivela Effect_ and a FanSided Hall of Famer who has covered world football since 2011. He’s led top digital communities like _The Real Champs_ (Real Madrid) and has contributed to sites covering Tottenham, Liverpool, Juventus, and Schalke. Joe’s work has appeared in _ESPN_, _Bleacher Report_, and _Sports Illustrated_. He also helped manage _NFL Spin Zone_ and _Daily DDT,_ covering the NFL and pro wrestling, respectively.