The English Premier League wrapped up its eighth weekend of action on Sunday, Oct. 25, with Sunderland’s 0-0 draw with Leeds at the Stadium of Light.
Manchester City remains the league’s leader with 21 points from eight games and a goal difference of +11, but it suffered its first loss of the season away to Aston Villa — and that allowed Arsenal to pull level with it on points. Sunderland remains anchored at the bottom of the table with five points from its opening fixtures.
Here are the key storylines from a busy weekend of EPL action.
Manchester City fell from grace … again
Happy Invincibles Day to all who celebrate. Manchester City, high off seven perfect games in the Premier League, crashed back down to earth after falling 2-1 to Aston Villa in Birmingham. City is now level with Arsenal on points but (barely) ahead of it on goal difference.
Credit to Villa. Unai Emery’s team was exceptional against City and fully deserved its hard-fought victory. This was Villa’s fourth straight home win against City — a frankly bonkers statistic given the gap between the two teams — and one that showed where Villa might go over the course of the season.
Its Senegalese attacking pairing of Nicolas Jackson and Ibrahim Mbaye looked stellar, and its once-doubted back line of Matty Cash, Pau Torres, Victor Lindelof and Ian Maatsen looked more than capable of handling the world’s best attackers.
Shoutout to Villa goalkeeper Zion Suzuki, too. The young Japanese international had big shoes to fill when he came in to replace the departing Emi Martinez, but he’s filled them with grace and style. He was excellent in this match and looks like one of the best young goalkeepers in the league. Villa did well to sign him.
