Crystal Palace
Tension on the Pitch: Palace and Forest Draw at Selhurst Park
Selhurst Park: a tense draw as on-field football replaced the summer legal battle between rivals….
Selhurst Park hosted a match that felt like a sequel to a summer off-field dispute. The Eagles looked to get their own back after Forest’s complaint saw them relegated from the Europa League, and the fixture was billed as El CASico, as they’re calling it.
Security was increased, with a visible Met Police presence and heightened player protection. Behind one goal Palace supporters displayed a graphic banner depicting the Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis and repeatedly chanted “F*** UEFA, F*** John Textor, F*** Marinakis”. Supporters of Europa League Forest were seated quietly at the other end and largely said little, apart from the occasional remark that Marinakis is “one of own”. Marinakis did not remain in view in the director’s box; cameras instead found England manager Thomas Tuchel among the stands.
The match itself was competitive and, at times, unrefined. Sarr brought a moment of relief for Palace when he swept home from Daniel Munoz’s cut-back to score Palace’s first home league goal of the campaign. The goal provided the clearest example of Palace’s attacking quality during a game in which neither side moved freely through the lines.
Both clubs arrived under pressure. Palace had opened their Conference League campaign with a nervy 1-0 play-off win at home to Fredrikstad on Thursday, the club’s first match in Europe in its long history. Eberechi Eze did not play that night and is now an Arsenal player, a departure that represents a £67.5million loss for Palace. For Forest, confidence from a win over Brentford was tempered by Nuno Espirito Santo’s admission in a press conference that he and Evangelos Marinakis do not speak as they used to, leaving Nuno’s position under threat as Forest prepare for European football.
Glasner’s selection decisions underlined Palace’s thin resources. Justin Devenny started and academy players Kaden Rodney and Rio Cardines were named, while Forest’s bench included Douglas Luiz, Omari Hutchinson and James McAtee. Nuno’s first substitutions removed Ndoye and Hudson-Odoi, the pair who had combined for Forest’s second-half equaliser.
By the final whistle the legal drama had faded into the background and the match finished as a draw, a fair result on the day. That’s not to say Palace have forgotten about the summer they were relegated without playing a game.
Bournemouth
Premier League table comparison after five games: where 2026/27 stands against 2025/26
City lead the early table, while Spurs, Bournemouth, Fulham and Palace have all started below last season.
The opening stretch of the 2026/27 Premier League season has lasted longer than usual because of a change in the international calendar, but five games is still only enough to reveal early patterns rather than a settled table. The 20 clubs remain closely packed, and a single result can still reshape the picture quickly.
There is history behind treating this stage with caution. Last season, Wolverhampton Wanderers and West Ham United were the bottom two after five matches, while Bournemouth and Sunderland turned strong starts into European qualification. This year, the early evidence is already pointing in a few different directions.
Manchester City are the only side to have preserved a 100% record. Their 5-3 win over Sunderland, combined with Arsenal’s defeat at Brighton & Hove Albion, sends them into the break top of the table on 15 points, matching Liverpool’s total from the same stage last season. City are also in a much stronger position than they were in 2025/26, when they sat ninth and were eight points worse off.
Brentford and Brighton have made the sharpest gains. Both are five points better off than they were at this point last season, with Brentford rising 13 places and Brighton 11. Keith Andrews’ side were among those tipped for trouble before the campaign, yet they are now being mentioned as a possible European contender. They are one of five unbeaten teams.
Leeds United have also carried their momentum forward, while Newcastle United, Everton and Aston Villa have improved on their starts from last year. Nottingham Forest have the same points total as they did after five games last season, but they are two places higher.
At the other end, Tottenham sit bottom with two points and did not score their first league goals of the season until Aston Villa were already 3-0 up. Bournemouth are still without a first league win under Marco Rose, a clear fall from the fourth place they held after five matches last season.
Fulham and Crystal Palace have also gone backwards, with both lower in the table after managerial changes.
Aston Villa
Premier League Gameweek 4 predictions: derby day heads the weekend card
A full set of Gameweek 4 score predictions, including the Manchester derby and Arsenal’s trip.
The first midweek stretch of the season has already brought Champions League and Carabao Cup action, and the Premier League schedule now tightens again around Gameweek 4.
Sunday’s Manchester derby is the clear centrepiece, but there is plenty elsewhere to weigh up, from Chelsea and Liverpool enjoying home advantage to Arsenal facing a testing trip away from home.
Here is a revised look at how the weekend may unfold, based strictly on the evidence from recent form, results and context in the draft.
Aston Villa are tipped to edge Nottingham Forest 2-1, with both sides still searching for their first league win and Villa Park likely to favour the home team. Bournemouth and Brentford could cancel each other out in a 1-1 draw, while Chelsea are expected to make short work of Hull and win 3-0 as their attack meets a defence that has impressed but may not be able to sustain that level.
Crystal Palace are backed to beat Ipswich 2-1 after a timely lift in form, and Liverpool are forecast to defeat Fulham 3-1, with the hosts carrying momentum into the fixture. Tottenham and Everton look set for a 1-1 draw, a result that would fit the recent frustrations around Spurs and the unbeaten start made by the visitors.
Arsenal are predicted to keep their perfect start going with a narrow 1-0 win at Sunderland, while Brighton are expected to leave Coventry with a 3-1 victory. The weekend’s biggest game, Man Utd against Man City, is called as another 1-1 draw, reflecting uncertainty on both sides despite City’s winning run.
Monday closes with Leeds against Newcastle, a meeting that could finish 2-2 after both clubs have shown enough going forward to suggest another open contest.
Arsenal
Premier League clubs set a new transfer spending benchmark in 2026
Premier League clubs lifted transfer spending to $4.75 billion across the 2026 summer window.
Premier League spending climbed beyond the $4 billion mark for the second straight summer in 2026, with total outlay across the division reaching $4.75 billion (£3.5 billion). That figure tops the roughly $4.1 billion (£3.1 billion) spent on new signings in 2025 and confirms another aggressive market across the league.
The final day of the window supplied the biggest individual headline, as Manchester City completed a $168.8 million (£125 million) joint-British transfer record move for Enzo Fernández. Activity at Aston Villa and Newcastle United also contributed to the increase, taking the league to levels not seen before.
Manchester City finished as the biggest spenders on $609.1 million (£458m). Chelsea were second with $470.7 million (£349m), followed by Tottenham Hotspur on $423.9 million (£302m). Newcastle United spent $362.2 million (£268m), Aston Villa $347.4 million (£256m), Liverpool $306.2 million (£198m) and Arsenal $262.8 million (£194m). Ipswich Town’s total came to $255.3 million (£171m).
Further down the list, Brighton & Hove Albion recorded $208.4 million (£154.5m), Hull City $203.2 million (£150.5m), and Manchester United $200.4 million (£148m). Coventry City stood at $171.8 million (£126m), Nottingham Forest at $159.9 million (£117.5m), and Brentford at $143.8 million (£106m). Everton, Fulham and Leeds United all finished above $100 million, while Crystal Palace and Bournemouth were below that threshold.
Sunderland were the lowest spenders at $88.7 million (£65.7m). The totals were compiled by Transfermarkt.com and last updated on Sept. 2 at 6:00 a.m. ET, with fees converted at the prevailing rate.
Manchester City’s Enzo Maresca-led rebuild finished above $600 million overall, with Fernández and Ndiaye joined by Elliot Anderson, Ayyoub Bouaddi and Allan. Chelsea, after a miserable 2025-26 season, were the second biggest spenders and made Morgan Rogers their key addition, with the Aston Villa player arriving for a club record $159.6 million. Chelsea were one of 11 Premier League clubs to break their transfer record this summer.
Tottenham also broke their transfer record twice, signing Mateus Fernandes and Sandro Tonali for a combined $252 million. Ipswich Town’s $255.3 million left them eighth, while Sunderland ended bottom despite signing Malick Fofana from Lyon on Deadline Day.
