Manchester City are still topping the standings in the Premier League but all eyes are on second-placed Tottenham Hotspur who beat Pep Guardiola’s team 2-0 last week to whittle down the gap to a single point.
Now, the Spurs are the only side undefeated side in the league after seven matches.
The international break couldn’t have come at a better time for Guardiola who admitted Tottenham were ‘one step in front’ of his side as City’s perfect start to the season came to an end.
Victor Wanyama inspired Tottenham to a 2-0 triumph last Sunday and he had a warning to the rest of the top flight teams in his aftermatch comments.
“We know we can beat anyone now,” Wanyama told reporters.
Tottenham were praised for their high-intensity pressing against City and tracking data reveals they broke their running record for this season.
Guardiola, who went 11 games unbeaten as manager before the fixture at White Hart Lane, said Tottenham’s high press created problems.
“Tottenham were better. It’s as simple as that,” he said.
Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino said it’s too early in the season to talk about being in title contention after hailing his players’ ‘nearly perfect’ performance.
Spurs’ north London rivals Arsenal are in third place with a better goal difference than Liverpool.
Arsene Wenger admitted the Gunners were lucky to beat Burnley last weekend as he marked his 20th year with the Gunners. The Frenchman is constantly being linked with the role of England manager following Sam Allar-dyce’s departure last week.
But Wenger is not shifting focus from his team as he believes that Arsenal have what it takes to seriously compete for the Premier League and end their 12-year wait for the title.
James Milner praised Juergen Klopp for his half-time team talk in the win at Swansea City that lifted the Reds to the 16-point mark, only two behind Manchester City.
Klopp has already defied those few critics who had doubted whether he could manage in England as he approached his first year at Liverpool.
Last week, Everton’s Romelu Lukaku scored his first goal from a free-kick in the Premier League to give the Toffees the lead against Crystal Palace.
It was the battle of the Belgians at Goodison Park. A goal apiece from Lukaku and Christian Benteke ensured the spoils were shared as Everton’s impressive start to the season is in danger of fizzling out.
Sixth-placed Man. United may have dominated the statistics possession against lowly Stoke City at home but football, again, showed that it could be a cruel game if you leave the outcome delicately poised.
United were pegged back by the Potters for a one-all draw. Their summer signing, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, celebrated his 35th birthday this week but time does not appear to be catching up with the evergreen Swedish striker.
At Chelsea, Antonio Conte heaped praise on Victor Moses following his performance in the 2-0 win at Hull City.
The Italian coach’s tactical revo-lution is still a work in progress but there is evidence that the Blues are now on the right track.
Chelsea win... Diego Costa scores. It’s a familiar occurrence at Stamford Bridge and so it proved against Hull last week.
Meanwhile, champions Leicester City extended their unbeaten home record in the Premier League following a 0-0 draw with Southampton in their last match at the King Power Stadium.
The Foxes, who lie 12th in the league table, have not lost a match at home in the league since September 2015, a club record 19-match unbeaten stand.
Fixtures
League One
Bradford City-Shrewsbury
Gillingham-Oldham
Peterborough-Bury - 13:00
Rochdale-Southend
Scunthorpe-Northampton
Swindon Town-Bolton - 14:00
Tomorrow:
MK Dons-Port Vale - 15:15
Oxford-Wimbledon - 13:15
League Two
Accrington-Cheltenham
Blackpool-Cambridge
Colchester-Newport
Doncaster-Barnet
Exeter City-Grimsby Town
Hartlepool-Crawley Town
Leyton Orient-Portsmouth
Luton Town-Crewe Alexandra
Mansfield-Notts County - 13:15
Morecambe-Carlisle
Stevenage-Plymouth Argyle
Yeovil Town-Wycombe
Scottish League Two
Edinburgh City-Elgin City
Note: kick-offs 16.00 unless stated