Seven down, thirty one to go, and Manchester City's perfect league start faces its most awkward test yet on Saturday lunchtime, when Enzo Maresca takes his side to an Aston Villa team that cannot stop winning in Europe.
Maresca became the first manager to win his first seven Premier League games last weekend, and City warmed up for Villa Park with a 5-1 dismantling of AEK Athens on Tuesday, Phil Foden scoring a hat-trick while Erling Haaland, eight league goals to his name already, watched from the bench. Yet Villa are the definition of a trap game. Twelfth in the table but flawless in the Champions League, they handed Unai Emery his 100th Premier League win at Newcastle last Saturday, and their 3-1 stroll past Viking on Wednesday made it nine points from nine in Europe. If anybody ends City's run early, a lunchtime in B6 is a decent bet.
Arsenal wait on Saka
Three points behind City, Arsenal host Everton on Saturday afternoon knowing they cannot afford a slip before the trip to Anfield on 1 November. Everything, though, hangs on a scan. Bukayo Saka limped off after ten minutes of Wednesday's 2-2 draw at Bayern Munich, and Mikel Arteta's assessment, "it doesn't look good at all", has cast a pall over the Emirates.
Everton arrive with the meanest defence outside the top two, only seven goals conceded in seven games, but bruised by the loss of their unbeaten record at home to Chelsea last week.
A derby with momentum at the Bridge
The Saturday tea time slot brings the derby: Chelsea against Tottenham at Stamford Bridge. Both arrive with a spring in their step. Chelsea won at Everton last weekend and kept their first league clean sheet since January, although they must do without goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez, who fractured his jaw on Merseyside. Spurs finally won their first league game of the season on Monday, beating Coventry 3-1 as Dejan Kulusevski returned after 526 days out. Something has to give.
Matchweek Eight: Fixtures and Kick-Off Times
- Friday 23 October: Ipswich Town v Nottingham Forest, 20:00
- Saturday 24 October: Aston Villa v Manchester City, 12:30; Arsenal v Everton, 15:00; Coventry City v Fulham, 15:00; Chelsea v Tottenham, 17:30
- Sunday 25 October: Crystal Palace v Newcastle, 14:00; Hull City v Brentford, 14:00; Liverpool v Brighton, 14:00; Manchester United v Bournemouth, 14:00; Sunderland v Leeds United, 16:30
- Note: the clocks go back one hour early on Sunday morning, so Sunday's kick-offs are in GMT.
The league's great entertainers at Anfield
Sunday's standout is Liverpool against Brighton, first against third in the entertainment stakes if not the table. Brighton have scored 23 goals in seven games, the most in the division, and followed their 5-0 demolition of Crystal Palace with another swaggering week. Liverpool, perfect in the Champions League after Tuesday's 4-3 comeback against Villarreal, are fifth, four points behind the Seagulls, and will not want that gap to grow before Arsenal come calling.
Carrick's last chance saloon
At Old Trafford on Sunday, Manchester United entertain Bournemouth with their season already at a crossroads. Beaten 4-1 by Como on Wednesday and winless in seven, United's players were met with boos on the final whistle in Italy, and Michael Carrick badly needs a performance. Bournemouth, who won their first league game of the season last weekend, smell blood.
The weekend opens on Friday night at Portman Road, where Ipswich host a Nottingham Forest side stuck in the relegation zone. Coventry v Fulham and Sunderland v Leeds complete a card in which only three points separate 13th from 20th. The autumn table is lying to no one yet, but by Sunday night, after the clocks have gone back and the dark evenings draw in, the season will feel very real indeed.