The first month of the Premier League season has brought mixed results for teams across the league, with ESPN handing out grades ranging from an A+ to F. Arsenal started the season strong, earning an A grade after winning the Premier League last season and losing the Champions League final on penalties. They have shown signs of improvement and are considered one of the top teams in the league so far this season.
Arsenal won its first four Premier League matches and entered the weekend at the top of the table with 12 points. Manchester City also had 12 points through four matches. Arsenal had scored eight goals and conceded just one.
Aston Villa, on the other hand, received an F grade after a poor start to the campaign, according to ESPN. The team has scored once and conceded seven goals in its first four matches. Their underlying numbers are among the worst in the league, indicating a team that has struggled significantly. Villa had been expected to challenge for a Champions League spot last season but ended up finishing fourth, ahead of Liverpool. This season, they have performed even worse, according to adjusted goal differential. ESPN ranked Villa last in that measure after four matches.
Unlike last year’s squad, this season’s Villa lacks the familiarity of a group that had already qualified for European competition together. ESPN noted that a number of important players have left and that the current group has had limited time together. The club had just one point through four matches.
Brentford earned an A grade despite having one of the smallest payrolls in the league. Brighton & Hove Albion received a B+ as well, showing solid early performance.
Brentford entered Friday unbeaten in league play. ESPN noted that only the three promoted clubs had smaller estimated payrolls. Brighton had seven points through four matches and a goal difference of plus eight.
Coventry City has been a major disappointment with a D- grade. The team has not scored any goals and has collected no points in its first four games. ESPN described Coventry as the team most likely to finish last based on its early results and projections, although many promoted teams face challenges in their debut Premier League seasons.
Coventry has also faced a difficult schedule. Its first four matches included Arsenal, Manchester City and Brighton. Brighton beat Coventry 5-0 last weekend and left the promoted club with a minus-10 goal difference.
Fulham has a D- grade after just one point through four matches. However, they have shown some positive signs in terms of ball control and attacking play.
ESPN noted that Fulham had been outshooting opponents and spending more time with the ball in attacking areas. Those underlying numbers have not yet resulted in victories.
Hull City earned an A+ grade, showing the most improvement in projected performance during the first month of the season. The promoted club took eight points from its first four matches.
Hull beat Manchester United and Coventry before drawing with Aston Villa and Chelsea. The 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge kept Hull unbeaten through four games. Reuters reported that only Arsenal and Manchester City had more points at that stage.
Tottenham’s early season form has been disappointing, earning an F grade from ESPN. The club is managed by Roberto De Zerbi, who took charge late last season and remained in the position for the start of the 2026-27 campaign.
Tottenham has struggled with both shot quantity and quality this season. The club went winless and failed to score in its first four league matches. ESPN reported that Tottenham had created 3.45 expected goals but still had the second-lowest expected-goal total in the league.
Tottenham had two draws and two losses through four matches and sat 17th in the table. Its scoreless draw with Everton marked the first time in club history that Tottenham had failed to score in each of its first four league games.
De Zerbi is known for a possession-based style, but ESPN noted that Tottenham has struggled to turn possession in advanced areas into enough quality shots. The club spent more than $400 million on players during the summer but has yet to see those additions translate into league victories.
The grades show how much can change during the opening weeks of a Premier League season. Hull has been the biggest positive surprise while Aston Villa, Coventry and Tottenham have had some of the most difficult starts.
ESPN also cautioned that the sample is still small. The league had completed only a little more than 10 percent of its schedule when the grades were published Friday.
IMAGE: Wonker from London, United Kingdom CC2