Preseason results rarely tell the full story, but several teams are already making an impression ahead of the 2026/27 Premier League campaign.
Tottenham are among the standout performers. Spurs have recorded three wins and a draw, scoring six goals and conceding just twice.
Their most impressive result came against Chelsea in Sydney. Despite playing almost the entire second half with 10 men, Spurs secured a 2-1 victory through Richarlison’s stoppage-time winner. New signing Sandro Tonali had earlier opened the scoring before Estevao equalised for the Blues.
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Arsenal have been equally convincing. The Gunners followed a 3-0 win over MK Dons with a 4-1 demolition of Girona, giving them seven goals and only one conceded across two matches. Sixteen-year-old Max Dowman contributed a goal and an assist against Girona, while new arrival Christos Tzolis also scored.
Bournemouth have provided the biggest attacking fireworks, beating St Pauli 4-1 and Augsburg 5-2. Brighton are also perfect after two matches, scoring eight goals, including four from set pieces during an extended 4-3 workout against Strasbourg.
Manchester United recovered strongly from an opening 1-0 defeat by Wrexham. A 5-0 victory over Rosenborg was followed by a 2-1 comeback win against Atletico Madrid, with Bryan Mbeumo scoring both goals.
Leeds delivered the biggest upset by overturning a 2-0 half-time deficit to stun Liverpool 4-2 in Chicago. Dominic Calvert-Lewin struck twice after Brenden Aaronson began the comeback, with Sean Longstaff also finding the net.
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Liverpool have still won two of their three matches, but conceding four second-half goals will have raised concerns. Chelsea’s opening two games have produced 13 goals, with the Blues scoring seven and conceding six.
Among the promoted clubs, Hull City have made the strongest start. They remain unbeaten after three matches, winning twice and recording a 6-2 aggregate score.
Five teams that have played at least twice remain unbeaten: Arsenal, Bournemouth, Brighton, Hull and Tottenham. The results will soon be forgotten, but the patterns emerging from them could shape the opening weeks of the new season.
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