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Premier League roundup: Biggest stories from Matchday 7

Aston Villa manager Unai Emery. USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

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Premier League roundup: Biggest stories from Matchday 7

By Alyssa Clang | Last updated Oct 19, 2026 5:26 PM ET

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The English Premier League wrapped up its seventh weekend of action on Monday with Tottenham Hotspur's last-gasp 3-1 win over newly promoted Coventry City.

Manchester City remains the league's surprise leader with a perfect 21 points from seven games, while Sunderland now anchors the table with just four points from its opening fixtures.

Here are the key storylines from a busy weekend of EPL action:

Brighton became the story of the season

Manchester City's perfect start and imperfect legal history have stolen much of the Premier League's thunder this season, but it's lovable Brighton & Hove Albion that deserves all the attention. The South Coast team is third in the table with a 5-1-1 record and a frankly absurd goal difference of +18. It beat Aston Villa 4-0 on the opening day of the season; it beat defending champion Arsenal 3-0 right before the international break; and now, on Matchday 7, it beat Crystal Palace 5-0 to keep its incredibly attacking form rolling. Brighton is now firmly in the Champions League race, and more results like these will see it become a legitimate title contender too...but coach Fabian Hurzeler isn't thinking about any of that quite yet.

"I think it's not the right moment to watch the table," said Hurzeler after the Palace win. "The right moment is to watch the game back and try to improve and try to recover well because on Thursday, it's the next challenge."

Sure, but should Brighton fans start getting excited? According to Hurzeler, the answer is no. "They shouldn't look at the table," he said. "They should enjoy the night today without a mobile phone, enjoy a beer or something else."

There you have it, Brighton fans, straight from the big man in charge: ignore the table and have a beer. You've earned it.

@premierleague Diego Gomez, that was special @Brighton & Hove Albion FC ♬ original sound - Premier League

Aston Villa's new-look attack found its groove

Aston Villa, the darling of the 2025-26 Premier League season, didn't so much as kick off its 2026-27 campaign as it slipped and fell into it. The club went winless in its opening four Premier League matches and looked utterly adrift from its peers.

Coach Unai Emery is not to be messed with, though, and his long-term plan to revitalize Villa's attacking unit finally appears to be coming to fruition. The team is undefeated in its last three Premier League appearances (and shoehorned a fabulous 6-0 hammering of Turkiye's Fenerbahce in the Champions League in the middle of that run as well). Its most recent result, a 1-0 win over Newcastle, was made great by the pyrotechnics of Brazilian midfielder Joao Gomes, Swiss winger Johan Manzambi and Senegalese striker Nicolas Jackson, all of whom joined Villa this summer at Emery's request. There's still a lot for the club to do to regain its spot in the Premier League's top four, but those three additions appear to be ready and willing to help.

@astonvilla Manzambi at St. James' Park for the Villa #astonvilla #PremierLeague ♬ original sound - Aston Villa

Fulham and Spurs got on the board

Mark your calendars: it took just seven weeks for every team in the Premier League to pick up a win. Fulham and Spurs were the final outfits to do so, but they managed it, and both are now free from the ignominy of the bottom of the table.

Arsenal won badly but scored beautifully

Most champions don't win trophies by being perfect 100% of the time: they win by grinding out results on days where nothing appears to be going their way. Arsenal, therefore, proved its championship mettle by beating lowly Nottingham Forest 1-0 on Matchday 7 to stay within touching distance of league leader Manchester City. The performance? Awful, with just one shot on target in 90 minutes. The winning goal? Gorgeous, and well worth the wait. The result? Exactly what Arsenal needed, even if it wasn't quite as decisive as it would've liked.

The Premier League will return for Matchday 8 on Friday, Oct. 23.

Alyssa Clang

Alyssa is a Boston-born Californian with a passion for global sport. She can yell about misplaced soccer passes in five languages and rattle off the turns of Silverstone in her sleep. You can find her dormant Twitter account at @alyssaclang, but honestly, you’re probably better off finding her here

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