Following the Premier League's international break during the weekend of September 5, Week 4 provided much entertainment, which included Chelsea's continued domination and Manchester United's first win under Louis van Gaal.
Chelsea is undefeated after four Premier League matches with their latest victory coming over Swansea City. Chelsea striker Diego Costa recorded a hat trick to bring his goal total to seven and solidified the 4-2 victory. Chelsea's 12 points and +9 goal differential are among the best in the league as they lead Aston Villa (10 points, +3 GD), Swansea (9 points, +3 GD) and Southampton (7 points, +5 GD).
In addition to that, Costa earned the Premier League Player of the Week honors with his Player Performance Index (PPI) of 73, which was 21 points higher than the next closest player, Graziano Pelle of Southamption. Costa is also the cumulative top player in the Premier League thanks to his 198 PPI through the first four weeks. Those who follow him are Morgan Schneiderlin of Southampton (123), Cesc Fabregas of Chelsea (119), Eden Hazard of Chelsea (118) and Gylfi Sigurdsson of Swansea (115).
Manchester City fell victim to Stoke City on August 30, but avoided a loss against Arsenal on Saturday. City led 1-0 up until the 63rd minute when Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshire tied the game, which was then followed by an Alexis Sanchez goal in the 74th minute. Arsenal looked like they had the momentum and was on their way to victory, but defender Martin Demichelis of Man City netted a header in the 83rd minute and the match finished a 2-2 draw. With the result, Man City dropped from fourth to fifth place (7 points, +3 GD) and Arsenal remained in seventh (6 points, +1 GD).
Aston Villa and Southampton surprised the field with their victories and made a nice push in the standings. Aston Villa took down Liverpool 1-0 thanks to a Gabby Agbonlahor goal in the 10th minute. After that there were only a few close calls, most notably Liverpool midfielder Philippe Coutinho's shot on goal that struck the post in the 82nd minute. Southampton's contest against Newcastle wasn't quite as close. The 4-0 victory for Southampton began in the 6th minute when striker Graziano Pelle put in a header from a Ryan Bertrand cross. Pelle scored again in the 19th minute, followed by midfielder Jack Cork (54') and Morgan Schneiderlin (90'+4'). Aston Villa moved into second place and Southampton now sits in third.
Perhaps the biggest news of the weekend came after Sunday's lone match between Manchester United and Queens Park Rangers. The Red Devils earned their first victory under Louis van Gaal after a nightmarish start to the season. Newcomers Angel Di Maria (24') and Ander Herrera (36') got the ball rolling and then Wayne Rooney (44') and Juan Mata (58') followed suit to complete the 4-0 barrage. Van Gaal was pleased with the win, but he's still focused on the big picture.
"We are building a process and we have to play in a certain style. We have to improve our qualifications and at the end I hope to be manager of the champion of the Premier League," he told The Guardian. "If it is not this year, then in my second year or my third year but I want to give the championship to the fans."
Check out the official Premier League standings here and the rest of the results here.
*This article was updated to correct Manchester City's loss to Stoke City.
