'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Four weeks after the start of the 2020-21 Premier League season, all signs point to the season being a completely unpredictable one. The results in some of the games in the Premier League season seem to suggest that it is not going to be one-way traffic for the big teams.
Two unlikely teams, Everton and Aston Villa, have won all their games played so far and sit at the top of the table. However, the top teams have all endured defeats and that too by inconceivable scorelines.
It may be early days in the new Premier League season, but a few games that have produced fairytale-like astonishing results seem to suggest that the season could be like none other in recent memory.
Six Premier League games this season that have produced surprising results
The Premier League games this season have given us goals galore but have also resulted in heavy defeats for the supposed title contenders. It is the most perfect and fabled beginning to any football league, at least from a neutral's point of view, but not so for any of the big teams in the competition.
On that note, let us take a look at six such Premier League games this season.
#6 Liverpool 4-3 Leeds United
The scoreline of 4-3 is not usually expected when a newly-promoted side faces the defending champions. But it was a warning sign to Liverpool, and in general to all the Premier League giants, of the imminent danger of the changing tides.
Yes, in the end, Leeds lost because of their inexperience at this level and the quality of the opposition. But what was surprising was the sheer unpredictability of the match and the frequency of momentum changes. Fans could have easily mistaken one of Leeds or Liverpool as the defending Premier League champions at various moments in the game.
#5 Manchester United 1 - 3 Crystal palace
Manchester United faced Crystal Palace at Old Trafford in their first Premier League match of the season.
After failing to bring in their most sought-after transfer target following a prolonged pursuit, they needed a win to make a statement of intent. But they left their home stadium with the sickening realisation of their defensive fallibilities and underwhelming attacking prowess.
Wilfried Zaha and Crystal Palace ran riot at Old Trafford, leaving United with their heads bowed and spirits lulled.
#4 Leicester City 0 - 3 West Ham
Coming to this game, Leicester City were deemed a possible top-four contender after they had won three Premier League matches on the trot; they even derailed a former champion along the way.
However, against West Ham United at the King Power Stadium, Leicester raised more questions than answers as their defense stumbled and their strikers misfired. They did not look like a side that had won three consecutive matches as the Hammers brought the high-flying Foxes down to earth with a loud thud.
#3 Manchester United 1 - 6 Tottenham Hotspur
Manchester United's defeat against Crystal Palace in their opening Premier League game of the season was just a sneak peek into their defensive frailties, but the Tottenham Hotspur match showed how far the Red Devils have fallen behind.
An erroneous and often lackadaisical Manchester United crashed to one of their most humiliating home defeats of the decade as Spurs scored six at Old Trafford. The defeat, coupled with their inability to bring in their primary transfer targets, might see Manchester United falter even more in the coming few weeks.
#2 Manchester City 2-5 Leicester City
It has seemed like Manchester City's issues are peripheral and are just one signing or game away from getting resolved.
However, City's Premier League defeat at home to Leicester City was enough to convince anyone, including Guardiola, that the side's problems run deep.
The arrival of Ruben Dias will strengthen the defence, but the way Leicester exploited The Cityzens' vulnerabilities at the Etihad proves that Guardiola's men are far from being a finished article.
#1 Aston Villa 7- 2 Liverpool
A week before the match against Aston Villa, Liverpool thrashed a promising Arsenal side under Mikel Arteta as they looked like the team to beat in the Premier League once again this season.
The criticism for Arsenal in that game was that they gave too much respect to the Reds by sitting back and defending for the entirety of the match.
Aston Villa exploited the champions' perceived weakness to the hilt and took the game to Liverpool by attacking and counterattacking relentlessly. Villa's grit and determination, combined with the visitors' defensive and goalkeeping errors, threw a disorganised Liverpool into shambles.
It was not just the victory that baffled everyone but the implausibility of the scoreline, the number of goals the much-coveted Liverpool defence conceded and the humiliation in the face of it. The absence of Allisson Becker was but one of many reasons for Liverpool's chastening defeat.
With Liverpool falling, up rose a group of unlikely heroes led by Jack Grealish and Ollie Watkins, united by their enthusiasm and team spirit, as a rejuvenated Aston Villa threw the decade-long notion of 'respecting' the best to the winds.
After all, this result might just be an indication of how unpredictable the 2020-21 Premier League season could be.
