Only eight games in, Liverpool are basically out of the title race and Arsenal are genuine contenders.
Anyone who had made such an outlandish prediction before a ball was kicked in August would have been advised to lie down in a darkened room. If north London was going to launch a sustained bid to win the Premier League, most people would have thought Tottenham were the likeliest candidate.
But every time we have written off the Gunners, so far they have come up with the answers. The longer they remain front-runners, the more odds will shorten on them – and I fancy them to beat Liverpool this weekend.
Penalty shoot-outs aside, Arsenal have only won one of their last 19 meetings with the Kop in all competitions. But it's amazing how quickly the sands can shift in football, and right now the momentum is with Mikel Arteta's side.
Remember how, after the Community Shield, the talk was of Darwin Nunez and Erling Haaland going head-to-head for the Golden Boot? So far, Haaland has outscored Liverpool's record signing 19-2, and although I don't doubt his quality, clearly the Uruguayan striker will need more time to adapt to English football.
But while Haaland and Manchester City are the obvious threat to Arsenal over the long course, the Gunners' tempo, intensity, slick passing and attacking dynamics have been outstanding. They passed one acid test, against Spurs, with flying colours last weekend – and if Liverpool leave the Emirates empty-handed, we must accept Arteta is in the title race for real.
Seven years ago, when Leicester came flying out of the blocks, everyone made the mistake of thinking they were just early-season bolters who couldn't sustain it... and we all know what happened next. Just over a year ago, there were Arsenal fans who thought Arteta should be sacked. Now he has the highest win ratio of any manager in the club's history – 58.41 per cent. See what I mean about shifting sands?
There has been so much attention on Haaland's record-breaking impact at City that Gabriel Jesus, and his impact on Arsenal, have almost gone under the radar. But Jesus did not win four titles at the Etihad by accident and, on top of his five goals so far this season, he has been the ultimate team player for Arteta.
On Thursday night, he tracked back 70 yards against Bodo/Glimt to regain possession on the edge of his own box, and his slalom along the byline to set up Fabio Vieira's goal in a comfortable 3-0 win was mesmerising. I tipped Pep Guardiola to win a fifth title with City in six years, and I'm standing by that prediction. But I can't believe Liverpool – already 11 points off the pace – are already out of sight... and that Arsenal look the best bet to deny Pep his bunch of five.
