Premier League 2015 - 2016 Week One: Manchester City Top the Table

In the grand scheme of things, the standings after the first few weeks of Premier League play don't matter at all. So much happens between that first weekend of competitive play in August, and the last week of competition in May, that the few goals and points mustered at the start barely even give indication of where the season might be headed. For instance, last year, Aston Villa were in third place in the EPL after winning their week one game against Stoke City. They ultimately finished 17^th in the division, just barely dodging relegation. But lets take a look at the results and standings after the Premier League 2015 - 2016 Week One.

The Table Leaders

Bottom line, there's no reason to place much stock in the current standings for the 2015 2016 Premier League, which, after the first weekend of competitive play, have a number of unusual suspects situated near the top of the table.

Well, other than the very top spot, at least: Manchester City, the 2013 2014 league champs and last season's runners-up, are currently in first place, having won a thrilling 3-0 away game against West Bromwich Albion. The club may have recently spent big to bring Raheem Sterling to Manchester, but on Monday, August 10^th, it was Yaya Toure-a 32-year-old football veteran-who carried the day. Toure scored two goals in the first 25 minutes of play to give the Sky Blues a comfortable lead. Vincent Kompany, a defender, delivered the football club's third goal, 59 minutes into the match.

Beyond Man City, the top of the table is a smattering of soccer clubs most fans wouldn't have expected to see there. For instance, Leicester City-last season's 14^th place squad-are currently in second, having won their home game 4-2 against Sunderland. Leicester are the only football club on the table that managed to score four goals in their opening match, with French attacker Riyad Mahrez providing a brace. Mahrez only scored four goals in 30 Premier League apps last season, so he's off to a good start for the new campaign.

The rest of the top five features a number of squads who performed above expectations this past weekend. Crystal Palace, for instance, are in third, having beaten Norwich City 3-1 in an away fixture. West Ham United scored a major upset in a 2-0 win over Arsenal to take fourth, while Aston Villa-stacked with new talent under the management of Tim Sherwood-beat AFC Bournemouth 1-0 to start things off right.

Liverpool and Manchester United, meanwhile were the only other soccer squads in the Premier League to win their opening games. Liverpool managed a 1-0 victory over Stoke City, narrowly dodging a draw thanks to an 86-minute goal from Philippe Coutinho, while the Red Devils won at home against Tottenham Hotspur, thanks to an own goal from the Spurs' Kyle Walker.

The Underperformers

Many of the predicted big winners for opening day, including defending Premier League champions Chelsea, ultimately came up short over the weekend. Donning the Chelsea home jersey 2015 2016, the Blues were expected to manage an easy win over Swansea City. A 23-minute goal from Oscar started things off right, but Swansea managed to sneak two goals past Chelsea's Thibaut Courtois before the end of the match, and only an own goal from Swansea defender Federico Fernandez kept the Blues on even keel with their challengers. The match ended with a score of 2-2.

Perhaps the biggest disappointment of the weekend was Arsenal. This year, as Arsenal has won both the FA Cup and the FA Community Shield, Gunners fans have been speculating that 2015 2016 could be the team's year to finally clinch another Premier League title. That could still be in the cards, but the club underperformed in their debut, with new goalkeeper Petr Cech letting two goals by from West Ham United players. The Gunners lost 0-2 at home-a tough break for the first week of a new season, and one that leaves them temporarily in second-to-last place on the 2015 2016 Premier League table. (West Bromwich Albion are in last, thanks to their three-point loss to Manchester City.)

Elsewhere, Newcastle and Southampton drew 2-2-a good sign for Newcastle fans that new manager Steve McClaren knows what he's doing. Everton and Watford-the latter a recent second-tier promotion, also tied at 2-2.

Did your favorite club manage a win in week one? Celebrate your favorites with a new football jersey or two from Soccer Box, then find us on social media to share your reactions about the first games of the season! Soccer Box is active daily on multiple social networks including Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr.