On Saturday, 12 September 2026, the fourth matchday of the English Premier League kicked off. By the end of the five opening fixtures, only two teams had secured wins — Nottingham Forest and Ipswich — while the remaining three matches ended in draws. The table after this matchday looks unstable: the leaders have not pulled away, and the middle and bottom of the table continue a tight fight for points.
Liverpool vs Fulham: a third goalless draw at Anfield
The match at Anfield was dictated by the hosts, who controlled the ball more, yet the Reds rarely turned possession into dangerous chances. Meanwhile, the Cottagers created few genuine threats of their own. The final score was a goalless draw — already Liverpool's third of the season. Iraola's side sit in 6th place, while Fulham earned their first point of the championship and left the relegation zone, climbing to 17th.
Crystal Palace vs Ipswich: a red card and an away win
The match began evenly: after Palace's goal in the 14th minute, Ipswich replied in the 23rd. The turning point came in the 34th minute — Disasi's dismissal. The Eagles went into the break as the underdog. Although Larsen equalised in the 75th minute, Fleming snatched an away win in the 90th. Final score — 2:3 (1:2, 1:1). Goals: Halaili (14), Larsen (75), Fleming (90) — Emerson (23), Davis (45). Red card: Disasi (34).
Bournemouth vs Brentford: a Yarmolyuk assist and a Shade brace
Ukrainian Yehor Yarmolyuk recorded a goal assist in the 34th minute — his cross was finished by Shade. That said, Bournemouth managed to score twice, and only Shade's brace in the 56th minute allowed the Bees to rescue a draw. Final score — 2:2 (1:1, 1:1). Goals: Shade (34, 56) — Kluivert (38), Tavernier (52).
Aston Villa vs Nottingham and Chelsea vs Hull City
The difficult season for the Birmingham side continues: early in the second half they conceded to Dileep. Although Aliston levelled in the 74th minute, Villa failed to claim a second draw — Igor Jesus brought the Forest a win in the 88th. Final score — 1:2 (0:0, 1:2); Aston Villa, with 1 point, sit in 19th place. Chelsea started brightly and took the lead in the 7th minute through Rogers, but were trailing at the break. Joao Pedro equalised in the 66th minute, yet the Blues could not snatch a win — 2:2 (1:2, 1:0). Goals: Rogers (7), Pedro (66) — Bellamy (28, 34).
Contradictory data
The indexed pool of sources contains material that relates to other matchdays and may be mistakenly taken for the current fourth matchday. Thus, the headline about "Liverpool finally winning" and the review of a match involving Arsenal and Chelsea belong to the third matchday, while the piece on five consecutive Liverpool defeats at Anfield dates from 2021. These versions do not match the actual fourth-matchday result (0:0 against Fulham), so this article is based on data confirmed by a specialist publication following 12 September 2026.
