September 17: Premier League grounds were packed again for matchweek four, with 422,215 fans attending the ten games as another busy weekend underlined the division’s continued appeal to the turnstiles.
With a combined listed capacity of 431,803, which represents 97.78% occupancy, with 9,588 unoccupied places.
This figure is almost identical to Week 2, when the same group of larger grounds attracted 422,208 followers and performed at 97.78%. Week 3 had risen to 98.85%, while the opening weekend reached 98.66%.
With an estimated capacity of 37,000, Villa Park was 99.23% full, with its official capacity reduced by construction work at Villa Park, as Igor Jesus struck late on to leave Unai Emery’s side still waiting for their first win of the season.
At least there was a first league goal of the campaign, scored by summer signing Alysson, but Villa remain 19th with a solitary point for another week.
Old Trafford followed close behind with 99.04%, although most of the 74,161 home fans left disappointed after Manchester City won the derby 1-0.
Phil Foden was sent off early on but City held on with ten men before Erling Haaland provided the controversial winner. It made it four wins from four for City, keeping them level with champions Arsenal at the top end of the starting table.
Arsenal continued their own perfect start with a 2-0 win at Sunderland in a crowd of 46,861, 96.21% of the capacity.
This was narrowly the lowest occupancy of the weekend, just behind Tottenham at 96.22%. Spurs still drew 60,477 but left 2,373 seats unused, the biggest gross from ten games, fueled by a thoroughly underwhelming opening to the campaign that has seen them kicked out of the EFL Cup at the first time of asking, losing 3-1 to Liverpool on Tuesday night.
Coventry were not far behind with 96.57%, with 31,492 watching a brutal 5-0 home defeat by Brighton. The promoted side have struggled to adapt to the pace of the Premier League so far, and this was comfortably their toughest afternoon to date.
At the other end of the promoted club’s history, Hull continued their amazing hot streak. They took a point away from Chelsea in a 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge to sit fourth in the table after a start few would have predicted before the season.
Liverpool’s stuttering opening continued too. A goalless draw with Fulham kept Andoni Iraola’s side unbeaten, but three draws from four have halted their early progress ahead of the meeting with their former club Bournemouth this weekend.
Only Leeds managed a home win in the entire round.
The broader support landscape is remarkably stable. Four weeks into the game and the league has yet to dip below 97.7% occupancy, with even the weakest performing grounds still operating above 96%.
Contact the writer of this story, Harry Ewing, at (email protected)
