Sixteen goals in five matches. No side in the division has scored more freely than Brighton this season, and they have three more than anyone else.
Fabian Hurzeler’s side sit third in the table, and anyone studying the Premier League odds has the same question. Is that attack a top-four force or a hot streak? Here are the five highest-scoring teams of the 2026-27 season so far, and what sits behind each number.
5. Newcastle United: nine goals
Matthias Jaissle’s Newcastle have scored in every league game this season, and seven different players have found the net. Anthony Elanga and Joe Willock lead the way with two each.
The problem is at the other end. Newcastle have conceded nine as well, and a 4-1 defeat at Leeds United on 14 September undid much of the good work. Two 2-2 draws, against Liverpool and Bournemouth, tell the same story of a side that scores but struggles to keep games under control.
4=. Chelsea: 10 goals
No team’s matches have been more entertaining than Chelsea’s. Every one of their five league games has produced at least three goals, and Xabi Alonso’s side have conceded 12, the most in the division.
Joao Pedro has three goals and three assists from four appearances, and Morgan Rogers also has three goals. But after beating Brighton 4-3 at Stamford Bridge on 30 August, Chelsea have taken one point from three games. The 3-0 defeat at Brentford on 18 September leaves them 10th.
4=. Brentford: 10 goals
Brentford are level with Chelsea on goals and in far better shape. Keith Andrews’ side are unbeaten and have conceded only four times.
Two 3-0 wins frame their start, against Tottenham on the opening weekend and against Chelsea on 18 September. Kevin Schade has three goals and Vitaly Janelt two, and seven different players have scored. Three draws in a row in between explain why Brentford are fourth rather than higher.
2. Manchester City: 13 goals
Enzo Maresca’s City are the only team with a perfect record, and Erling Haaland’s five goals make him the division’s top scorer. Rayan Cherki has added three goals and two assists.
The 13 goals come with a caveat, though. Nine of them arrived in two games, a 4-1 win at Crystal Palace and a 5-3 win over Sunderland on 20 September, the highest-scoring match of the season. The other three wins were 2-1, 1-0 and 1-0. City are winning well, but they are not yet blowing teams away every week.
1. Brighton & Hove Albion: 16 goals
Brighton’s start has been brilliant. They led Aston Villa 4-0 at half time on the opening weekend, won 5-0 at Coventry City on 13 September and then beat Arsenal, the champions, 3-0 at the Amex on 19 September.
The goals are spread widely. Nine different Brighton players have scored, led by Pascal Gross with three goals and three assists. Charalampos Kostoulas, Malick Yalcouye and Jack Hinshelwood have two each.
Brighton’s defence has been just as impressive. They have conceded five goals, and four of those came in one game, the 4-3 defeat at Chelsea. Their goal difference of plus 11 is the best in the league, three better than City’s.
Top-four contender or hot run?
Five games is a small sample, and the fixture list has been kind in places. Coventry have scored once all season and Villa are 16th, so nine of Brighton’s 16 goals came against two struggling sides.
The Arsenal result is harder to dismiss. Beating the champions 3-0, with two goals before half time, is not something a side on a lucky run usually does.
Brighton sit two points behind Arsenal and five behind City, with the best attack and the best goal difference in the division. If they keep scoring at this rate through the autumn, they will be completely ruled out in any relegation odds Premier League discussion.
