Burnley highlight flaw in big four armoury

Before the new campaign got underway, many pundits were predicting the most open title race in years. Critics scoffed, but for once the result looks set to match the hype, after the champions became the second member of the 'big four' to lose in under a week.

Liverpool's opening defeat to Tottenham Hotspur certainly whetted the appetite but it could also have been perceived as a mere anomaly in an otherwise predictable process.