Premier League: Chelsea title charge looks hard to stop

Although the Premier League title race has just begun, Chelsea already looks like they will be difficult to stop.
Thomas Tuchel's side looks impressive, even though they have been since January when he took over.

Even when they're not playing well, or when things go wrong - as it did last month when Reece James was sent to Anfield - Chelsea still gives very little away.

The Blues are a strong team with a great manager, as they demonstrated in Sunday's 3-0 win over Tottenham.

Tuchel made a change at half-time and brought in N'Golo Kane for Mason Mount. This gave Chelsea more presence midfield and allowed Marcos Alonso and their two wingbacks to push forward.

Although there was not much to it in the first period, they were able to push the pedal in the second and batter Spurs.

Chelsea was so strong on the pitch, and it was only a matter of time before they had more.

It could have been six to seven at the end, if it weren't for poor goalkeeping and poor finishing.

Another outstanding away result for Tuchel

Tuchel is determined to see Chelsea improve, even though Spurs won.

Both Chelsea's centre-halves were extremely solid when Spurs threatened in the first period. Thiago Silva was my favourite, and I considered him the man of match. He scored their first goal, and looked so confident in all he did.

Although we are just five games into the new season, Chelsea have already been to Arsenal Liverpool and Tottenham and took seven points from each match.

They played with 10 men the whole second half of their draw against Liverpool, when they dropped points. This demonstrates how mentally strong they are as well as how well-trained defensively.

Before any ball was kicked in this campaign, I chose Chelsea to be the champions because I believed Romelu Lukaku would make a difference in attack after last season's missed chances.

They are not only so powerful because of Lukaku - they won May's Champions League without him. But his arrival ensures that they don’t have any weak links in their team and have such strength in depth.

Another example was being able to get a player like Kante off the Spurs bench. Their manager can not only see the problems in a game but also has the ability to bring a player as good as Kante off the bench and change them around.

Chelsea will face Manchester City at Stamford Bridge next Saturday. However, that shouldn't be a problem.

They beat City three times last season under Tuchel, including in the Champions League final. I am certain he will be available for Pep Guardiola once again.

Three big points for Man Utd

At the moment, it is a three-way tie at top of the table with Manchester United on 13 points and Liverpool on 13.

Although Manchester United's win at West Ham on Sunday was not easy, it was the kind of win that can really lift a team after they were criticized for midweek's Champions League loss.

Jesse Lingard's error gave Young Boys victory. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, United boss, was criticized for making substitutions near the end of the game. However, both men bounced back at London Stadium.

Cristiano Ronaldo denied two stonewall penalties - Ole Gunnar Solskjaer

Solskjaer showed courage and made changes against West Ham, with the result in the balance.

They paid off this time. He brought in Lingard and Nemanja Matic, just like Wednesday. Matic was the one who played Lingard's part to win. Nobody was going to question Solskjaer afterward.

We were referring to the officials. It was an extremely strange game, both in terms of refereeing decisions. VAR and I felt they did so many things wrong.

West Ham should have received another penalty, and United should have at least one spot-kick for Cristiano Ronaldo's foul.

Although it could have been a loss for United, they were able to score three big points.

David de Gea was their hero in the end, scoring a stoppage-time penalty save. However, Hammers boss David Moyes made a strange decision to call on Mark Noble to kick the spot-kick.

Noble had never kicked a ball and hadn't even warmed up before taking it. Although he had a great penalty record, it was a huge gamble by Moyes that proved to be costly.

What are the prospects for the remaining four big players?

Liverpool had to do everything for a 'hard-fought victory'

Liverpool has also started the campaign well and have impressed me greatly.

The Reds didn't make any major signings like their title rivals. Ibrahima Konate, 35m defender, was their only major purchase. But I doubt they went under the radar. They have not for me because I know how great they are.

Jurgen Klopp's side can't be overlooked, especially now that Virgil van Dijk has returned from injury and is proving again why he is one their most influential players.

City have lost the most points of all the major contenders. Saturday's draw at Southampton was an unfortunate result considering Liverpool's performance against Crystal Palace, United’s win, and especially what Chelsea did at Spurs.

It will be between these four sides at the end of the season. But I will keep my word on what I said in summer: Chelsea are the team you need to beat.

Alan Shearer spoke to Chris Bevan, BBC Sport.