Welcome to the fifth edition of The Alternative Premier League Table, where each Thursday, Anantaajith Raghuraman analyses the entire division through a specific lens.After comparing each team’s start with their performances in the same fixtures in 2024-25 last week, this week we’re looking at their time spent in the lead across the first four matches.As usual, article is long but detailed, so either settle down and enjoy it all — or search for the team you want to read about.Last weekend saw more late goals across the Premier League, taking the tally of strikes after the 90th minute this season to 11. That is the second-highest mark since 2018-19 after four rounds of fixtures, only behind the 13 recorded in 2023-24.On their way to the title last season, Liverpool led for a league-high 46 per cent of the time, but they have started this season differently, requiring stoppage-time winners in three games already, and in the Champions League last night. Arne Slot’s team are clearly still searching for the right balance after a busy summer, but his substitutions, tactical tweaks and yes, a bit of luck, have resulted in a perfect start.Before we examine each club’s record here are some headlines: