Like Chelsea, the humble Hertfordshire club, whose only season in European football was 35 years ago, completed their third victory from three games on Sunday, when they beat Crystal Palace 2-1 to add to victories over Brighton and Burnley.
City were due to open their season against Aston Villa and United against Burnley but those games will be moved.
Manchester United substitute Jesse Lingard's superb volley in extra time secured a 2-1 win over CrystalPalace in the FA Cup final at Wembley Stadium on Saturday for their first major trophy in three years.
Chelsea maintained their iron grip on top spot with a 2-1 win at Crystal Palace while Southampton recorded one of the biggest victories in Premier League history when they crushed a woeful Sunderland side 8-0 at St Mary'son Saturday.
Fulham's home game against Brighton & Hove Albion on Wednesday has also been pushed behind closed doors, while West Ham United too will host Crystal Palace without spectators on the same day.
Chelsea went second in the Premier League with a comfortable 4-0 win at Burnley, on Sunday, which maintained their unbeaten start to the season.
IMAGES from the Premier League matches played on Wednesday.
Images from action in the Spanish Super Cup and English Premier League
A Sergio Aguero hat-trick helped Manchester City get back to winning ways in the Premier League with a 3-1 victory over Newcastle United, as they stayed 12 points ahead of Manchester United who had to dig deep to secure a 1-0 win at Burnley.
The 22-year-old has signed on an eight-and-a-half-year contract in deal worth 100 million euros ($108 million).
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side, who had won their last ten away games in the Premier League, stay third on 27 points, a point behind second-placed Leicester.
Carlos Tevez scored his first goal for Manchester City and defender Joleon Lescott made his debut as the Premier League's big spenders beat Crystal Palace 2-0 in the English League Cup second round on Thursday. Argentina striker Tevez, who joined City for 25.5 million pounds after two seasons at Manchester United on a lease agreement, headed in with 20 minutes to go after Shaun Wright-Phillips had put the visitors ahead after halftime.
"The fastest man on no legs", triple paralympic gold medallist Oscar Pistorius is aiming to qualify as an able-bodied athlete for the Delhi Commonwealth Games but remains non-committal on whether he would actually participate in the mega-event.
Liverpool head to United with widest gulf in years
The much-anticipated clash between Liverpool and ManchesterCity at Anfield on Saturday looks like a knockout to determine who can challenge Chelsea for the Premier League title.
IMAGES from the Premier League matches played on Saturday.
Images from the football matches played on Tuesday.
A summary of Saturday's action in the English Premier League.
Chess grandmaster Magnus Carlsen's knack for complex strategy has helped steer him into the upper echelons of an unlikely competition -- fantasy football. The Norwegian stands third on the Premier League's official fantasy football competition (FPL), only being knocked off top spot on Monday after Crystal Palace's 1-1 draw against Brighton and Hove Albion.
Jamie Vardy became the first player to score in 11 consecutive Premier League matches when he gave Leicester City the lead in a 1-1 draw with Manchester United at the King Power Stadium on Saturday.
Manchester City maintained their perfect start to the season with a 2-0 victory over promoted Watford as champions Chelsea suffered a shock 2-1 home defeat by Crystal Palace on Saturday.
Notts County produced an FA Cup replay shock with a 2-0 win at Premier League Wigan Athletic on Tuesday to earn a place in the fifth round.
Vinicius Jr came off the bench to score once and set up another goal to steer champions Real Madrid to a 4-1 fightback victory over Espanyol.
Manchester City beat bottom club Sheffield United 1-0 to move three points clear of Manchester United who were held to a goalless draw at Arsenal in the Premier League on Saturday.
Liverpool snatched three points with a wild 1-0 victory over relegation-threatened Nottingham Forest.
Realistically, the Foxes, who beat Chelsea in the FA Cup final last Saturday, need to win and hope one of their rivals slip up.
Tottenham Hotspur's Harry Kane pounced on a piece of comical defending to secure a 1-0 win over Sunderland in the Premier League on Sunday although he was later wheeled away on a stretcher after suffering an ankle injury.
The Chelsea captain's last ditch tackles and positional sense have been complemented by a decent eye for goal.
Frank Lampard, John Terry and Petr Cech have been nominated for the Professional Footballers' Association player of the year award.
Argentina defender Marcos Rojo dislocated his shoulder in Manchester United's 1-0 defeat at Manchester City on Sunday, their manager Louis van Gaal confirmed.
Following is a match by match look at the English Premier League's weekend fixtures
The British Govt amended the Special License enabling Chelsea FC to sell tickets to select competitions to fans
A round-up Wednesday's football news on and off the field.
Joint-leaders Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool both dropped points on a busy day of English Premier League action as Leicester City and Southampton narrowed the gap in what is shaping up to be one of the most open title races for years.
Images from the English Premier League matches played on Saturday.
IMAGES from the English Premier League matches played on Saturday.
Images from Saturday's action in the Premier League.
The Premier League leaders preserved their 11-point lead with a 4-1 victory over Crystal Palace.
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