The new season of the English Premier League got underway on Friday as the first matchday provided us with excitement with newcomers Brentford shocking Arsenal with a 2-0 win for the first top-flight win in 74 years.
Matchday One Provides Fireworks
Top Talking Points From Matchday One of the New Season
In the early kick-off, Ole Gunnar Solsjaer’s Manchester United hammered Leeds United 5-1; Chelsea thrashed Crystal Palace 3-0 in Patrick Vieira’s first game in charge of the Eagles, Watford defeated Aston Villa 3-2 in their first outing in the post-Jack Grealish era, Everton came from behind to beat Southampton to win 3-1. In Saturday’s other games, Leicester City defeated Wolverhampton Wanderers 1-0, whilst Brighton and Hove Albion defeated Burnley 2-1 and Liverpool hammered Norwich City 3-0.
On the first Super Sunday of the season, West Ham defeated Newcastle United 4-2 and Tottenham beat Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City 1-0.
Here are the top talking points from the opening weekend of English Premier League football;
Mohamed Salah Reintroduces Himself as a Premier League Great
The Liverpool forward scored for Liverpool in their 3-0 win over Norwich City on the opening day of the season. The Egyptian scored one and assisted two goals for the Reds in the win over the newly-promoted Canaries. He set up Diogo Jota for the opener and Roberto Firmino for the second goal before scoring a fine effort for the third goal. Mohamed Salah’s goal for Liverpool made him the first man in Premier League history to score on the opening day of five consecutive seasons, after goals against Leeds United in 2020/21, Norwich City in 2019/20, West Ham United in 2018/19 and Watford in 2017/18.
Brentford Bully Soft Arsenal Into Submission
Brentford fans could not have dreamt of a better way to start life in the English topflight than the one they got. Their side absolutely bullied and battered Arsenal in a well-deserved 2-0 win at home. A good example of the forceful Brentford display resulted in the second goal. Captain Pontus Jansson pinned down a weak Bernd Leno on his goal line, preventing the goalkeeper from claiming the throw-in that led to Christian Norgaard heading the ball into an unguarded net. It was the stuff of dreams for the Bees.
Pogba Delivers a Timely Reminder of His Class
Paul Pogba was unplayable for Manchester United in their opening day thrashing of Leeds United at Old Trafford, delivering four assists in the Red Devils’ win over Leeds. Pogba’s haul of four assists against Leeds United surpassed his grand total of three assists in the entirety of the 2020/21 Premier League season. With only one year left on the Frenchman’s contract at Old Trafford, he showed everyone why Manchester United paid £89 million to get him from Juventus in the first place.
Bruno Sets the Pace
While his midfield partner and teammate Pogba delivered a masterclass from midfield, Bruno Fernandes delivered his further forward with a well-taken hat trick to open his account for the season and show that his performance for the club last season was no fluke.
No Kane, No Problem For Spurs
While much of the pre-match talk was about Harry Kane, Heung-Min Son quickly reminded Spurs faithful that he could be counted on. His brilliant strike against Manchester City, his seventh against the champions, settled a contest that proved that Tottenham might not be pushovers in the season, even without Kane.
Varane Unveiling Before a Capacity at Old Trafford Crowd
After weeks of speculation about his future, Raphael Varane was finally unveiled in style by his new club Manchester United after he completed a £34 million transfer from Real Madrid. The Frenchman held his new Manchester United shirt aloft in front of a packed Old Trafford just before kickoff on Saturday.
Chelsea’s Production Factory Churns Out Another Talent
Three years after winning his first senior medal with Chelsea, 22-year-old academy graduate Trevoh Chalobah was immaculate on his Premier League debut for the club, capping off the display with a pile driver from 25 yards to complete the scoring in a 3-0 win for the Blues.
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