Sport
Premier League Opening Day Review
The Premier League is officially back and the opening day didn’t disappoint. Before the 3pm Saturday games had even started 13 goals had already been scored. Arsenal triumphed over Leicester in a dramatic 4-3 victory at the Emirates on Friday night, before Watford snatched a late equaliser at home to Liverpool in a 3-3 draw.
Shock at Stamford Bridge
The shock result of the weekend came at Stamford bridge as the reigning champions lost their opening fixture for the second year in a row. Chelsea were reduced to 10 men early on when Gary Cahill was sent off for a poorly timed lunge on Defour and Burnley took full advantage to lead 3-0 at HT.
The introduction of Alvaro Morata provided some saving grace for the blues as the Spaniard scored and assisted on his premier league debut but couldn’t turn things around as Burnley held on for a famous 3-2 win. Cesc Fabregas also picked up a red card as the game was drawing to a close, giving Conte a selection headache and highlighting the slightly bizarre decision to sell Matic to United.
Delight for the Terriers
Few Huddersfield fans can have expected their first ever game in the Premier League to have unfolded quite like this. The newcomers were sharp, powerful and organised, and they crushed any early-season hope that may have been floating around Crystal Palace at the start of the Frank de Boer era.
Two goals from Huddersfield’s record signing striker Steve Mounie capped an excellent 3-0 win for the Terriers as they sat top of the Premier League by the end of the Saturday fixtures. Praise should also be lavished on the tireless Aaron Mooy in the heart of the Huddersfield midfield. The Australian joined from Manchester City on a permanent basis this summer. He created two goals with wide deliveries, and was at the heart of everything that made Wagner’s side so impressive.
In direct contrast, the home team struggled to adapt to the style and shape being introduced by Frank De Boer. The Dutchman’s passing philosophy wasn’t implemented the way he envisioned as he ordered players to hit long passes to escape Huddersfield’s pressing on Saturday. He later stated that “You have to recognise when you have to play it on the ground and when you don’t”. It seems that Palace fans will require patience as the Eagles attempt to adapt, in what could prove to be a long season.
United finally set for a title challenge?
This was the first time in years that we’ve seen a Man Utd team who genuinely frighten an opposition team. They were big, powerful, clever, devious and ridiculously quick. When Sir Alex Ferguson left Man Utd, Old Trafford lost a bit of its fear factor. With this performance against West Ham, Jose Mourinho brought that back.
United lined up in a formation that changed shape throughout the game yet remained balanced. Antonio Valencia was a right-back but spent most of his game as a winger. Mata and Mkhitaryan drifted between the lines effortlessly and the whole system was extremely fluid as well as noticeably organised. Nemanja Matic was the key to holding it all together.
A brace from new signing Lukaku and late goals from Martial and Pogba secured a 4-0 win, raising the already high expectations around Old Trafford this year. West ham offered very little in an almost entirely dominated display by the Red Devils and will hope for a better showing next week against Southampton.
Results round-up
Tottenham got their season underway with a 2-0 victory at Newcastle. Jonjo Shelvey picked up a straight red at 0-0 for a ridiculous stamp on Delle Alli right under the referee’s nose. The Englishman then made Newcastle pay as he finished off a delightful ball from Eriksen before Ben Davies sealed the victory.
Manchester City triumphed against Brighton in the first Premier League game at the Amex. Sergio Aguero scored before a Lewis Dunk own goal finished the Seagulls off. In truth, it was a dominant performance from Guardiola’s men and despite Brighton defending valiantly for large parts of the game they didn’t offer much to the game as a contest.
Tony Pulis’ West Brom side were typically solid in a 1-0 win against Bournemouth. New signing Ahmed Hegazi scored from a set piece in a game of few chances. Bournemouth dominated possession but rarely looked like breaking the baggies down as they saw out the game.
Wayne Rooney had a dream return to Goodison Park as he scored the game’s only goal in a 1-0 win against Stoke. Rooney nodded in Calvert-Lewin’s cross just before half time, to take his Premier League tally to 199 goals, 4,869 days after he last netted for the Toffees.
Southampton and Swansea played out a 0-0 draw at St Marys. The Saints will feel like they should have won the game after struggling to finish off their chances. Swansea battled bravely to pick up a point but looked off the pace. They will want to see a swift resolution to the Gylfi Sigurdsson saga, as the club look for key investment in their squad.
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