Your weekly dose of goals, gossip, and general football madness from across the Premier League.
Right then, where do we even begin? The Premier League’s back with all the subtlety of a fireworks display in a library, the Scottish Premiership is gearing up for another Old Firm-dominated season, and somewhere in England’s lower leagues, dreams are being made and broken with equal measure. There is more about them in their dedicated roundups. After spending the summer pretending to care about international friendlies and transfer rumours that went nowhere, proper football has returned to save us all from ourselves. Here are some of the stories that had us glued to our screens, shouting at our tellies, and questioning our life choices.
Arsenal’s Statement Win: Calafiori Announces Himself at Old Trafford
The pick of the opening weekend’s fixtures delivered exactly what we hoped for, with Arsenal edging Manchester United 1-0 at Old Trafford thanks to Riccardo Calafiori’s first-half header. The Italian defender, making his Premier League debut, rose beautifully to meet Declan Rice’s corner and give Mikel Arteta’s side the perfect start to their latest title tilt. It was the kind of performance that had Arsenal fans muttering “this could be our year” for the fourth consecutive season, while United supporters were left wondering if Ruben Amorim’s revolution might take longer than expected. Nothing quite says “Premier League is back” like Arsenal beating United and everyone immediately overreacting to what it means for the entire season.
Liverpool’s Thriller: Chiesa and Salah Secure Opening Day Drama
Champions Liverpool began their title defence in style with a pulsating 4-2 victory over Bournemouth at Anfield, but it was far from straightforward. Hugo Ekitike marked his Premier League debut with a goal and assist, while Cody Gakpo added a second to put the Reds in control. However, Antoine Semenyo had other ideas, scoring twice to level the match and give everyone watching heart palpitations. Late goals from Federico Chiesa (his first Premier League strike) and Mohamed Salah eventually sealed the win, but this felt like the kind of end-to-end entertainment that suggests Arne Slot’s Liverpool might be slightly more vulnerable than Jürgen Klopp’s machine. Still, three points are three points, and Liverpool sit pretty at the top of the early table.
Manchester City’s Ominous Statement: 4-0 Demolition of Wolves
If anyone was wondering whether Manchester City might struggle without Kevin De Bruyne’s creativity, Pep Guardiola’s side provided a rather emphatic answer by dismantling Wolves 4-0 at Molineux. Erling Haaland grabbed a brace, while new signings Tijjani Reijnders and Rayan Cherki both found the net in what looked ominously like business as usual for the Sky Blues. Reijnders, in particular, caught the eye with his involvement in both of Haaland’s goals, suggesting City might have found their De Bruyne replacement quicker than anyone expected. For Wolves, it was a harsh reminder that Premier League life can be brutal when you’re facing the champions on the opening day.
Leeds United’s Perfect Return: Late Drama Sinks Everton
Monday night belonged to Leeds United, who marked their return to the Premier League with a 1-0 victory over Everton at Elland Road, sealed by a controversial late penalty. Lukas Nmecha, making his debut, held his nerve to convert from the spot after James Tarkowski was adjudged to have handled Anton Stach’s effort. The decision looked harsh, but VAR upheld it, and Leeds didn’t care one bit – they were back where they belonged. Daniel Farke’s side dominated the first half without finding the breakthrough, but their persistence paid off as they became the first of this season’s promoted trio to collect three points. David Moyes’ Everton, meanwhile, continued their tradition of losing on the opening day for the fourth consecutive season.
Chelsea and Palace Share the Spoils
Chelsea began life under Enzo Maresca with a goalless draw against Crystal Palace at Stamford Bridge, in a game that was more notable for what didn’t happen than what did. The Blues’ expensive summer signings failed to find a way past an organised Palace defence, with the game’s biggest talking point being Eberechi Eze’s disallowed goal for an alleged obstruction. For Chelsea, it was the kind of performance that suggested Maresca might prioritise defensive stability over the chaos of recent seasons. For Palace, a point away from home against a likely top-six side is exactly the kind of result that builds confidence for the season ahead.
The Promoted Trio: Sunderland Steal the Show
While Leeds celebrated their return with victory, the other two promoted sides had contrasting fortunes. Sunderland produced the shock of the opening weekend with a stunning 3-0 victory over West Ham at the Stadium of Light, marking their return to the Premier League after eight years with the kind of performance that had their fans dreaming of survival already. Goals from Eliezer Mayenda, Dan Ballard, and Wilson Isidor gave Régis Le Bris’ side a perfect start. Meanwhile, Burnley had a baptism of fire, losing 3-0 away to Tottenham, with Scott Parker’s side showing they have not learned from their previous Premier League experiences. The early evidence suggests this season’s relegation battle might be more competitive than the past two campaigns, when all three promoted sides went straight back down.
Tottenham’s New Era Begins Under Thomas Frank
Tottenham’s appointment of Thomas Frank after Ange Postecoglou’s departure raised plenty of eyebrows, but the former Brentford boss began with an emphatic 3-0 victory at home to Burnley. Richarlison grabbed a brilliant brace, including a spectacular scissor-kick volley, while Brennan Johnson added a third to give Frank the perfect start to his Spurs tenure. It was exactly the kind of performance that suggested Frank might bring some much-needed stability to a Spurs side that finished 17th last season under Postecoglou. The comfortable victory, built on solid defending and clinical finishing, was a far cry from the chaos of recent seasons and gave the home fans a genuine reason for optimism, exactly what Tottenham need. Plus, anyone who can keep Brentford in the Premier League for multiple seasons clearly knows what they’re doing.
Brighton’s Seagulls Soar Past Fulham
Brighton continued their impressive recent trajectory with a solid performance in their 1-1 victory over Fulham at the Amex Stadium, maintaining their reputation as one of the Premier League’s best-run clubs. Roberto De Zerbi’s side played with the kind of fluidity and intelligence that has made them such a joy to watch in recent seasons, suggesting they’re ready for another mid-table finish, something that signifies success for a club like Brighton. Fulham were a tad lucky snatching a point thanks to a 97th minute goal. still they showed enough to make us think they will be well clear of the relegation places come May next year.
Forest and Brentford Share Spoils in Nottingham
Nottingham Forest and Brentford played out a 1-1 draw at the City Ground in a fixture that perfectly encapsulated the competitive nature of the modern Premier League. Both sides will feel they could have taken all three points, but both managers will probably be content with getting their campaigns off to a steady start. For Forest, still relatively new to this level, every point feels precious. For Brentford, it was a continuation of their excellent work in establishing themselves as a top-flight side. Sometimes in football, a point is as good as a win – and sometimes it really isn’t.
The Bottom Line
What a way to welcome back the Premier League. Arsenal’s victory at Old Trafford felt like a statement of intent, Liverpool’s thriller with Bournemouth reminded us that there are no easy games at this level of sport, and Manchester City’s demolition of Wolves served notice that they’re determined to put last season’s woes (by their standard anyway) firmly behind them.
Leeds United’s emotional return to the top flight, sealed with that controversial late penalty, was the kind of story that gives the Twitter crew ( it will always be Twitter to us) something to argue about. Love them or hate them it’s good to see a club of Leeds’ size back in the big time.
As for the rest of us, we’re just grateful that proper football is back. No more meaningless friendlies, no more pretending we care about the Community Shield (sorry, Palace fans). Just 38 weeks of pure, unadulterated Premier League madness.
Buckle up, folks – if this opening weekend was anything to go by, we’re in for one hell of aseason.
Got five more minutes? Check out our other football coverage and remember to follow us for all the latest drama from across British football. Because let’s face it, you’ll need something to argue about in the pub.
Scotty ✅
