Premier League Gameweek 1 Round-Up

Wissa and Elanga shine as Szoboszlai breaks Jordie hearts with 99th minute penalty

Liverpool managed to snatch a highly undeserved point at St. James’ Park thanks to a Dominic Szoboszlai penalty, coolly converted into the top corner, which debutant Víctor Muñoz won after Lewis Hall brought him down with just seconds on the clock remaining. It was a real shame as Lewis Hall was so dominant on the left-hand side for the entirety of the fixture, but as is with football, one moment of sloppiness makes 3 points evapourate into just 1. The Magpies front 3 of William Osula, Anthony Elanga and Yoane Wissa were quality throughout, with the Scandinavian duo linking up clinically on the counter to make it 1-0 with just 5 minutes on the clock, and Wissa’s magnificent solo run teed up substitute Willock who found the back of the net just 100 seconds after Gakpo’s equalizer. It’s safe to say it was a highly underwhelming Liverpool display, both wing-backs (Kerkez and Frimpong) were very lackluster, and the two big money men of Wirtz and Isak were non-existent, so despite not getting 3 points, all Newcastle fans would have been happy to see their ex-number 9 put in such a poor performance. Lots to think about for Ireola, lots of positives for new boss Matthias Jaissle. 

Champions Arsenal hit the ground running with a cruising 3-0 win over Lampard’s newly promoted Coventry

It’s hard to think of another opening Premier League game that highlighted the huge difference in quality between the Premier League champions and the Championship champions. Yes, Coventry were immense throughout last season, but that performance showed that a last-minute splash of the cash on more experienced players is highly necessary before the window shuts on the 1st of September. However, it’s hard to be too harsh on the Sky Blues as it was their first game as a Premier League side since the 2000-2001 season, and their first opponents happened to be the reigning champions, so I’m sure it’ll just be a learn and forget approach for Frank Lampard as they prepare for a much more appealing tie, as they host Hull next weekend. Arsenal were very impressive as expected, new signing Christos Tzolis looked very sharp and seems to be the direct replacement for Leandro Trossard’s old LW spot. It is a huge season for Martin Ødegaard, who has been under a lot of criticism that his output for an attacking midfielder is no where near good enough for an Arsenal captain, but so far so good for the Norwegian. 

Manchester United “Mauled by the Tigers” 2-0 as Ajayi and Mendy strike before half time

Manchester United travelled to Hull for their first meeting in 10 years, and it’s now safe to say the bookies have had a field day with this result. The newly developed Manchester midfield of Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemens put in a performance that has certainly raised a few United eyebrows, as both were sloppy throughout and the lack of clear-cut chances in attacking areas mainly came down to countless misplaced forward passes from the two. Bruno Fernandes’ words at full-time showed the disappointment that all the team were feeling at being turned over so easily by (on paper) the weakest team in the League. But, take nothing away from how well Hull played, every single United cross and set-piece was met by an Orange shirt, not a single United player looked like scoring, but the chances at goal they did manage were met by the absolute wall that was the debutant Greek goalkeeper, Tzolakis. 5 saves, 22 recoveries, a Man of the Match worthy performance. With even more football now for United due to the Champions League, Michael Carrick has certainly got some thinking to do, as squad depth still seems to be a problem, and I’m sure every United fan will want a much more pristine performance vs Ipswich next weekend.  

Brighton and Brentford top the table after flattening Villa and Spurs

‘Another season, same old Spurs’ is the takeaway fans have on social media after their shocking performance at the Gtech vs Brentford. Despite the staggering amount of money that has been poured into this Spurs side, defensive problems still carry on in normal fashion. The ease at which Brentford carved through the Tottenham structure was incredible. Spurs have completed two more big money signings of the City duo Marmoush and Savinho, it will be very interesting to see how they can impact this disarrayed Spurs squad. As for Villa, the season could not have started any worse, with all their big names such as Rogers and Konsa moving away from the club, a stable first game is what they needed, and it was the polar opposite. Brighton were class, but you can’t deny that Villa gave them all the chances they needed to put 4 past them. Woeful start for the Europa League champions.

Palmer and Rogers shine in 5 goal thriller at Craven Cottage

It was a highly enthralling tie on Monday evening in West London, with Xabi Alonso on the touchline for the first time in his competitive Chelsea managerial career. And it couldn’t have started any better for the new Spaniard, as the in-form João Pedro netted just 32 seconds into the game after being neatly thread through on goal by Cole Palmer. Palmer was outstanding throughout, one goal and one assist, but it was obvious that every single time he got on the ball something was going to happen. Despite not being selected by Tuchel for the World Cup earlier this summer, Palmer admitted in his post-match interview that some good rest and recovery was exactly what he needed to hit the ground running under Xabi Alonso. Big money debutant Morgan Rogers didn’t take long either to announce himself to the buoyant travelling Chelsea fans, after he converted from close range after an excellent piece of skill from Frenchman Maxence Lacroix. A great start to the new tenure at Stamford Bridge, their attention turns to the first Carabao Cup tie vs Luton on Thursday evening at Stamford Bridge.