Let’s take a brief look at the things that caught the most attention after a much-awaited Premier League campaign got underway.
Saturday marked the return of probably the most-watched football league across the globe as Premier League returned after being off for 50 days.
The league brought with itself the thrill and excitement and the drama that is expected each year from the English top-flight. And after the completion of the first set of fixtures, we are about to talk about the things that are worth talking about.
But first off, a quick reminder of the scorelines of all the eight matches.
Results:
| Fulham 0-3 Arsenal |
| Crystal Palace 1-0 Southampton |
| Liverpool 4-3 Leeds United |
| West Ham 0-2 Newcastle United |
| West Brom 0-3 Leicester City |
| Tottenham 0-1 Everton |
| Sheffield United 0-2 Wolves |
| Brighton 1-3 Chelsea |
Four things we learned:
1. Arteta the right man to make Arsenal great again
Arsenal closed off the first match of the season with a resounding 3-0 victory. But what’s more interesting to note is the way they played under Arteta. The team were oozing confidence throughout the match and played with much intensity.
Also, the new signings were quick to gel in the team as both Willian, setting up two goals, and Gabriel Magalhaes, heading home from close range, put up impressive displays.
2. Leaky defense the biggest of concerns to Liverpool
With all due respect to Leeds United, Liverpool should not be conceding three goals against a side playing their first match in the Premier League after 16 years. Virgil van Dijk & Trent Alexander Arnold looked a shadow of their usual selves as they were clueless in stopping the high press from Marcelo Bielsa’s men.
Had Mohamed Salah not been in the mood, or had Leeds themselves been a little more careful in the box, the results could have easily gone the other way.
Jurgen Klopp needs to sort out his defense if he is to defend the league crown.
3. Leicester can keep relying on Vardy.
Jamie Vardy opened his account in the new season with a brace. The striker’s tally of 23 goals last season saw him pick up the Premier League Golden Boot. With the form he is in, it won’t be a surprise if Vardy manages to top the goalscoring charts this term too.
4. Chelsea fans need to be patient with new signings.
Two of Chelsea’s summer acquisitions were present on the pitch on Monday night but neither made the headlines.
It was Reece James who gained most of the spotlight due to a sumptuous long-range strike. Kepa Arrizabalaga also got some attention, though due to the wrong reasons.
Werner was making good runs in the opposition box but was offside a couple of times, showing that he is still not on the same page as his teammates. Havertz, meanwhile, also displayed a lack of coordination.
Goal of the Round: Leandro Trossard vs Chelsea
Leandro Trossard pulled a sumptuous half-volley from outside of the box, his shot missed the outstretched arm of Kepa, and Brighton were leveled with Chelsea.
It was a hard choice between Trossard’s goal and Reece James’ strike in the same match, with the latter also firing a screamer from outside the box.
Player of the Round: Mohamed Salah
Mo Salah proved to be the savior as he gave his side the lead before twice dragging them away from trouble.
Willian comes close as he had a direct contribution to two of Arsenal’s goals on his debut for the club.
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