In summary:
- The defending champions, Manchester City, started their title defense with a win over Manchester United, while Arsenal also secured a victory against Wolves.
- The opening weekend saw upsets, such as Bournemouth’s draw against Nottingham Forest and Newcastle’s win over Southampton, while players like Manchester United’s Joshua Zirkzee and Brighton’s Danny Welbeck shone.
- New managers, including Chelsea’s Enzo Maresca, face the task of rebuilding their teams and adapting to the intense competition of the Premier League.
Manchester United’s victory over Fulham in the Premier League opener
In the Premier League opener against Fulham, Joshua Zirkzee made a magnificent debut for Manchester United by scoring a late goal to seal a 1-0 victory. Zirkzee, who entered the game in the last half hour and cost £36.5 million to sign from Bologna, proved his value in the 87th minute when he converted Alejandro Garnacho’s cross. United, who had suffered throughout the game with both Bruno Fernandes and Mason Mount failing to convert clear opportunities, was relieved to get this goal. Despite acknowledging that his club was not properly prepared for the season, United manager Erik ten Hag, who barely made it through the previous one, saw this victory as a crucial beginning to the campaign.
Liverpool manager Slot off to winning start at Ipswich
Liverpool defeated newly promoted Ipswich 2-0 to start their Premier League season under new manager Arne Slot. In the second half, Mohamed Salah and Diogo Jota scored two goals quickly to seal the victory. Despite putting up a strong battle and winning back-to-back promotions, Ipswich was eventually unable to match Liverpool and did not return to the first flight after 22 years. After taking over Jurgen Klopp, Slot saw his team take control of the second half, with Jota and Salah taking advantage of defensive blunders made by Ipswich.
Brighton Starts Strong with a 3-0 Win Over Everton
Brighton & Hove Albion defeated Everton 3-0 to start their Premier League campaign in style. With one goal and one assist, Danny Welbeck was crucial in the victory that marked the debut of 31-year-old Fabian Huerzeler, the league’s youngest permanent manager. In addition, Kaoru Mitoma and Simon Adingra scored. Ashley Young’s dismissal and the contentious VAR ruling that reversed a penalty added to Everton’s loss. Brighton demonstrated their potential under the new leadership with their clinical performance.
Arsenal’s Winning Start Against Wolves
Arsenal defeated Wolves 2-0 to begin their Premier League title campaign, with goals from Kai Havertz and Bukayo Saka. Mikel Arteta’s team made it clear they intended to fight Manchester City for the championship last season. Havertz scored first with a header, and Saka sealed the win with a strong goal in the second half. Arteta hasn’t added a new striker to the team, but the Gunners looked formidable as they controlled Wolves the whole game.
Newcastle Holds On for a 1-0 Win Over Southampton
Despite being reduced to 10 men in the first half, Newcastle United managed to defeat promoted Southampton 1-0. Alex McCarthy, the goalkeeper for Southampton, made a mistake that allowed Joelinton to score the game’s only goal. Despite Fabian Schar’s dismissal for taking offense at Ben Brereton Diaz, Newcastle held onto their advantage with Nick Pope’s vital saves in the second half, which sealed the win.
Bournemouth and Nottingham Forest Share the Spoils
Antoine Semenyo’s late equalizer against Nottingham Forest allowed Bournemouth to escape with a 1-1 draw. Chris Wood had given Forest the lead in the first half, but Bournemouth’s perseverance paid off when Semenyo scored in the 86th minute. There was a lot of action in the game as Bournemouth struggled to put Forest’s goalkeeper to the test for the majority of the game, while Forest had numerous opportunities to expand their advantage but were unable to do so.
Aston Villa Edges Out West Ham in a 2-1 Victory
Aston Villa defeated West Ham United 2-1 to start their Premier League campaign. With a header in the fourth minute, Amadou Onana made his Premier League debut. Villa won all three points thanks to a late goal from Jhon Duran, even though Lucas Paqueta equalized for West Ham from the penalty spot. Under their new manager, Julen Lopetegui, West Ham attempted to equalize, but Villa’s defense stood strong.
Brentford Overcomes Crystal Palace 2-1
Brentford defeated Crystal Palace 2-1 despite the absence of top attacker Ivan Toney. The Bees’ goals came from Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa, while Brentford’s goalkeeper Mark Flekken made several outstanding stops and disallowed a goal to frustrate Palace’s attempts. Brentford held on to earn all three points despite a strong start from Palace, with Wissa scoring the game-winning goal.
Manchester City defeats Chelsea 2-0
Chelsea’s management debut was spoiled by Manchester City, who defeated Chelsea 2-0 to begin their title defense. Erling Haaland and Mateo Kovacic’s goals cemented the win for City, who were missing a number of important players because of their summertime commitments to Euro 2024. Chelsea failed to create much of an impact, and Maresca has his work cut out for him in rebuilding the team. Chelsea is still having trouble rebuilding the squad.
