After a long summer of limited football, the world’s greatest and most exciting domestic league has returned once again.
Last weekend saw the start of a new Premier League season, and it sure lived up to its name with goals and shocks aplenty.
Surprises on the opening day came in the form of Arsenal’s 2-0 home loss to West Ham which saw 16-year-old debutant Reece Oxford keep World Cup winner Mesut Ozil at bay.
Swansea were also on hand to stutter Chelsea’s start to the campaign, leaving Stamford Bridge with a share of the spoils as a just reward for their travelling contingent.
This game week didn’t disappoint either with reigning champions Chelsea succumbing to a hefty 3-0 defeat at the Etihad to title rivals Man City – with goals from Sergio Aguero, Vincent Kompany and Fernandinho.
Arsenal managed to kickstart their quest for a first league title in more than ten years after holding on to a 2-1 victory at Crystal Palace, whilst their North London rivals Tottenham let a two-goal lead slip at home to Stoke.
Elsewhere there were wins for Man Utd, Everton, Norwich, Swansea, Leicester and Liverpool.
Player of the weekend: Romelu Lukaku
After seeing criticism come his way, with a number of people questioning his impact and hefty price tag at Everton, the Belgian went a long way towards silencing his critics with a two-goal haul at St Mary’s. Finding himself up against one of last season’s toughest defences, Lukaku was at the forefront of problems for the Saints all afternoon. He managed to bully the back four with power, movement and creativity thanks to his solid link-up play with Ross Barkley. Both of his goals were expertly taken and proved pivotal in taking all three points back to Merseyside.
Surprise of the weekend: Manchester City’s execution of Chelsea
The fixture list was kind enough to bless us with a crunch match early in the season, and it ended in terrible fashion for the visitors. In the opening 45 minutes, Man City ran ragged and were unlucky to go into the break only 1-0 up – thanks to Asmir Begovic’s efforts in goal. Despite Chelsea’s attempts in periods of the second half, the Citizens stormed into a 3-0 lead which left Jose Mourinho’s men reeling. The home side blessed the new expansion of the club’s South Side stand with a stella performance to put them firmly in the driving seat early on in the season. The Blues looked poor throughout and the result has left them already chasing the pack after only two games. Despite Chelsea’s wealth of talent, they seem to look thin with regards to squad depth and may need to invest before the close of the window.
Goal of the weekend: Romelu Lukaku (1st goal) vs Southampton
This was what you call the perfect counter-attack goal. Having picked up a loose ball from a Southampton corner, Ross Barkley began the assault up the pitch, followed by several of his counterparts. After slipping the ball through to Arouna Kone down the right wing, the Ivorian then played a delightful ball onto the head of Lukaku who proceeded to send the goalkeeper the wrong and place his header into the top right corner of the net. Beautiful.
Quote of the weekend: Roberto Martinez
Before Everton’s lunchtime kick-off against Southampton, Romelu Lukaku saw a stray ball of his hit a fan in the stands during the warmup. When quizzed post-match about the incident and his player’s performance, Toffees manager Roberto Martinez joked that he should “hit a woman in every game”. I’m not quite sure what he was getting at, but it sure didn’t come out the way he intended. A special mention also goes to Jose Mourinho who claimed the 3-0 scoreline was a “fake one” and that his side dominated the first half. Jose, you need to go easy on the loud bro.
Fantasy Football tip: Riyad Mahrez
The Algerian has been a surprising high scorer so far in the ever-present Fantasy Football. He currently finds himself at the top of the list with Man City captain Vincent Kompany on 25 points and is showing no signs of slowing down. At a modest price of £5.7million, he proves to be excellent value, with his input in a much-improved Leicester side crucial. He is a must buy.
Betting tip of the week: Tottenham to beat Leicester (8/5)
Despite Leicester’s impressive start and Spurs’ inability to kick-start their campaign, I still see the visitors being too high a price to get all three points. Tottenham managed to secure the double over the East Midlands outfit last season and I can see them coming away with the victory. Varying form from both sides may suggest otherwise, but I feel that they possess enough quality to see out the game. Get on it while you can.