Premier League – Matchday 1

The first match-day of the season was quite the eventful one, even with only a partial slate of games being played.

Arsenal overpowered newly-promoted Fulham 3-0 early saturday morning, with Aubameyang and new signing Gabriel both finding the scoresheet. Later that day, Crystal Palace managed to squeak by Southhampton with a 1-0 win thanks to talisman, Wilfred Zaha.

The match of the day, however, was Liverpool vs. Leeds United at Anfield. The seven goal thriller was a pitch perfect example as to why the Premier League is revered around the world. Each time Liverpool scored, Leeds would crank up the pressure and somehow manage to equalize (3 goals with 3 shots on target). With the match knotted at 3-3 in the 88th minute, Fabinho was taken down in the box by Leeds defender Rodrigo (who had been on for less that 5 minutes). Salah stepped up to spot kick, already having scored two of Liverpool’s goals, and buried the penalty to achieve the third hatrick of his young PL career.

Later that day, Newcastle defeated West Ham United 2-0, raising alarms for West Ham fans who had just barely managed to survive relegation last season.

Jose Mourinho’s first full season with the Spurs began on a sour note Saturday, losing their opening home match to Everton 1-0, with Calvert-Lewin scoring from a set piece in the second half. Spurs have always shown flashes of quality under Mourinho, however, Saturday they looked out of sorts and showed no drive or interest in wanting to fight for the three points.

Today, the Wolves completed a definitive win over Sheffield United 2-0, with both their goals coming within the first 10 minutes. Sheffield, having ended the 2019/2020 season on a sour note, will be hoping to move past this result quickly, and get back to the rigid, efficient team play Chris Wilder instilled in them last year.

Matchday 1 concluded with Chelsea vs. Brighton, with the blues debuting new signings Timo Werner and Kai Havertz. Chelsea started out slow, lacking intensity and efficient passing. However, Chelsea broke through in the 23rd minute, when Jorginho scored from the penalty spot after a poor challenge from Brighton goalie Matt Ryan. Brighton would eventually level the match in the 54th minute, however, Chelsea scored two minutes afterwards and again in the 66th minute, ending with a final score of 3-1.

Matchday 2 should prove even more entertaining, with matchups this weekend including Chelsea vs. Liverpool, Arsenal vs. West Ham, and Wolves vs. Man City.

YNWA