Rahul SahaThe 2021/22 Premier League season is underway and off to a cracking start as new boys Brentford and Watford stunned Arsenal and Aston Villa respectively while Manchester United put five past Leeds United in a dominating display.
Elsewhere, Leicester and Liverpool enjoyed relatively easy outings as the likes of West Ham United, Everton, and Brighton & Hove Albion all came from behind to win their first game of the season.
Last but not the least, Spurs stunned a toothless Manchester City as Heung-Min Son’s strike proved to be the difference at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium as Nuno Espírito Santo started his Tottenham career with a massive scalp.
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BRENTFORD 2-0 ARSENAL
Mikel Arteta was without Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette through sudden illness and Eddie Nketiah through injury; in other words, his three main centre-forwards. He gave Folarin Balogun a Premier League debut up front while on the flanks Nicholas Pépé and Gabriel Martinelli were trusted to take the bulk of the responsibility.
The hosts set the tone with their aggressive pressing, unsettling Arsenal as they tried to find their own feet. Bryan Mbeumo and Ivan Toney caused problems with their movement, and in hindsight, Mikel Arteta got his centre-back pairing wrong, as the duo of new arrival Ben White and Pablo Marí struggled to cope with the Bees’ front two. Marí, in particular, had a nightmare as the Spaniard was found wanting on several occasions while being one of the main culprits in Brentford scoring their second.
There was a first-half strike from the wing-back, Sergi Canós, to get the place rocking. After resolute defending, as Arsenal tried to launch the salvage operation, Brentford seemed to want it more. They were prepared to press harder and run more. They put their bodies on the line and they were there for each other when they had to suffer. Beforehand, Thomas Frank had felt that Arsenal might be there for the taking if his players showed the right levels of application and so it proved.
The Arsenal inquest will rage. They normally do. It will rake over plenty of familiar ground – the soft underbelly, the lack of cutting edge up front. They had plenty of the ball, particularly in the second half, and yet they never truly looked like hurting Brentford when they needed to. With their centre-forward uncertainty rumbling on and Chelsea and City to play next, the Arsenal fanbase isn’t far away from a meltdown.
MANCHESTER UNITED 5-1 LEEDS UNITED
Just like last season’s corresponding fixture, but this time more comprehensively, Manchester United trounced Leeds United 5-1 in front of a packed Old Trafford as the Red Devils ran riot with Bruno Fernandes and Paul Pogba – the star acts of a scintillating team display. Fernandes ended with a hat-trick to his name with Pogba being the chief architect with four assists.
Man United’s ascendency lacked that cutting edge in the first half as it was only Fernandes’ goal that separated the two sides at the halftime interval. And with all three results still possible, Marcelo Bielsa brought in Junior Firpo, and soon his team were level as a peach from Leeds right-back Luke Ayling rifled into the top corner, to the delight of the travelling Leeds United supporters.
But this euphoria was short-lived as Man United embarked on an irresistible goal-rush. A sublime 40-yard pass from Paul Pogba found Mason Greenwood running behind the defence as the teenager produced the silkiest finish of the game. Seconds later, there were more as Leeds did little to help themselves and Bruno swiftly tucked in two more to bag his hat-trick while Pogba’s last assist was for teammate Fred whose strike made it 5-1 and equalled his total of last season. By the close, it was a perfect start for United and a nightmare for Leeds.
LEICESTER CITY 1-0 WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS
Not everything changes with time. While Leicester’s biggest summer signing Patson Daka, a potential replacement for Jamie Vardy, watched from the bench, the 34-year-old led the Foxes forward line with a ferocity that was found wanting during the latter stages of last season. Unsurprisingly, it was his strike that earned Leicester their first win of the season.
Wolves should have taken the lead minutes before falling behind when Adama Traoré steered his shot wide after racing clear of the defence. That was a huge relief to Daniel Amartey, whose sloppy pass had allowed João Moutinho to set up the chance. Although Wolves offered very little offensively, Raúl Jiménez worked valiantly on his first competitive outing since fracturing his skull nine months ago and showed no signs of rustiness as he challenged for every ball. But the service to him was underwhelming.
As the threat from Wolves grew, Brendan Rodgers changed his system, introducing new signing Jannik Vestergaard as a third central defender and casting on another debutant, Boubakary Soumaré, into central midfield as Harvey Barnes joined Vardy in a front two. Wolves threw everything at the hosts in the closing minutes but could not break through, Schmeichel keeping out their best chance by saving a close-range header from Max Kilman.
CHELSEA 3-0 CRYSTAL PALACE
Chelsea were too strong. There was a special free-kick from Marcos Alonso to open the scoring and the game was over as a contest when Christian Pulisic, responding to Thomas Tuchel’s tongue-lashing, made it 2-0 five minutes before the half-time interval. It quickly became an ordeal for Crystal Palace, who will need time to adjust to Patrick Vieira’s focus on possession-based football. They are in transition after parting company with Roy Hodgson and offered few signs of a change in style.
Their defenders looked uncomfortable when they tried to bring the ball out from the back and their unimaginative midfield proved no match for Jorginho and Mateo Kova?i?. As for Wilfried Zaha, he could barely get on the ball. Chelsea were in control and although Palace briefly stirred at the start of the second half, the pattern remained the same.
Alonso almost scored another spectacular goal, but there was a moment for the home fans to cherish when Trevoh Chalobah stepped out of the back three before smashing a low drive past Vincente Guaita from 25 yards. It was a lovely moment for Chalobah on his Premier League debut. The 22-year-old academy graduate, who spent last season on loan at Lorient in Ligue 1, seems to have forced his way into Tuchel’s thoughts after an impressive pre-season.
WATFORD 3-2 ASTON VILLA
If it was a sign of things to come after Jack Grealish, then Aston Villa could be in for a very long season. Villa’s summer of change in the wake of Grealish’s record-breaking £100m departure to Manchester City meant debuts for Danny Ings, Emiliano Buendía and a return for Ashley Young against his former club after winning Serie A with Inter last season. In the absence of the injured Ollie Watkins after he failed a late fitness test, Dean Smith’s side looked disjointed in attack but it was perhaps more surprising to see how they struggled to contain Ismaïla Sarr with the same personnel in a defence that was such a strong point last season.
Having been mercilessly mocked by the Villa fans behind the goal when his volley sailed into the stands inside the opening two minutes, the Senegalese forward soon had his revenge when his cross picked out Emmanuel Dennis inside the area. His shot was initially blocked by Ezri Konsa but the striker, who joined from Club Brugge in the summer, made no mistake with the rebound. And it took a cruel deflection to take Sarr’s shot from a tight angle past the despairing dive of Emiliano Martínez just before the break, although it was no less than what he and Watford deserved.
With half an hour left to play, Smith threw on former Bayer Leverkusen winger Leon Bailey in the hope of dragging his side back into the contest, but could only watch on as another substitute stole the show. The Colombian, Cucho Hernández, took less than a minute to announce himself after coming off the bench with a brilliant curling effort that went in off the post after beating Buendía to the ball. Although Villa scored an injury-time penalty from Danny Ings after Bertrand Traoré had been fouled, it was far too little as the Hornets registered an opening-day 3-2 victory.
EVERTON 3-1 SOUTHAMPTON
It was an ominous opening to Rafa Benítez’s Everton career as a careless display from the central defensive pairing of Michael Keane and Mason Holgate in particular resulted in Adam Armstrong, the £15m Southampton signing from Blackburn, a replacement for Danny Ings in style and stature, to advance on Jordan Pickford’s goal and bent a neat finish into the top corner.
Everton, with five senior players isolating due to coronavirus issues, started brightly with new signing Demarai Gray operating in the hole. While Southampton were solid and absorbed the early pressure well, they had created little until a dreadful mistake by Keane gifted them the lead. Confidence evaporated in the home ranks as frustration rose in the visitors, but Benítez oversaw a vast improvement in the second half and his more aggressive, positive team were quickly level.
Debutant Andros Townsend sent a looping header back into the box where unmarked Richarlison volleyed into the roof of the net from close range. While Southampton fought back with James Ward-Prowse pinging in dangerous set-piece deliveries, it was Everton who finished in the ascendancy and secured the victory with two fine team goals. And the polarising figure of Alex Iwobi was involved in both.
Iwobi headed Séamus Coleman’s chip into the path of Abdoulaye Doucouré who rifled an unstoppable shot past Alex McCarthy. Five minutes later, Iwobi again turned provider as he swept a delightful first-time cross along the face of McCarthy’s goal as he was powerless to prevent a diving header from Dominic Calvert-Lewin.
BURNLEY 1-2 BRIGHTON & HOVE ALBION
Burnley fans were cheering within moments of the contest getting underway after James Tarkowski sent Ashley Westwood’s corner past Robert Sánchez. Brighton protested that Tarkowski had fouled Maupay before heading in, the pair having collided as the Burnley defender moved towards the goal and Maupay ended up on the turf, but the effort was allowed to stand following a VAR check.
Gudmundsson then almost made it 2-nil in the 19th minute when his low strike cannoned off the post. Burnley went close to doubling their lead again in the 36th minute as skipper Ben Mee headed against the bar and the ball bounced down on the line, with Tarkowski firing his follow up over. The opening stages of the second half saw a Neal Maupay shot deflect off target while Gudmundsson curled a free-kick wide.
Graham Potter made a change by bringing on Jakub Moder for Steven Alzate, and the substitute had an instant impact, sending a cross in from the right that the sliding Maupay converted to draw things level. Moments later, Potter saw another substitution swiftly pay off as his side grabbed the lead, with Mac Allister, sent on for Leandro Trossard soon after the equaliser, slotting past Nick Pope from Pascal Groß’s delivery. The Seagulls dominated the tie and thoroughly deserved the three points.
NORWICH CITY 0-3 LIVERPOOL
Norwich, who were bewitchingly slick when working through the thirds, but jarringly shaky at the back, began the game by competing with Liverpool on equal terms. Debutant Milot Rashica was the brightest of all Norwich players, brought in to fill in the boots of Emi Buendía. The Kosovan was a constant nuisance to the Liverpool backline.
The Reds turned the game in their favour amidst Norwich’s bravado and it partly relied on luck; Mohamed Salah miscontrolled Trent Alexander-Arnold’s cross but it had enough purchase to wrongfoot Ben Gibson and play Diogo Jota through. The Portugal international scuffed his shot but was fortunate enough as it skid through Tim Krul’s legs. By the hour mark, the tie had turned into a cagey affair, with Norwich happy to stifle Jürgen Klopp’s free-flowing football.
Then Roberto Firmino, introduced just after the hour, led a break down the left that resulted in Sadio Mané’s shot ricocheting off Grant Hanley. It fell to Salah, who laid the ball sideways for Firmino to slot home Liverpool’s second goal. Mohamed Salah then provided the icing on the cake with a sublime left-footed curling shot to start his season with a goal for the fifth consecutive year.
NEWCASTLE UNITED 2-4 WEST HAM UNITED
If Newcastle United’s second-half surrender following a spirited start suggested the coming months could be a bit of a rough ride for Steve Bruce’s side, the excellence of, in particular, Michail Antonio, Saïd Benrahma and, after a shaky opening, Declan Rice, bodes extremely well for David Moyes and West Ham United. The way that second half unfolded, West Ham’s sixth-place finish last season appeared anything but a fluke.
A trio of right-wing step-overs on the part of Allan Saint-Maximin not only left Rice looking horribly dizzy but led to a cross which Callum Wilson relished as he headed the ball beyond Lukasz Fabianski from point-blank range. West Ham equalised through an Aaron Cresswell cross-shot which deceived all players on its journey into the bottom corner. With the offside Bowen having swiped a boot at the ball just after it crossed the line, this leveller was originally disallowed but a VAR review cleared up the confusion and the goal was reinstated.
When Miguel Almirón’s clever feint played the overlapping Matt Ritchie in, the left-wingback crossed and Jacob Murphy out-leapt everyone to head Newcastle back in front.
And so it stood at half-time as the Magpies led the Hammers 2-1. But Rice exerted revenge for his earlier humiliation by dispossessing Saint-Maximin near the halfway line. That crucial challenge precipitated Antonio crossing for an unmarked Benrahma to head West Ham level again. Moyes’ side were in control, and when Michail Antonio’s header crashed back off the bar, the defensively vulnerable Jacob Murphy fouled Pablo Fornals, handing the Hammers a controversial penalty.
Although Freddie Woodman saved Antonio’s spot-kick, Tomáš Sou?ek reacted smartly to slam home the rebound. Moments later, Moyes’ side caught an increasingly exhausted-looking Newcastle flat-footed and, breaking at speed, Antonio exchanged passes with Benrahma before his viciously incisive shot into the bottom corner. If Moyes can somehow keep Antonio fit this season, opposition defenders have cause for serious concern.
TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR 1-0 MANCHESTER CITY
Football’s finances may be ruined and the game might be sinking into a moral mire, but there is still comfort to be drawn from teams, despite it all, remaining resolutely themselves. This was Manchester City with the flaws of their horrible end to last season. This is what they look like when things go wrong.
City began with great pace and urgency, slicing Tottenham open so frequently the game might have been over within the first ten minutes. But then, having failed to score, City’s dynamism became stale and, more worryingly, they looked vulnerable on the counter?attack with Lucas Moura running the show, dribbling through the heart of the City midfield.
The opening goal may have been against the run of play, but its sequence of play was no great surprise: Moura hooked the ball clear to Steven Bergwijn who fed Heung?Min Son on the left who cut inside and bent a shot into the far corner.
For a club of their resources the excuse that they had a lot of players unavailable induced little sympathy. Early-season setbacks are not unfamiliar to City and there are mitigating factors, but where there may be a concern is in the familiarity of the failings.
For Spurs, meanwhile, there was a welcome reminder that they can play well and can win big games even without Harry Kane. The Nuno era is off to a very encouraging start.
