The start of the new Premier League season certainly didn’t disappoint, with plenty of drama and excitement right from the first whistle.
Arsenal began their title defence with a commanding victory, while Manchester City had to come from behind to start with a win under Enzo Maresca.
Xabi Alonso also made a winning start with Chelsea, but Manchester United were stunned by promoted Hull City in the first game of Michael Carrick’s permanent reign.
Here are the best of the statistics from the opening weekend.
Stats you might have missed
- Mikel matches Pep, Jose and Fergie
- Not so better the Devil you know
- Stach of dead-ball ability
- Nilson gets his Angulo-s right
- Toffees scratch five-year itch
- Possession is ninth tenths of the law
- Freshly trimmed Haaland opens with rare blank
- Brighton’s rapid blitz
- Szoboszlai stretches the Reds’ opening streak
- No way Pedro
Mikel matches Pep, Jose and Fergie
- Mikel Arteta became the fifth Premier League manager to reach 150 wins in fewer than 250 matches.
Arsenal’s title defence began without too many difficulties, with the Gunners having far too much for Championship winners Coventry.
Kai Havertz opened the scoring, finding the net in four consecutive starts for the first time in English football. Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard were also on target.
It was enough to secure a 150th Premier League win for Arsenal under Arteta. The Spaniard is the fifth manager to achieve the feat in fewer than 250 games (249), after Pep Guardiola (204), José Mourinho (231), Jürgen Klopp (237), and Alex Ferguson (247).
Not so better the Devil you know
- Manchester United were beaten by a promoted side in their opening match of a top-flight season for the first time.
Carrick was given a huge reality check in his first match since his interim spell at Old Trafford became permanent.
Man Utd were heavy favourites for three points against Hull, who had failed to win any of the 10 previous Premier League meetings between the sides.
The Tigers hadn’t read the script, though, scoring two set-piece goals (excluding penalties) in the opening half of a top-flight game for the first time since March 2014 against West Bromwich Albion.
Centre-halves Semi Ajayi and Nobel Mendy were the unlikely goalscoring heroes, as they condemned the Red Devils to a first defeat to a promoted club in their opening match of a top-flight season.
Stach of dead-ball ability
- Anton Stach has scored more Premier League goals from outside the penalty area than any other player since the start of last season (five).
Leeds United hadn’t won at the City Ground in the top flight since the 1971-72 season. It looked like that wait would continue at 0-0 after 87 minutes.
But step forward Anton Stach, whose fierce free-kick could only be parried into his bottom corner by Nottingham Forest goalkeeper Matz Sels.
Since the start of last season, the midfielder has scored more Premier League goals from outside the penalty area than any other player (five). During that time, he has also netted the joint-most free-kicks in the division (four, tied with Dominik Szoboszlai).
Nilson gets his Angulo-s right
- Nilson Angulo was the first player to score his side’s first Premier League goal of the season from a direct free-kick since Marcos Alonso (for Chelsea against Crystal Palace) in 2021-22.
Sunderland’s quest for another successful campaign back in the Premier League didn’t get off to an ideal start. The Black Cats were beaten 2-1 by returning Ipswich Town at Portman Road.
Although, the pick of the goals came from Angulo, as he became the first Sunderland player to score a direct free-kick in a Premier League game since Patrick van Aanholt against Everton in May 2016.
Not only that, it had been five years since any player scored their side’s first goal of a top-flight campaign from a direct free-kick. The last one to do so was Chelsea’s Marcos Alonso against Crystal Palace in August 2021.
Toffees scratch five-year itch
- Everton won their opening Premier League game of the season for the first time since August 2021 (3-1 against Southampton).
Everton have become renowned slow starters in the Premier League in recent years. In fact, the Toffees had lost their opening match without scoring in four successive seasons.
However, David Moyes’ side managed to stop the rot with a 2-0 win over Crystal Palace at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
The Eagles were lacking a cutting edge during Pierre Sage’s first match in charge. Their xG of 2.04 was their highest in a top-flight game without scoring since December 2018 against Cardiff City (2.1).
Possession is ninth tenths of the law
- Tottenham’s tally of 59.8% possession was the highest by a team to face more than 25 shots in a Premier League match on record.
Following last season’s relegation battle, which went right down to the final day, Spurs had that sinking feeling again on Saturday.
Roberto De Zerbi’s side were outclassed by Brentford, facing 26 shots and going down 3-0 at the Gtech Community Stadium.
That was despite registering 59.8% of possession, the most by a team to face more than 25 shots during a Premier League match on record (since 2003/04).
Spurs have now lost 40 Premier League games since the start of 2024/25, with only Wolves recording more during that time.
Freshly trimmed Haaland opens with rare blank
- Erling Haaland failed to score in the opening match of a Premier League season for the first time.
There were shades of David Beckham’s haircut from 2000, as Erling Haaland recently opted for a change from his long, blonde locks.
However, it didn’t bring him any luck in front of goal, with Manchester City’s number nine failing to find the back of the net on the opening weekend for the first time.
New boss Enzo Maresca named City’s youngest starting XI for a Premier League opener (25 years, 28 days) for 18 years, but trailed up until the 84th minute against Bournemouth.
With Haaland misfiring, Marc Guehi and Josko Gvardiol completed the turnaround, marking the latest City have trailed in a Premier League home game they went on to win since that last-gasp victory over Queens Park Rangers on the final day of the 2011/12 campaign.
It was also only the second GW1 game in Premier League history to see a team trailing in the 84th minute or later go on to win, after Chelsea against Charlton Athletic in 2002/03.
Brighton’s rapid blitz
- Going 4-0 up against Aston Villa after 31 minutes, Brighton were the fastest team to do so in the opening match of a Premier League season in 20 years.
It was expected to be a close game to call at the Amex, where Brighton welcomed Europa League champions Aston Villa.
Yet, come the 31st minute, the Seagulls were 4-0 to the good. It was the fastest a team had done that in their Premier League opener since Manchester United against Fulham in 2006/07 (19 minutes).
Unai Emery’s misery was compounded as Joao Gomes was then sent off before half-time. The former Wolves midfielder became the first player to be sent off during the first half of his Premier League debut since QPR’s Samba Diakite against Fulham in February 2012.
Villa became only the second team in Premier League history to concede four goals, receive a red card and score an own-goal during the first half of a match, after Southampton against Manchester United in February 2021.
Szoboszlai stretches the Reds’ opening streak
- Liverpool remain unbeaten on GW1 in each of the last 14 Premier League seasons, the longest active run in the competition.
Kevin Keegan’s two former clubs – Newcastle United and Liverpool – paid a fitting tribute to the late legend, delivering plenty of entertainment in their four-goal thriller at St James’ Park.
Matthias Jaissle’s Newcastle broke the deadlock after just five minutes through Anthony Elanga. It was the earliest a team had scored in their manager’s first Premier League game in charge since Ruud van Nistelrooy’s Leicester City against West Ham in December 2024 (two minutes).
Newcastle led against through Joe Willock, but were denied all three points by Dominik Szoboszlai’s 99th-minute penalty – Liverpool’s latest in a top-flight game since Dirk Kuyt against Arsenal in April 2011 (101 minutes, 48 minutes).
Szoboszlai ensured the Reds maintained the longest active unbeaten streak on GW1 of a Premier League season, stretching back to 2013/14 (14).
No way Pedro
- Pedro scored the fastest ever goal on GW1 of a Premier League season (31 seconds).
Anyone who wondered how Chelsea would fare under new boss Alonso didn’t have to wait long: just 31 seconds, in fact.
That’s how long had gone when Joao Pedro opened the scoring against Fulham. It was the quickest goal on the first weekend of a Premier League campaign.
It was also Chelsea’s fastest in the competition since the Spanish Pedro scored just 30 seconds into their 4-0 rout of Manchester United in October 2016. The Blues have now scored 13 goals in the opening minute of Premier League matches, a tally only bettered by Everton.
As Morgan Rogers and Cole Palmer also found the target, Alonso became the first Chelsea boss to see his side score three goals in his first Premier League game in charge since Maurizio Sarri in August 2018 (3-0 against Huddersfield Town).
