Well there we have it, the Premier League has officially kicked off, and game week 1 was full of surprises - including a seven-goal thriller at Anfield, in which defending champions Liverpool managed a 4-3 victory over new boys Leeds, who put up an impressive fight and showcased the potential they have to really make a name for themselves this season.
Other games had some real highlights, with debut goals for Arsenal’s Gabriel Magalhães in the Gunners’ 3-0 win over Fulham, Newcastle’s new boy’s Callum Wilson and Jeff Hendrick, and Leicester right-back Timothy Castagne.
Overall it was a great weekend of football, and many results have left me wondering about just how well some teams may do this season with some surprise performances.
Today, we are going to take a look at those opening weekend fixtures and see how they compared to my predictions prior to the weekend's action.
Fulham 0-3 Arsenal
Mikel Arteta and his men made a real statement in the Premier League opening game on Saturday. The Gunners got off to a flying start when Alexandre Lacazette became the first player to score the first goal of the new season twice (this season and the 2017/18 season).
Fulham showed a real lack of intent and didn’t really get the chance on the ball due to an impressive display from Mohamed Elneny in Arsenal’s midfield. It wasn’t long into the second half when debutant Gabriel scored his first goal for the club.
From a Willian corner, who also provided the assists for Aubameyang’s curling effort from the edge of the box. It was a dominant performance from the Gunners, one that Arteta will be proud of to start the season with - and it wasn’t far off my 2-0 prediction earlier in the week.
Crystal Palace 1-0 Southampton
This one was a real surprise for me - after predicting the Saints to be 2-1 victors, Palace certainly proved me wrong with their injury-hit squad, and Wilfried Zaha’s 13th-minute goal was enough to secure the three points in their first game of the season.
A makeshift defence for the Eagles meant Chiekhou Kouyaté and Scott Dann were the two centre-backs for the game, and they performed surprisingly well together. New boy Eberechi Eze came on in the last 10 minutes for his debut and showed glimpses of the quality he will bring to Roy Hodson’s team this season - with the Palace manager getting things off to a flying start for the club.
Liverpool 4-3 Leeds
What a game this was. I have to admit I probably underestimated Leeds here, not in the sense that I don’t think they will do well this season, as I had predicted them to finish 16th and secure Premier League safety. The game started well for the Reds who went 1-0 up after a Mo Salah penalty
. Marcelo Bielsa and his men continued to fight back, however, and came back to level the game out on three occasions - but the club was unlucky to concede another penalty in the 88th minute after such an impressive display during the whole game.
A silly challenge from new boy Rodrigo gave Salah an opening day hat-trick for the Reds and gave the defending champions their first three points of the season - after my initial and unfair prediction of 4-0 to Liverpool.
West Ham 0-2 Newcastle
This was an impressive and dominant display from Steve Bruce and his side - my prediction of 2-1 to Newcastle wasn’t far off, but the Magpies did one better than that by keeping a clean sheet away from home. T
his was Newcastle’s first opening day victory in the Premier League for 8 years, and a debut goal from Callum Wilson gave the Toon Army a 1-0 lead just before the hour mark. It was Jeff Hendrick’s debut goal for the club in the 87th minute that secured the win, a stunning strike from outside the box that nestled into the top left corner of Lukasz Fabianski’s goal.
West Ham looked sloppy throughout the game, and Declan Rice seemed to be a missing object in their midfield - with evident frustration on the face of club captain Mark Noble. This seems like it’s already going to be a long season for the Hammers, but Newcastle should take some real enjoyment out of such a positive start.
West Brom 0-3 Leicester
Our first correct prediction - and a well-earned victory for Brendan Rodgers and his side. The Foxes had a tough start to the game, with West Brom holding on well to keep things 0-0 going into half time.
On the 56th minute, new boy Timothy Castagne scored his first goal for the club giving them a 1-0 lead with a great header from fellow countryman Dennis Praet’s fantastic cross - which soon became three when Leicester won two penalties in ten minutes, with Jamie Vardy converting both, giving Rodgers and his side three points from their first game of the season.
It was a tough day for Slaven Bilic and his side, who looked out of depth and out of luck during the second half, and it looks as though they’ll have a long campaign ahead of them.
Tottenham 0-1 Everton
It was the best possible opening day game for the Toffees, winning their first game against a top 6 side for the last 40 games, dating back to 2013. My prediction of 1-1 looked almost dead set after the first half of wasted chances from both sides. That was until Dominic Calvert-Lewin broke the deadlock on the 55th minute with a bullet header that left Hugo Lloris in no man’s lead after a brilliant cross from Lucas Digne’s free-kick.
It ended up being a well-deserved opening day victory for Carlo Ancelotti and his side, with Jose Mourinho’s Tottenham looking very lethargic and sulky after going 1-0 down during the second half like petulant children - and Mourinho would not have been happy with that. If you go 1-0 down, you fight back and earn your result, rather than look to the ground with a tantrum because things aren’t going your way - which is something that is going to have to change if Spurs want success this season.
Sheffield United 0-2 Wolves
It was an impressive start for Wolves after an extremely long season last time out - with an impressive performance against a talented and proven Blades defence, beating them 2-0 at Bramall Lane. It was a quick start, with Raul Jimenez scoring the first goal of the game in the 3rd minute with a cracking half volley after a beautiful run and cross from Daniel Podence.
This was quickly followed up by Roman Saïss just three minutes later after Pedro Neto's corner met the head of the Moroccan defender. It was a tough start to the season for Sheffield United, who last season had an impressive defensive record in the league, and it differed from my initial 0-0 prediction for the game, due to both clubs having such strong defensive outlets.
Brighton 1-3 Chelsea
Our second and final correct prediction of the weekend - Chelsea opened the scoring with a penalty from Jorginho, after Timo Werner went down in the box. Brighton leveled the game in the 54th minute after a great strike from outside the box from Leandro Trossard, but it wasn't to be the Seagulls day.
The Blues scored twice in quick succession through Reece James and Kurt Zouma, giving Frank Lampard and his team their first three points of the season. It was a great sign of things to come this season for Chelsea after heavy investment over the summer, which saw debuts for Werner and Kai Havertz. Graham Potter and his side showed some positive signs too, however, and I feel that Brighton will have an impressive season ahead with a talented and young squad at his disposal.