EPL MatchDay 1: 5 Takeaways

 The English Premier League is back. The league kicked off in typical pulsating style on Friday night with a 7 goal thriller between Arsenal and Leicester City at the Emirates Stadium. Saturday saw defending champions Chelsea, and this season’s favourite Machester City in action amongst five other fixtures. The weekend fixtures ended on Sunday with two heavyweights, Tottenham Hotspurs and Manchester United in action. Here are 5 key talking points from the league’s first round of matches.

Burnley swallows Conte and his boys: Chelsea came second best to Burnley in their first game of the season. A first half collapse at Stamford Bridge left Chelsea 3 goals and a man (Cahill) down by half time. Even though Conte was able to rally his charges to set up a thrilling second half, a late red card to Fabregas worsened matters for the champions. The only bright spot though was Morata’s goal and assist on his debut. 

Déjà vu for Arsenal and Liverpool: Arsene Wenger watched on hopelessly as his side sailed in 3 goals against Leicester City on opening day. Less than 24 hours later, Jurgen Klopp was also on the receiving side of 3 goals from Watford. To both coaches, it feels like the same old story. Arsenal leaking goals in abundance, and Liverpool dropping points against lower ranked teams. Wenger would surely be the happier of the two managers though, as his side secured a late winner.

Guardiola gets the job done: City is one side that has been heavily tipped to win to league this season, mainly due to the massive investments the club has made during the summer transfer window. On Saturday, Pep led his charges against newly promoted Brighton and Hove Albion, and successfully came out with 3 points and a clean sheet. It was a laboured win, but it’s a winning start to the season.

Huddersfield brings memory of Leicester: newly promoted side, Huddersfield Town brought premier league seniors, Crystal Palace unto its knees in a 3-0 humbling game. No one would have predicted this result, and it brings a timely reminder of Leicester City’s fairy tale title win two seasons ago.

Mourinho sends title warning: during the late afternoon kick off on Sunday, Mourinho and his men sent an emphatic message to fellow title contenders by making light work out of West Ham at the Theatre of Dreams. 

Majestic Matic! 🙌

The stats behind Nemanja's Man of the Match display: https://t.co/d9xIHJhXeO pic.twitter.com/PkX1sU9yJH

— Manchester United (@ManUtd) August 13, 2017

From the first blast of the whistle to the last, United were relentless, as they laid siege to the Hammers goals. The aggression, tactical discipline, and clinical finishing United put on display is a clear message of what the club wish to achieve this season; win the league.