If history is anything to go by don’t necessarily expect the Premier League’s first weekend to produce the results you expect – in fact the first set of fixtures are littered with shock results.
Some of those have been a sign of things to come, others may involve a new manager or a new look team just getting to grips with each other and on some occasions it is an early speed bump, but nothing that matters come crunch time in May.
The opening set of games can be unkind – just ask Manchester United and Arsenal as they prepare to square off on Sunday. For others, like Liverpool at home to Bournemouth, there’s an expectation they should get the job done with minimal fuss.
Manchester City head to Wolves, which has not always been a happy hunting ground, whilst Chelsea host the Community Shield winners Crystal Palace. Tottenham’s game with newly promoted Burnley is also one the north Londoners are expected to negotiate.
But the early weeks of the season, often involving new players and new systems, can mean the status quo is thrown out. They can lead to knee jerk reactions, especially if transfer windows have not gone to plan.
We take a look back at some of the opening weekend results that raised serious eyebrows – some situations that were recoverable and others that were the beginning of the end.
Man Utd 1-2 Brighton 2022/23
The Erik ten Hag era did not begin well as Brighton, then led by Graham Potter, rocked up at Old Trafford and found themselves ahead by the half hour mark. By half-time it was 2-0 and the home fans were shell shocked as their new manager was being outclassed. United pulled a goal back to set up a nervy finish, but it wasn’t to be as Cristiano Ronaldo was bought off the bench to try and be the saviour.
Arsenal 0-2 West Ham 2015/16
Remember the name Reece Oxford? He produced the one and only standout game of his career as he bossed the midfield to give the Slaven Bilic era the perfect start. It was also the match where the Hammers realised they had a potential star in Dimitri Payet. Arsenal thought they’d got the missing piece of the jigsaw when they signed Petr Cech, only for him to make a notable error for one of the goals.
Arsenal 1-3 Aston Villa 2013/14
Another forgettable afternoon at the Emirates to begin the season. Boos rang out at full-time as Arsene Wenger saw his side beaten with Antonio Luna among the scorers. Arsenal would react by signing Mesut Ozil and rebuilding their season impressively, but before the German arrived it was looking like a bleak season in north London.
Man Utd 1-2 Swansea 2014/15
Like the aforementioned Ten Hag, this was another new era that did not begin as planned. One this occasion it was Louis van Gaal, the Champions League-winning manager, who was outdone by Garry Monk. Wayne Rooney cancelled out Swansea’s opening goal and it was set-up for the Red Devils to come from behind and pick up the three points – but Gylfi Sigurdsson had other ideas will the game’s winner.
Chelsea 2-3 Burnley 2017/18
The Blues hoped to build on a record-breaking title success under Antonio Conte, but that summer was marred by the club consistently failing to get the Italian’s targets over the line. So come the first game of the season, against Sean Dyche’s Burnley, the feeling was not positive and when the Clarets raced into a 3-0 lead the clouds were gathering over Stamford Bridge. A late fightback made the result look better, but it was not the start anyone wanted.
Brentford 2-0 Arsenal 2021/22
An iconic scene as Premier League matches welcomed back full stadiums for the Bees’ top flight debut. Their stadium was bouncing with Arsenal coming to town and the newly promoted side produced a streetwise performance to down Mikel Arteta’s side – who would embark on a forgettable opening few weeks before they mounted a recovery. But not before there was calls for the manager to be axed.
Hull 2-1 Leicester 2016/17
On the face of it, not an outstanding shock. But on paper this was a newly promoted side, who had just seen their manager leave his role, downing the Premier League champions. Leicester were out to prove that their 5,000/1 miracle was no fluke, but their difficult season began in Hull with a late defeat.
