The Premier League is back folks…and don’t we love it! The first round of top flight matches delivered some stunning action including spectacular debuts, plenty of goals and a bloody nose for one of the more established clubs, delivered by one of the newly promoted sides.
Liverpool’s opening night performance on Friday night set the scene as they roared into a two goal lead against Bournemouth before the Cherries fought back to level. And with the minutes ticking away up stepped substitute Federico Chiesa to win the game before Mo Salah put the icing on the cake.
New boy Hugo Ekitike, who scored just four minutes into the Community Shield last week, bagged his first league goal to give the Reds a lead and then he teed up Cody Gakpo for the second. Bournemouth levelled with a quick-fire brace from Antoine Semenyo before Chiesa lifted the roof off Anfield with a volley on 88 minutes and Salah scored his record tenth goal on the opening weekend.
The Premier League 2025 betting odds back Liverpool to retain their title, but the margins are very fine with Manchester City and Arsenal snapping at their heels.
Have City found their new De Bruyne?
The departure of legendary midfielder Kevin De Bruyne to Napoli was the end of an era for Manchester City, but there was plenty for Pep Guardiola to be pleased about as the Sky Blues hammered Wolverhampton 4-0 at Molineux. And new boy Tijjani Reijdners put in a man-of-the match performance to justify the £46m transfer fee which brought him from AC Milan to Manchester. The Netherlands star was voted the Serie A Midfielder of the Year last term and he showed just why, when he orchestrated City’s opener on the half hour. Reijdners displayed superb control before chipping over the perfect ball for Rico Lewis to tee up Erling Halaand’s opener.
It was almost as if De Bruyne was still at the Manchester club.
Reijdners then hit an arrowed shot flying into the corner to double the Sky Blues’ lead in the manner of the Belgian, and then he provided the assist for Haaland’s second and City’s third. The game was done, but there was still time for another summer signing, Rayan Cherki, a £34m capture from Lyon, to score a beauty to make it 4-0.
Manchester City have made an opening weekend statement, as did Thomas Frank’s new look Tottenham Hotspur with a 3-0 win over Burnley…but this SBOTOP writer would rather gloss over that one!
One nil to the Arsenal
Mikel Areta’s Arsenal scrapped out a big three points away to Manchester United to get their campaign off to a winning start, thanks to a Riccardo Calafiori point bank header. The Red Devils have had a good pre-season and, in Ruben Amorin’s first season in charge there is more optimism at Old Trafford than there has been for a while. The club has spent £200m on three strikers over the summer to solve a problem which left them in the doldrums last season; and two of them, Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo started against Arsenal on Sunday. And the Red Devils looked bright for much of the first half but they went into the break one down thanks to a defensive shambles. The Gunners were lethal from corners last season and when Declan Rice swung over their first of the season, United keeper Altay Bayandir flapped under pressure from William Saliba and Calafiori was unmarked on the goal-line to nod the ball home.
The hosts showed plenty of attacking intent but lacked the killer instinct, Mbeumo coming the closest with a header which David Raya saved well.
Black Cats are bad news for Hammers
Arguably the most surprising of all the Premier League 2025 results came up in the North East where new boys Sunderland faced West Ham United on Saturday, and the Black Cats delivered a 3-0 thumping to the sorry Hammers.
Promoted via the Championship play-offs, after finishing fourth in the league, losing their last three games, Sunderland know they are in for a long season but they could hardly have had a better start. After a scrappy hour of football the Stadium of Light exploded into life when Eliezer Mayenda met a cross from Omar Alderete to break the Hammers’ resistance, and there was mayhem in the stands when Sunderland stalwart Daniel Ballard made it two. The Londoners folded and substitute Wilson Isidor duly made it 3-0 in injury time. Sunderland can celebrate this weekend; and then they head to Burnley next week for a humdinger of a clash. West Ham fans will hope this was an opening day freak result…but if it isn’t they are in big trouble.
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