Palmer back to his best, Hull upsets Manchester United and Maresca breathing a sigh of relief: Premier League Matchday 1 Recap (2026/27)

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Full Results (Matchday 1)

  • Arsenal 3–0 Coventry

  • Hull 2–0 Manchester United

  • Everton 2–0 Crystal Palace

  • Ipswich 2–1 Sunderland

  • Nottingham Forest 0–1 Leeds 

  • Brentford 1–0 Tottenham

  • Brighton 4–0 Aston Villa

  • Manchester City 2–1 Bournemouth 

  • Newcastle 2–2 Liverpool 

  • Fulham 2–3 Chelsea

Game of the Matchday 

Newcastle 2–2 Liverpool

Much like Newcastle's first home game of last season, this season also commenced with a thrilling game at St. James' Park. On both occasions though, a very late Liverpool goal turned a positive result into a negative one. 

Previous year, they fought back by scoring two goals while being a man down for the entire second half until Rio Ngumoha broke their hearts. This time around, it was a late Dominik Szoboszlai penalty which turned three huge points into one. 

The first half was quiet apart from an early Anthony Elanga goal from a fast break where he beat the Liverpool defence for pace. From the second half though, things turned up several notches. Alexander Isak was getting jeered at every opportunity by the Toon Army. Fabulous goals from Cody Gakpo and Joe Willock in quick succession opened the game up in second half, with both sides creating a combined 5 big chances. A good result for both sides considering the changes that happened off season.

Biggest Surprise

Hull 2–0 Manchester United

It was a dream return to Premier League football for Hull City. This was the first Premier League game taking place at the MKM stadium since 2017 and the crowd was up for it from the get go.

Manchester United fans for the first time in a long time were looking positive heading into the season. That optimism was questioned just 17 minutes in, and was further dented in the 38th minute. Meanwhile Hull were considered the prime contenders for tasting the wooden spoon by the majority of football fans.

The Tigers look to have taken that to their heart as they came out with clear determination and passion. They defended well and took their chances, scoring from two set-pieces. Meanwhile, The Reds looked very blunt in front of goal. This win though, will do wonders for Hull City's confidence further into the season.

Best Team Performance

Brighton 4–0 Aston Villa

An absolute nightmare start to the season for Aston Villa, courtesy Fabian Hurzeler's Brighton. A fierce first half performance from The Seagulls resulted in 4 goals and a one man advantage for the second half after Joao Gomes was given his marching orders in his Villa debut.

Brighton generated 3.03 xG in the first half alone, taking 10 shots and creating 4 big chances. They then had total control of the game in their hands, as stated by their 83% possession after the break. Such immense was Brighton's control and dominance, Unai Emery's side could manage to create no big chances and not one out of their six shots was on target. 

The drop-off for Villa was more or less expected, but the ruthlessness of Brighton made them the standout team in the opening matchday of the Premier League. We all know how crucial goal difference is in this league, and Brighton have done themselves a favour by adding +4 besides their points tally in the table.

Player of the Matchday

Cole Palmer (Chelsea)

In his first match of the season, Cole Palmer put in not just a player of the match display, but also the player of the matchday display. Having been left out of England's World Cup squad and resting over the summer, Palmer showed signs of returning to his pre-injury form.

Well it only took Palmer around 30-odd seconds to get his season up and running as he latched onto a loose ball and assisted Joao Pedro's goal. He then assisted the assist for Morgan Rogers' first ever Chelsea goal, before he also scored a well-deserved goal. He took the most shots (5) and completed the most dribbles (5) while also helping his team defensively, making 7 recoveries. 

A fit-and-firing is a welcome sight for the Stamford Bridge faithful while a worrying one for everyone else. And based on this performance, Palmer looks fresh and ready.

Honorable mentions - Mamadou Sangare (Brentford), Martin Odegaard (Arsenal) & Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall (Everton)

Moment of the Matchday

Josko Gvardiol wins it late against Bournemouth

Watch Gvardiol's goal here

Enzo Maresca's Manchester City debut looked to have been spoiled by Bournemouth's all too familiar sucker punch. That was until Rayan Cherki did the heavy lifting and turned it around. First, he set up Marc Guehi from a corner. 

And then, in stoppage time, he drew several Cherries defenders towards him before sneakily dribbling and poking the ball into the path of the always willing box runner Josko Gvardiol, who quickly and brilliantly controlled it with his right foot to set himself up for the shot.

The goal was initially ruled out for offside, however, it was given after a VAR check, leading to a huge Etihad cheer. The eruption made it the perfect moment for Maresca's first game as City boss, with Gvardiol's late winner giving the new manager 3 important points to help win over a fanbase that had a mixed reception to his appointment as the man taking over from their beloved Pep Guardiola.

Looking Ahead – Matchday 2 Fixtures (IST Kick-offs)

Saturday, 29 August (IST)

    • Crystal Palace vs Manchester City - 12:30 am

    • Liverpool vs Nottingham Forest - 5:00 pm

    • Bournemouth vs Everton - 7:30 pm

    • Coventry vs Hull - 7:30 pm

    • Tottenham vs Newcastle - 10:00 pm

    Sunday, 30 August (IST)

    • Chelsea vs Brighton - 6:30 pm

    • Leeds vs Brentford - 6:30 pm

    • Sunderland vs Fulham - 6:30 pm

    • Manchester United vs Ipswich - 9:00 pm

    Tuesday, 1 September (IST)

    • Aston Villa vs Arsenal - 12:30 am

    by ShotBlogged


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