The Premier League ushered in the new season last weekend, certainly not lacking any beauty, joy, and anguish. Every game is unique and you can’t just help but admire the thrill of what we witnessed … unless you’re a Manchester United fan.
From newbies Fulham holding Liverpool, to Erling Haaland scoring (as expected) twice to down West Ham, and Brighton consigning Manchester United and Erik Ten Hag to their first defeat of the campaign at Old Trafford, the weekend was not without drama in the English topflight.
But who helped or hurt their cause the most? Let us take a look.
The Winners
Brighton
Brighton traveled to Manchester on Sunday afternoon, having never won at Old Trafford. However, once Pascal Gross beat David de Gea twice in the space of nine first-half minutes, the Seagulls were left dreaming of a historic victory. Spoiler alert: they got one.
You can tell they showed more desire than their illustrious opposition, and Graham Potter simply cannot ask for more from his charges. The duo of Gross and Solly March kept plugging away at the task, and the two goals they got just before the break was a deserved reward for all that first-half hard work.
Aleksandar Mitrovic
For a player long derided of repeatedly failing to make any major impact in the top-flight but scoring loads in the second tier, the 27-year-old striker desperately needed a big performance.
Mitrovic delivered a textbook header to open the scoring and continued to make an impact with a well-placed spot-kick to underline a brilliant day at office for the Serbian. Notably, it came against Liverpool who find themselves in an around-the-title question this term.
Fulham
Fulham won the championship last season and did show some cojones in front of their home fans. If not for Mohammed Salah’s elusion of Marek Rodák to tie the game at two apiece, cheering would have erupted all around Craven Cottage at the blast of the final whistle. You can bet it would have been much more deafening than we heard.
A brilliant shift from the lads to start the season. 🥹#FULLIV pic.twitter.com/FS2PZTSiYh
— Fulham Football Club (@FulhamFC) August 6, 2022
Antonio Conte
Perhaps this is the season in which Conte ends the Tottenham trophy drought. Maybe, after all, the Lilywhites are not eternally doomed to such fate, at least not when they have the task master patrolling the sidelines.
Conte is known to demand nothing shy of 101 percent from each of his charges. He wouldn’t take less. He has seen his revamped team make light work of Southampton by a score of 4-1. After a promising start to the season, there is more work to be done.
The Losers
Manchester United
Manchester United are already three points behind their rivals after losing to Brighton at home in the poorest of manners. That should be enough said.
Erik ten Hag was expected to get the side playing good football again, but it is clear that there is more work that needs to be done. Not one of Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho, Bruno Fernandes, or Christian Eriksen seemed to get off first gear all afternoon. As a result, their opposition made sure their lapses were punished.
It is already looking like the Red Devils will be forced to endure a long season.
Aston Villa
Aston Villa were left stunned after goals from Jefferson Lerma and Kieffer Moore handed them a 2-0 defeat last time out. That was unexpected after spending €54 million on Diego Carlos, Ludwig Augustinsson, Robin Olsen, and Boubacar Kamara, as well as making Phillipe Coutinho’s loan stay permanent.
Nevertheless, Bournemouth took care of business this past Saturday. Steven Gerrard and his staff risk the ire of the fans should they fail to right their wrongs soon.
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