Manchester City began their Premier League campaign on Saturday with an emphatic 5-0 win at West Ham United.
Raheem Sterling bagged a hat-trick for the reigning champions, and the video assistant referee caused plenty of debate in the contest.
Two late goals by Harry Kane gave Tottenham Hotspur a 3-1 victory against Aston Villa, with the visitors level until the 86th minute after leading.
Brighton & Hove Albion produced a tremendous opening win after seeing off Watford 3-0 on the road.
Burnley grabbed a perfect start to their season with a 3-0 home victory over Southampton.
Sheffield United earned a late draw at Bournemouth, scoring in the final moments to claim a point.
Crystal Palace and Everton could not be divided in a goalless draw at Selhurst Park.
Saturday’s Premier League Results
West Ham 0-5 Manchester City
Bournemouth 1-1 Sheffield United
Burnley 3-0 Southampton
Crystal Palace 0-0 Everton
Watford 0-3 Brighton
Spurs 3-1 Aston Villa
Manchester City were in top gear during their visit to the capital, and West Ham were unable to stop the Sky Blues’ forwards.
It was business as usual for Pep Guardiola’s men, with Sterling smashing a treble to begin his campaign.
Gabriel Jesus’ clever flick gave the visitors the lead after 24 minutes, and Sterling doubled the lead six minutes into the second half. Jesus appeared to have grabbed his brace moments later, but VAR called the effort offside, supported by cheers from the home fans.
The decision against Jesus raised the atmosphere at the London Stadium in West Ham’s favour, but the champions had no intent of letting their opponents off the hook. Sterling combined with Riyad Mahrez to score his second 15 minutes from time.
Sergio Aguero entered the game from the bench and promptly slotted away a penalty after Mahrez was fouled by Issa Diop. Hammers goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski initially saved Aguero’s effort four minutes from the end, but VAR forced the penalty to be retaken after Declan Rice encroached in the box before the ball was struck.
Sterling wrapped up his hat-trick in the first minute of injury time, calmly slotting past Fabianski.
Villa gave an excellent account of themselves on their return to the Premier League, forcing Spurs to dig deep in order to rescue the points. The Midlands club took the lead through John McGinn’s ninth-minute effort, and the away side were competitive until the closing stages.
Club-record signing Tanguy Ndombele had an excellent competitive debut for Spurs, curling his shot home to level the match after 73 minutes. Kane killed off Villa’s threat with a pair of typical finishes. The striker netted four minutes before the end and claimed a second in the 90th minute.
Brighton manager Graham Potter began life with the Seagulls impressively, with his side hitting three goals without reply at Watford. Abdoulaye Doucoure’s own goal gave the visitors the lead after 28 minutes, allowing Brighton a half-time advantage.
Substitute Florin Andone scored after 65 minutes to double the lead, and major signing Neal Maupay rounded goalkeeper Ben Foster a minute later to guarantee the points.
A late show from Burnley saw them defeat Southampton at Turf Moor, with Ashley Barnes grabbing a second-half brace. The forward struck after 63 minutes and scored again seven minutes later to further swing the advantage towards the hosts.
Johann Berg Gudmundsson made it 3-0 with 15 minutes remaining, giving the Clarets the opening they wanted after a poor start 12 months ago.
Sheffield United celebrated life back in the top-flight with a dramatic equaliser at Bournemouth. Chris Mepham broke the deadlock for the Cherries after 62 minutes, but Billy Sharp rose from the bench to level the encounter with just two minutes to go.
Sunday’s Premier League Fixtures
Leicester City vs. Wolverhampton Wanderers: 2 p.m. BST/9 a.m. ET
Newcastle United vs. Arsenal: 2 p.m. BST/9 a.m. ET
Manchester United vs. Chelsea: 4:30 p.m. BST/11:30 a.m. ET
Credit: BleacherReport
