Premier League opening weekend: City purr, Spurs fly, Arsenal steal Old Trafford—and debuts steal the spotlight

The Premier League Trophy (image source)

Reporter

Matchweek 1 of the 2025/26 Premier League delivered brisk narratives and a flurry of debut storylines. Champions Manchester City made a statement at Molineux, Tottenham launched the Thomas Frank era with verve, Liverpool’s new attacking mix clicked, and Arsenal escaped Old Trafford with three precious points. For a weekend heavy on new faces, several signings passed their first tests.

At Old Trafford on Sunday, Arsenal prised a 1–0 win over Manchester United via a 13th-minute Riccardo Calafiori header from a corner after a Bayındır miscue. Mikel Arteta admitted United were the better side on the day, but praised his team’s resilience and set-piece edge. For United, debuts for Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo showed promise under Rúben Amorim, even if the final touch was missing.

Meanwhile, Manchester City brushed Wolves aside 4–0, with Erling Haaland doing Erling Haaland things—and, notably, summer arrivals Tijjani Reijnders and Rayan Cherki both finding the net. It was the kind of controlled dismantling that hints at continuity plus innovation in Pep Guardiola’s attack.

Tottenham opened with a crisp 3–0 win over Burnley, Richarlison bagging a brace before Brennan Johnson sealed it. Beyond the goals, the performance suggested immediate buy-in to Frank’s structure; Burnley’s own match report conceded Spurs’ superiority.

On Friday night, Liverpool beat Bournemouth 4–2, with new signing Federico Chiesa joining Hugo Ekitike, Cody Gakpo, and Mo Salah on the scoresheet. It was breathless and imperfect—but it showcased added firepower and depth in wide areas.

Newly-promoted Sunderland marked their return with a 3–0 win over West Ham, a mood-setter for the north-east and a result that intensified external scrutiny of the Hammers.

Brighton and Fulham shared a 1–1 draw after Rodrigo Muniz’s stoppage-time equaliser; Aston Villa and Newcastle finished 0–0; and at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea and Crystal Palace split the points 0–0 amid a headline-grabbing VAR decision that ruled out an Eberechi Eze free-kick for “wall interference” under Law 13—while teenage signing Estevão Willian’s flashes offered a glimpse of what’s to come.

Football pundits say whilst it is early days, City’s ability to integrate scorers quickly keeps them favourites; Arsenal banked three away points without purring; Liverpool’s recruitment hints at a multi-threat front line; Spurs’ structure under Frank looked cohesive; and United’s underlying metrics offer optimism once patterns bed in. As ever on opening weekend, the table flatters and deceives in equal measure—yet the new names have already moved from theory to practice.