Round one of the Premier League caused a few surprises. Leeds United were incredible against Liverpool while Crystal Palace and Everton racked up some impressive victories. Hopefully Gameweek Two continues to live up to the billing!
Game of the week
Chelsea v Liverpool: Stamford Bridge, Sunday 16.30 (Sky Sports)
The Champions versus the big spenders.
Chelsea were clearly not up to scratch against Brighton & Hove Albion. They came away with a 3-1 victory, and that's all that really mattered, but the performance was lethargic and lacking in purpose.
Liverpool also found life tough on their return to football. There was a collective regression in terms of mentality and Leeds just looked like they wanted it more. Jurgen Klopp was indebted to Mohammed Salah for two well taken penalties and a sublime individual strike.
This could be an intriguing match because neither team look like they are near their maximum.
The Reds have a world-class goalkeeper and a world-class defence but they are showing signs of mental fatigue; it was present through the restart as well.
Nonetheless, Frank Lampard will still be missing Ben Chilwell, Thiago Silva, Hakim Ziyech and Christian Pulisic. The club are also still working on a deal for goalkeeper Edouard Mendy, meaning that the much maligned Kepa Arrizabalaga will continue to don the gloves.
Liverpool are looking a little fragile but Chelsea look like they're still very much in transition.
Prediction: 1-2
Saturday
Everton v West Bromwich Albion: Goodison Park, 12.30 (BT Sport)
It was a fantastic start to the season for Carlo Ancelotti. He pulled no punches with his line-up, fielding his three new midfield signings, and the Toffees shocked Tottenham Hotspur.
Fortunes were contrasting in the Midlands with West Brom slumping to an opening weekend defeat against Leicester City. Albion defended doggedly but their resilience was eventually broken. They gave away two sloppy penalties to worsen matters.
One boost for Slaven Bilic is the season-long loan signing of Conor Gallagher from Chelsea. A little bit more creation in midfield. Still, Bilic will know that this is a tough ask for his squad who are still adjusting to the step-up from the Championship.
Prediction: 3-0
Leeds United v Fulham: Elland Road, 15.00 (BT Sport)
Marcelo Bielsa's men set the pulses racing with a fantastic performance at Anfield. They went toe-to-toe with the Champions of England and were very unfortunate to come away with nothing. Now, it's back to Elland Road for the ground's first top-flight match since 2004.
Fulham started the match against Arsenal relatively well. They passed the ball around with confidence and speed but just lacked a little cutting edge in the final third. Their second-half capitualtion will have disappointed Scott Parker.
This is an intriguing battle between two of the promoted teams. Fulham won't leave as much space in behind as Liverpool but, equally, they won't pose the same level of threat going forward.
Prediction: 3-1
Manchester Untied v Crystal Palace: Old Trafford, 17.30 (BT Sport)
It's the first game of the season for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer but it might not be a stroll.
Palace surprised a few punters with a hard fought victory over Southampton. Roy Hodgson’s emphasis on shape and structure was key to his team holding onto victory. Cheikhou Kouyate was excellent as a makeshift central defender.
The Red Devils have brought in Donny van de Beek but many supporters still feel they are a few players short of pushing on from last season’s third-placed finish. Nonetheless, United should be able to make a strong start to the season with the same group that sealed a Champions League slot post-restart.
Prediction: 2-0
Arsenal v West Ham United: Emirates Stadium, 20.00 (Sky Sports)
The Gunners were electric at Fulham. They passed with purpose, created chances and held a resolute defensive shape throughout.
West Ham were pathetic against Newcastle United. They played with three defensive-midfielders and lacked any kind of attacking impetus. Tomas Soucek's runs from deep could cause some concern to Arsenal but their defensive unit has withstood much greater challenges than that.
The Hammers are going into a really tough run of fixtures while there is clearly unrest behind the scenes. You have to feel sorry for David Moyes who is doing his best to paint a happier picture; it's tough not to see more misery for the Scot in this London derby.
Prediction: 3-0
Sunday
Southampton v Tottenham Hostpur, St Mary's Stadium, 12.00 (BT Sport)
It was a disappointing opening day for the Saints who just looked a little naive against Crystal Palace. Ralph Hasenhuttl fielded a strong eleven to bounce back in the Carabao Cup clash with Brentford but it was the Championship outfit who ran out 2-0 winners.
Jose Mournho will be looking to kick-start his season after a bumpy start. The disappointing open day loss to Everton was almost compounded with after falling behind in the Europa League to Bulgarian minnows Lokomotiv Plovdiv; Spurs won the match after Plovdiv gave away a penalty and were reduced to nine-men.
Southampton have to move the ball quickly and accurately whilst pressing with a collective aggression. If they don’t, they risk looking very vulnerable to the likes of Son Heung-Min and Lucas Moura on the counter-attack.
Prediction: 1-2
Newcastle United v Brighton & Hove Albion: St James' Park, 14.00 (Sky Sports)
Steve Bruce would have been delighted at what he saw on Monday night. His team were full of enthusiasm and that effort was enough to comfortably see off West Ham. This tie could represent a tougher examination of their players.
Brighton were very unfortunate against Chelsea. At times, they outplayed the Londoners and the 3-5-2 system really was effective. It gave them a strong base to play out from the back and it allowed Tariq Lamptey to thrive as an advanced wing-back.
A more direct approach versus an expansive and open style of play. Honours even!
Prediction: 1-1
Leicester City v Burnley: King Power Stadium, 19.00 (BBC)
It was a great way to start the season for Leicester, especially after their dismal form post-restart. Still, their monumental collapse last season will not have simply disappeared from minds. They effectively had a Champions League spot in the bag but remarkably finished fifth. That will have stung.
Burnley were excellent after the restart and will be confident about taking something out of their opening fixture. The Clarets are more defensively secure than West Brom and certainly have more attacking threat. The duo of Chris Wood and Jay Rodriguez are both capable of double-figure hauls over the campaign.
Leicester have a great squad but there are a few little chinks in the armour. It is a good time for the Clarets to face them and the Foxes should expect a much tougher test for their second league match of the new season.
Prediction: 1-1
Monday
Aston Villa v Sheffield United: Villa Park, 18.00 (Sky Sports)
It's a late start for the team that narrowly avoided the drop last season but there is a sense of optimism at Villa Park. The signing of Ollie Watkins will add goals to the creation of Jack Grealish and John McGinn.
Chris Wilder will he hoping for a response after his team's disappointing outing against Wolverhampton Wanderers. He will want to see a return to that usually solid defensive unit. But it won't be easy.
Villa will want to impress in their first Premier League match of the season and Watkins will be eyeing up a top-flight debut goal.
Prediction: 1-0
Wolverhampton Wanderers v Manchester City: Molineux, 20.15 (Sky Sports)
Wolves surprised me against Sheff United. There were absolutely no signs of fatigue after a long campaign; 2-0 up inside ten minutes!
The visitors will be refreshed and focused after basically taking their foot off the peddle for an entire season. City fell into second and third gear for large parts of the 2019-20 season but that sacrifice should help them in the coming season. Unlike Liverpool, they have had their rest.
It's a tough start for Pep Guardiola and the Spaniard is still in need of a world-class central defender to really boost his chances of winning the title back. But they should have the edge on a very competitive Wolves team.
Prediction: 1-2