By Dwayne Ferreira.
Premier League opening weekend delivers shocks as Arsenal and City win, while Manchester United and Tottenham suffer damaging defeats.
The Premier League opening weekend delivered immediate drama for England’s biggest clubs as Arsenal began their title defence with a convincing victory, while Manchester United and Tottenham suffered damaging defeats. Defending champions Arsenal opened the 2026/27 campaign with a comfortable 3-0 win over Coventry City at the Emirates.
Kai Havertz opened the scoring after 15 minutes before Bukayo Saka doubled the advantage. Captain Martin Ødegaard added a third shortly after half-time. The result also gave Mikel Arteta his 150th Premier League victory as Arsenal manager, providing the champions with an ideal start to their title defence.
Manchester United endured a very different opening weekend. Newly promoted Hull City stunned United 2-0 at the MKM Stadium, with Semi Ajayi and Nobel Mendy scoring the goals. The defeat marked Hull’s first league victory over United in 52 years and the first time Manchester United had lost their opening Premier League match against a newly promoted club.
Tottenham also suffered a disastrous start as Brentford demolished Spurs 3-0. Keane Lewis-Potter, Vitaly Janelt and Michael Kayode scored for Brentford, while Igor Thiago missed a penalty. Roberto De Zerbi’s Tottenham failed to register a shot on target during the first half.
Meanwhile, Manchester City survived a major scare in Enzo Maresca’s first Premier League match in charge. Bournemouth took an early lead thanks to Marcus Tavernier, before Marc Guéhi equalised in the 84th minute. Josko Gvardiol then scored for City deep into stoppage time securing a dramatic 2-1 victory.
Liverpool also needed late drama at Newcastle. Anthony Elanga and Joe Willock scored for Newcastle, while Cody Gakpo responded for Liverpool. However, Dominik Szoboszlai had to convert a 99th-minute penalty to rescue a 2-2 draw, ensuring Liverpool avoided defeat in Andoni Iraola’s first Premier League match in charge.
Premier League Opening Weekend Results
Arsenal 3-0 Coventry City
Hull City 2-0 Manchester United
Everton 2-0 Crystal Palace
Ipswich Town 2-1 Sunderland
Nottingham Forest 0-1 Leeds United
Brentford 3-0 Tottenham Hotspur
Brighton 4-0 Aston Villa
Manchester City 2-1 Bournemouth
Newcastle United 2-2 Liverpool
