NFL
By: Ty Reeves
After two and a half months, the Premier League is backfiring on all cylinders. Matchday one provided us with nail biters, blowouts, and very much so exciting football. The fans are back in packed stadiums to start off the new campaign as it’s so good to see the joy football brings to people from all over the world.
I’ll take you through the biggest games of the new season.
Arsenal: 0 Brentford: 2
Arsenal took on newly-promoted Brentford, who is finally back in the Premier League after a very short 74 years. Fans packed the Brentford Community Stadium to see what was a great way to start the 2021-2022 season. The Bees handed the Gunners a 2-0 defeat in what proved to be a very strong outing.
This Brentford fan was in tears after watching his team win their first top-flight game in 74 years 🥺🐝
(via @footballdaily)pic.twitter.com/RT1dU423Lm
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) August 13, 2021
I feel bad for every Arsenal fan around the world because it seems as though everyone gets their hopes up that they will find a way to turn the club around. But at the end of the day, it’s just the same old Arsenal. The Bees were physical, attacking-minded, and very much finished their chances when they were presented in the match. Arsenal looked lost, with absolutely no tactical vision throughout the game. To put it in simple terms, it was boys against men.
Brentford’s first goal came in the 22nd minute when Sergi Canos rifled a ball into the lower left-hand corner of the net. They then doubled their lead in the 73rd minute when Christian Norgaard nodded the ball into the back of the net off a long throw-in. The Bees would take all 3 points, leaving their fans with tears of joy and optimism, while Arsenal was left with nothing.
Manchester United: 5 Leeds United: 1
The Red Devils got off to a flying start to the new Premier League season with a dominant performance against Leeds at Old Trafford. Bruno Fernandes put on a magical performance supplying United with a hat trick while Pogba provided a dominant shift on the pitch.
The highlights you've all been waiting for! 🍿#MUFC | #MUNLEE pic.twitter.com/DSk0ZPW3A0
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) August 14, 2021
The first fifty minutes of the game was a stalemate with the teams being level 1-1. However, after Mason Greenwood’s goal in the 52nd minute, the flood gates opened for United. Within a 16 minute span, the game was turned on its head with United scoring 4 goals in that time frame. Leeds would find no way back from the deficit with Luke Ayling scoring their only goal of the game.
The combination of Bruno and Pogba was unmatched in the game with Bruno scoring 3 and Pogba supplying 4 assists throughout the match.
On a different note, Jadon Sancho came off the bench to make his Manchester United debut while Raphael Varane was presented on the pitch as the Red Devils’ new defender after signing from Spain giants Real Madrid.
✍️ He's here. It's signed.
Welcome to Manchester United, welcome to Old Trafford, Raphaël Varane! 👋
Even a hug for @rioferdy5… pic.twitter.com/XCMlSLtvKl
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) August 14, 2021
Manchester City: 0 Tottenham: 1
After coming off an incredible season winning the league, Manchester City’s title defense didn’t start as planned as they suffered a 1-0 defeat to Tottenham away from home. With all the controversy surrounding Spurs and Harry Kane’s future at the club, seeing how the team would perform without him was quite the sight. Insert Heung-Min Son.
Tottenham’s number 7 would not disappoint, scoring the winning goal for Spurs in the 55th minute of the match. Spurs performance under new manager Nuno Dos Santos was a master class. The defensive shift the Spurs players put in was superb and right-back Japhet Tanganga was fantastic.
SON 😱
What a goal to put @SpursOfficial on top against Man City 🔥
(via @NBCSportsSoccer)pic.twitter.com/YjB6Fycsof
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) August 15, 2021
Now, this was a typical City performance, besides losing the game. City controlled the pace and the tempo of the match from start to finish. The team included new signing Jack Grealish who showed flashes of what he can do throughout the match. However, City lost the game to their well-known weakness. The counterattack. Besides that one moment, it looked as though City would win the match, but that’s football.
Chelsea: 3 Crystal Palace: 0
Fresh off their Super Cup win, Chelsea blasted Crystal Palace at Stamford bridge. Chelsea’s defenders turned into strikers with Marcos Alonso and youngster Trevor Chalobah each scoring while Captain America, Christian Pulisic, scored the third.
Alonso opened the scoring in the 26th minute when the defender banged in a free-kick from the right side of the Palace 18-yard-box. Pulisic would then double the lead after tapping home a loose ball in the Palace box after a cross came in from Mason Mount in the 40th minute.
Then it would be the Chelsea Academy product, Chalobah, to put the finishing touches on the match for the Blues. The youngster would receive the ball in the middle of the field, take three touches and without hesitation, blast the ball into the lower left-hand corner of the net to give himself his first Premier League goal, on his Premier League debut.
What dreams are made of! 👌 pic.twitter.com/91bmHipKF3
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) August 14, 2021
For Crystal Palace, it was not the way the team wanted to start off the season under new manager and Premier League legend Patrick Viera. Lucky for them, it’s only week one of a long season.
Liverpool: 3 Norwich: 0
The dethroned Champions Liverpool look to get back on top of the Premier League as the Reds took a step in the right direction after defeating newly promoted Norwich away from home on Saturday. Virgil Van Dijk was back in the Liverpool squad playing his first competitive game after suffering a torn ACL last season against Everton.
Liverpool dominated the entire 90 minutes of the game. The goal scorers for the Reds we’re Diego Jota, Bobby Firmino, and no other than Mohamed Salah. Salah’s goal set a new Premier League record with the Egyptian scoring in five consecutive opening day Premier League games.
If you can start your season like @MoSalah, always start your season like @MoSalah.
Breaking records in Red. 𝗔𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻… ❤️ pic.twitter.com/yd2foUls9k
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) August 14, 2021
Norwich’s best chance of the game came in the 87th minute when a cross into the Liverpool box fell at the feet of three Canaries. Unfortunately for Norwich, none of those players were able to find the net, only forcing Liverpool keeper Alisson Becker to make a decent save.
