Full houses feast eyes on Premier League goal-fest

Fans treated to bumper weekend of action as title hopefuls get off to flier

The return of near-capacity crowds fueled a barrage of goals and a bunch of home wins on the first Saturday of the English Premier League season.

Fans at Old Trafford particularly enjoyed themselves.

More than 72,000 spectators－Britain's biggest soccer crowd since the pandemic－saw Bruno Fernandes' hat-trick and Paul Pogba's four assists sweep Manchester United to a 5-1 thrashing of fierce rival Leeds, a statement of intent from a team whose last of its record 20 top-flight titles came in 2013.

It was the highest-scoring encounter on a day featuring 25 goals across seven matches, at an average of 3.57－much higher than a typical season's average. The presence of fans may also have contributed to there being five home wins, an immediate swing from last season when there were more away wins (40 percent compared to 38 percent for home teams).

Chelsea, the European champion and a big title contender like United, flexed its early-season muscles by overwhelming Crystal Palace in a 3-0 win that could have been heavier in front of nearly 39,000 fans.

Liverpool was the other expected title challenger to begin its league campaign and Mo Salah set up two goals before scoring himself－the fifth straight season he has netted in the opening round－in a 3-0 win at promoted Norwich.

There were also wins for promoted team Watford and Everton, who beat Aston Villa 3-2 and Southampton 3-1 respectively, and Leicester, which defeated Wolves 1-0 thanks to a goal by 34-year-old striker Jamie Vardy.

Aside from Liverpool, the only away winner was Brighton, which came from behind to beat Burnley 2-1 at Turf Moor.

The British government lifted social-distancing measures on July 19, paving the way for clubs to allow fans back in force after they were shut down for almost the entirety of last season and the end of the 2019-20 season. Capacities aren't quite at their maximum, though, because certain areas of stadiums have limited access around players and officials.

Manchester City, the reigning champion, began the defense of its title at Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.

Bruno bonanza

On a day when Jadon Sancho made his debut for Manchester United off the bench and Raphael Varane was presented as the club's second big signing, a packed crowd at Old Trafford was treated to a midfield clinic by United's two most high-profile players.

Pogba has again been linked with a move away from United during the offseason but he was laughing and joking around after the final whistle after collecting more assists in one game than he managed in the entire 2020-21 campaign. Fernandes was the beneficiary with his first hat-trick in English soccer－and none of the goals came from the penalty spot this time.

Fernandes ran onto Pogba's clipped pass for United's 30th-minute opener and, after Luke Ayling equalized for Leeds with a long-range strike in the 49th, a sublime Pogba through-ball played in Mason Greenwood for an angled shot that regained the lead for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side.

Fernandes ran onto another pinpoint Pogba pass before cutting inside and driving in a low effort that just went over the line before being cleared away by Ayling.

Fernandes completed his hat-trick by running onto a long pass by Victor Lindelof and rifling a shot high into the net, before Pogba made it four assists for the match by providing the cross that Fred swept home in the 68th.

"When you run down that end and you score four goals like we did second half, it's just the best feeling in the world," said Solskjaer.

"To be reunited with the fans again is important. This is the real Man United."

Chelsea cruises

Chelsea is looking to follow up winning the Champions League title with capturing another Premier League trophy and the team didn't need new signing Romelu Lukaku to overpower Palace.

Defenders Marcos Alonso and Trevoh Chalobah－with his first goal for the Blues, on his Premier League debut－scored either side of a close-range strike by US forward Christian Pulisic in a dominant display by Thomas Tuchel's team.

The victory came three days after Chelsea won the UEFA Super Cup by beating Villarreal in a penalty shootout.

It was a sobering result for Palace's newly hired manager, former Arsenal midfielder Patrick Vieira, who was taking charge of a competitive game for the first time in English soccer.

"We have to hunt the others from day one," said Tuchel. "This is what we want to do, this is our mentality and we are never shy to fight for the best outcome possible but the reality is we are not the favorites right now."

Salah streak

Liverpool star Salah just loves a Premier League opener.

The Egyptian set up two goals at Norwich and scored himself for a fifth straight year in the opening weekend, the first player to do so.

Diogo Jota and the player who replaced him in the 61st minute, Roberto Firmino, scored from passes from Salah before the latter curled a shot high into the net for a record-breaking strike.

Virgil Van Dijk completed 90 minutes in his first competitive match in 10 months after an anterior cruciate ligament injury.

"It's amazing if I'm honest," said the Reds defender on his return.

"I need games; the manager knows it, I know it, but it was a good start today and hopefully I'm ready for next week."

Agencies