Premier League opening weekend drama sees Manchester United humiliated and Arsenal jeered by fans

If the past is anything to go by, the Premier League’s opening weekend rarely goes exactly as expected — it’s often packed with surprise results. Sometimes those shocks foreshadow the season ahead; other times they come from new managers or revamped squads still finding their rhythm. On occasion, they’re nothing more than an early stumble that’s forgotten by May.

This first round of fixtures can be brutal — just ask Manchester United and Arsenal, who meet on Sunday. Liverpool, meanwhile, are expected to breeze past Bournemouth at Anfield, while Manchester City travel to Wolves — a ground that hasn’t always been kind to them. Chelsea host Community Shield winners Crystal Palace, and Tottenham face newly promoted Burnley in a match they’re tipped to handle comfortably.

But early-season matches, with fresh signings and new systems in play, can upend the usual order. They can spark overreactions, especially if the transfer window hasn’t gone to plan. Looking back, there have been plenty of eyebrow-raising opening results — some quickly overcome, others marking the beginning of bigger problems.

Take Reece Oxford’s sensational debut, when the teenager dominated midfield to kickstart Slaven Bilic’s West Ham tenure. That same game revealed Dimitri Payet’s star potential, while Arsenal’s big signing, Petr Cech, endured a nightmare debut with a costly mistake. In another forgettable Emirates opener, boos rang out as Arsene Wenger’s side fell short — prompting the signing of Mesut Özil to salvage what looked like a grim campaign.

There was also Brentford’s dream Premier League debut, with a buzzing home crowd watching their streetwise performance topple Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal, leading to early calls for the manager’s dismissal before a recovery took shape. And while Hull’s win over Leicester might not seem monumental, it was still a shock — a newly promoted side, without their manager, defeating the reigning champions and starting the Foxes’ post-title slump.