Premier League 24/25 Opener: City Dominates, United’s Rising Star, Arsenal’s High Hopes

The opening week of the Premier League 2024-25 season was packed with excitement, featuring brilliant debuts, stunning goals, and some early signs of who might be challenging for the title. Let’s dive into the action.

Manchester United Find a New Star in Joshua Zirkzee

Man United 1-0 Fulham

Man United have a new rising star in new signing Joshua Zirkzee who scored in his debut for the ‘Red Devils’. Zirkzee, now a fan favorite, scored United’s only goal in their 1-0 win against Fulham.

United acquired Zirkzee for €40 million from Bologna and his 87th minute conversion was a tell-tale of goals to come.

Manchester City Make a Statement at Stamford Bridge

Chelsea 0-2 Manchester City

Manchester City showcased their dominance with a 2-0 victory over Chelsea. Erling Haaland was the star, scoring the first goal in the 18th minute.

The first came from a silky tap-in after a Bernardo Silva cross. City’s second was a Mateo Kovacic strike in the 84th minute in an impressive solo effort.

May 2024 signing Joško Gvardiol impressed in defense, seamlessly fitting into City’s lineup, as Pep Guardiola’s side laid down an early marker.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Joško Gvardiol (@josko_gvardiol)

Chelsea’s would-be signing, Victor Osimhen, held back and is insistent on going to Paris Saint-Germain, as Fabrizio Romano reports.

Victor Osimhen is set to reject Chelsea and Arsenal – so he can wait up to two weeks for his dream move to PSG.

(Source: Sun Sport) pic.twitter.com/MM7XHgZ2xC

— Transfer News Live (@DeadlineDayLive) August 18, 2024

Liverpool’s Reliable Duo Steers Them Past Ipswich

Ipswich Town 0-2 Liverpool

Liverpool’s legend, Mohamed Salah, made a decent impact, providing an assist for Diogo Jota‘s opener in the 60th minute and scoring a sensational goal himself 5 minutes later.

Mo, as reliable as ever, closed Liverpool’s score card coolly and is now the Premier League’s top scorer after 9 opening weekend goals.

No-one starts a Premier League season better than @MoSalah #IPSLIV | #TheKickOff pic.twitter.com/ndXNCLLXy2

— Premier League (@premierleague) August 17, 2024

Szoboszlai Debuts for Liverpool

Szoboszlai’s £60 million move from RB Leipzig looks to be a bargain already as he orchestrated an impressive move midfield, showing good effort and promise. Liverpool are banking on new players like him to bring back the edge of the good ol’ days.

Arsenal’s Young Guns Fire in a Confident Win

Arsenal 2-0 Wolves

Arsenal’s attack was firing on all cylinders, with Bukayo Saka and Kai Havertz both finding the net in a comfortable 2-0 win over Wolves. Saka finished off a beautiful team move with his goal in the 74th minute, after assisting Havertz’s strike in the 25th minute. Havertz then returned the favor, assisting Saka’s goal.

Declan Rice Debuts for Arsenal

Declan Rice, the Gunners’ £105 million signing from West Ham, controlled the midfield, breaking up play and dictating tempo, signaling Arsenal’s intent to challenge for the title​.

Brighton’s Bright Start

Everton 0-3 Brighton

Brighton demolished Everton 3-0 at Goodison Park, with goals from Kaoru Mitoma (25″), Danny Welbeck (56″) and Simon Adingra (87″). In terms of transfers, Brighton recently signed Carlos Baleba, for £23.2m.

Everton, on the other hand, looked out of sorts and were unable to match Brighton’s intensity and creativity​ prompting questions on their form.

Brighton’s matchup against Everton also saw James Milner become the first Premier League player to appear in 23 Premier League seasons.

10 November 2002: James Milner makes his #PL debut

17 August 2024: James Milner becomes the first player to appear in 23 different #PL seasons#TheKickOff pic.twitter.com/YyY5DLbzrL

— Premier League (@premierleague) August 17, 2024

Newcastle and Aston Villa Earn Hard-Fought Wins

Newcastle United 1-0 Southampton

Newcastle edged Southampton 1-0 with a late goal from Joelinton in the 45th minute.

Harvey Barnes, a new signing from Leicester City for around £39m, was lively on the wing and showed why Newcastle invested in him, providing width and pace. Newcastle’s defense, led by new signing Sven Botman bought for £32m, was solid, helping them secure a clean sheet and all three points​.

West Ham 1-2 Aston Villa

Aston Villa tasted glory after beating West Ham 2-1, thanks to an early 4th minute strike from Amadou Onana and a winner from Jan 24 signing Jhon Duran in the 79th minute. West Ham’s Lucas Paqueta had earlier scored a reprieve goal in the 37th minute.

West Ham’s new manager Julen Lopetegui had this to say: “At the start of the match we made a big gift for them. They had more confidence and energy. We had the last 20 minutes under control and had a good chance to score the second goal, but didn’t.” [Source: Premier League]

Signings to Watch Out for This Season

The Premier League transfer window has brought in some exciting talent, and these new signings have already begun to make their mark:

I. Declan Rice (Arsenal): Arsenal’s £105 million signing was imperious in midfield against Wolves, showing why he is worth every penny with his defensive prowess and leadership.

Blown away by the reception I received before the game! Loved my first minutes at the Emirates, We keep building & pushing. Thank you Gunners❤️

— Declan Rice (@_DeclanRice) August 2, 2023

II. Dominik Szoboszlai (Liverpool): Szoboszlai’s £60 million move has already paid dividends with a goal and an assist on his debut. His creativity and dead-ball skills could be key for Liverpool’s title hopes.

A proper start of the season, well done lads! ☠️ pic.twitter.com/SAFIjpEfu9

— Dominik Szoboszlai (@Dom_Szoboszlai) August 17, 2024

III. Joško Gvardiol (Manchester City): The £77 million defender from RB Leipzig slotted into City’s backline with ease. His strength and composure on the ball make him a perfect fit for Guardiola’s system.

These players are set to be pivotal figures in their respective teams’ fortunes this season, and their performances will be crucial as the Premier League unfolds.

What’s Next?

Week 1 has set the tone for an intriguing season. Manchester City look as dominant as ever, Liverpool and Arsenal are showing early promise, and the battle for the top four is shaping up to be fiercely contested. As we look ahead, the Leicester City vs. Tottenham Hotspur match on Monday will conclude the opening week, with Spurs eager to impress under new management.

Update [Aug 8] – Leicester City Hold Spurs to a 1-All Draw

Leicester City held Tottenham Hotspurs to a 1-1 draw, with Pedro Porro scoring for the COYS (29′) and 37-year-old Jamie Vardy scoring the equalizer for LFC (57′).

You chose Vards as your stand out player in #LEITOT! https://t.co/sHIOoVySeu pic.twitter.com/Sv2aRCX1fc

— Leicester City (@LCFC) August 20, 2024

Both teams played averagely well and we’re excited to see how Leicester will do in their Premier League return.

“They can dominate against a good team.” – Steve Cooper

— Leicester City (@LCFC) August 20, 2024

More from Mania Africa:

Paris 2024 Olympics: Must-See Highlights and Full List of Winners Premier League 2024/25 Matchday 3 Recap: Haaland Hat-Trick Plus Unmissable Drama as Liverpool beat Man United Last Day of EPL 22-23: Man United, Arsenal, and Tottenham Win their Last Games of the Season as Manchester City and Chelsea Flounder The Roll on EPL GW 3: Wins for Man United, Tottenham, Chelsea, Man City and West Ham, with Liverpool Pulling Off a Fierce Comeback The Roll on EPL GW 7: It’s a Spurs Weekend as Spurs Nick Liverpool, Crystal Palace Nick Man United, and an Itch for City as Wolves Nick The Defending Champs in a Shocking Turn of Events EPL GW 36 Results: Manchester City Set to Win EPL Title as Arsenal Lose Out on 3 Critical Points EPL GW 24 Results: Arsenal, Man United, Liverpool, and Tottenham Flourish as Man City and Chelsea Flounder The Roll on EPL GW 6: Arsenal Match Tottenham, Chelsea Still Under, A Long Awaited Man United Win, and Triumph for Man City and Liverpool