Promoted sides make their mark
The 2026/27 season opened with a truly stunning statement from the newly promoted clubs. Two of the three sides coming up from the Championship won their opening fixtures. Hull City hammered Manchester United 2:0 — one of the biggest opening-day upsets in recent Premier League history. Ipswich Town beat Sunderland 2:1 in a hard-fought promoted-sides derby. Only Coventry City fell short, losing 0:3 to Arsenal, but their opponents were defending champions — about as tough a debut as you can get.
Numbers after 9 matches (10th on Monday)
Across the nine matches played, 28 goals were scored — an impressive average of 3.1 per game. Brighton scored the most with four goals and conceded none. Arsenal and Brentford also kept clean sheets. Tottenham are the only side who did not register a single shot on target during the entire match — a remarkable and deeply concerning statistic for a club of their stature.
Managerial debuts — mixed fortunes
The 2026/27 season brings several new faces to the dugout. Thomas Frank (Tottenham) lost his debut 0:3 to his former club. Enzo Maresca (Chelsea) plays his first league match on Monday against Fulham. Aston Villa's new manager suffered a 0:4 home defeat to Brighton — also far from the start he would have wanted.
Surprises of the round
The standout shock is clearly Hull City vs United. The second-biggest surprise is Brighton's performance — very few predicted a 4:0 win over Villa in the opening round. Manchester City had to come from behind against Bournemouth to win 2:1 — not the commanding display expected from a title contender. Liverpool drew 2:2 with Newcastle after a stoppage-time equaliser — a point rescued rather than earned.