Debuts to remember off er instant reminder of Premier League excitement

The opening Saturday of the Premier League did not disappoint even if it did have a touch of the unexpected about it once the dust had settled. New boys Huddersfi eld Town were sat at the top of the table, enjoying the view. They have not looked down at the rest of English football since the opening weeks of the 1970- 71 First Division season.

Much like that season they won their opening game 3- 0 in this. Crystal Palace were taken apart at Selhurst Park thanks to two goals from the Terriers’ record signing, the Benin striker Steve Mounie. While it was the former Montpellier man who took the headlines, David Wagner’s side featured four debutants in the starting 11.

The goal- scoring debutant touchpaper was lit by Arsenal’s Alexandre Lacazette on Friday night. The new Gunners striker started paying back his record fee with the opening goal of the opening game of the season at the Emirates. Arsenal’s No. 9 waited just 94 seconds to get off the mark – setting a new record for the Premier League’s fastestscoring debutant.

Goodison Park saw a rather diff erent record set on Saturday afternoon: the longest gap between a player scoring for the same club. It had to be Wayne Rooney and the returning Evertonian scored the only goal of the game against Stoke City in his second debut for the club. His 18th goal for the club came 13 years after his last and was vintage Rooney. He started a move near the halfway line and once fellow debutant San- dro played the ball to Dominic CalvertLewin, England’s record scorer hared into the box to loop a header past Jack Butland.

Alvaro Morata wasted little time in silencing his doubters, scoring a mere 10 minutes after coming on for Michy Batshuayi. Sadly for Chelsea they were already three goals and a man down at home to Burnley by then. The Spaniard scored one, had one disallowed and set up David Luiz to score in stoppage time ensuring a few nervy fans in the traveling section at the death as the champions looked for an unlikely equalizer.

Manchester City’s new look backline made their bows against new boys Brighton & Hove Albion down on the south coast. Goalkeeper Ederson and fullbacks Kyle Walker and Danilo started and it was the England right back that began the move that allowed Sergio Aguero to break the deadlock in the 70th minute.

City boss Pep Guardiola will have been pleased with both fullbacks and an uneventful clean sheet for his No. 1.

Tony Pulis will have perhaps been more pleased than Pep. His West Bromwi ch Albion side notched their first three points of the season – moving closer to the 40- point target he will no doubt have set his team. The only goal of the game came from a set piece nodded in by new center back Ahmed Hegazy. And if that doesn’t sum up everything that’s good about the Premier League’s return nothing will.

The author is a Shanghai- based freelance writer. jmawhite@gmail.com