Chelsea stunned by Burnley in opener
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LONDON (Reuters) – Premier League champion Chelsea suffered an embarrassing home defeat on the first Saturday of the new season, having two men sent off as unfancied Burnley beat them 3-2 at Stamford Bridge.
Antonio Conte’s disjointed side struggled from the early stages when captain Gary Cahill was dismissed for a lunging tackle and found themselves three-nil down at halftime to a team which had not won at the ground since 1971.
Wales international Sam Vokes scored two of the goals and Stephen Ward the other.
New signing Alvaro Morata from Real Madrid came on to pull one back midway through the second half and then provided an assist for David Luiz, but in between midfielder Cesc Fabregas was also sent off for a second yellow card.
It was a dispiriting afternoon for Conte, who won the title in his first season at the club and has wanted more reinforcements for his squad.
“I am not worried, I am ready to fight with these players,” he said. “Our fight in the second half was very good. But first half after the red card we lost our heads.”
Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp protested that Watford’s stoppage-time equalizer by Manuel Britos in an entertaining 3-3 draw should have been disallowed for offside.
“We were unlucky in the end,” Klopp said. “The equalizer was offside. It’s obvious because the linesman is on the line. He needs to see it.”
After the opening game of the season on Friday between Arsenal and Leicester City produced a thrilling 4-3 win for the Gunners, Vicarage Road saw a similar level of entertainment – including some poor defending.
The home side, under new manager Marco Silva, led twice through Stefano Okaka and Abdoulaye Doucoure but Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino, with a penalty, both equalized.
Debutant Mohamed Salah seemed to have won the points for the visitors before Britos’s dramatic late intervention.
Liverpool will need to be more solid when they visit Hoffenheim in the Champions League qualifying playoffs on Tuesday.
Promoted Huddersfield Town, playing in the top flight for the first time since 1972 and widely tipped for relegation, cruised to a 3-0 win away to Crystal Palace.
Wayne Rooney scored on his return to Everton from Manchester United to give the Merseysiders a 1-0 victory at home to Stoke City. It was his 199th Premier League goal and first for Everton since 2004.
“To score at Goodison on my first game back in the Premier League, it doesn’t get much better,” he said.
Egyptian defender Ahmed Hegazi, on loan to West Bromwich Albion from Al Ahly, scored on his debut in the 1-0 win at home to Bournemouth.
There were no goals on the south coast between Southampton and Swansea City. A clinical Sergio Aguero strike and an own goal by Lewis Dunk condemned Brighton to a losing return to England’s top flight as it was beaten 2-0 by Manchester City.
Back in England’s top division for the first time in 34 years, the Seagulls, for whom Israeli striker Tomer Hemed started, spent most of the game on the back foot, content to concede possession and setting up a compact defensive unit deep in their own half.
Pep Guardiola’s team struggled to break Brighton down until Aguero fired home a pass from David Silva to open the scoring in the 70th minute.
Five minutes later, Brighton defender Dunk slammed a header into his own net.