Fans are back... so are home comforts

FOR so long football fans have had to wait — stuck at home with no choice but to watch their beloved sides on television as canned chants and boos replaced their own hearty cheers.

But now, after 17 long months, they are back. Football, as we know it and love it, is back. And with it, so too is home advantage.

With last season played out behind closed doors, away teams enjoyed their most successful campaign ever. The Premier League became the first division in the history of the top four tiers of English football to see away teams win more games than the home sides.

No supporters to cheer them on, no pressure on the referee.

However, we are only eight games into the new Premier League season and normal service has resumed.

So far, there have been six wins for the home sides. Manchester United stuck five past Leeds in front of nearly 73,000 at Old Trafford before Chelsea breezed past Crystal Palace while Everton, Leicester and Watford also won.

It comes after Brentford kicked off the season — their first back in the top flight for 74 years — with a dominant win over Arsenal. The crowd cheered every kick and sang their hearts out long after the final whistle. It’s what we’ve all missed and football is infinitely better for it.

Meanwhile, just two wins for away teams — Liverpool’s victory at Norwich and Brighton’s comeback at Burnley.

The wins have gone up, so too have the goals. Score more goals, win more games. Last season, home teams scored just 1.35 goals per game. After eight games, hosts have banged in 18, at 2.25 per game. Bruno Fernandes bagged three on his own with a sublime hat-trick at Old Trafford.

Away sides, thus far, have been left to feed off the scraps. Nine goals for them, half as many. Arsenal, Wolves and Palace all failed to find the net.

We are yet to see a penalty awarded by an under- pressure referee, though there’s not been much for fans to get too angry about. They’re back in the stands and their teams are winning. What more could they ask for?