5 Takeaways from Premier League Matchday One

5 Takeaways from Premier League Matchday One

Matchday One of the 2026/27 Premier League season has officially come and gone. The season kicked off last Friday, with defending champions Arsenal cruising to a 3-0 victory over Coventry City. The opening round concluded Monday with Chelsea edging Fulham 3-2 in an entertaining West London derby. 

Now that all 20 teams have played their first match of the season, there is plenty to take away from the opening round. From surprise results to early concerns for some of the league’s biggest clubs, here are my biggest observations from Matchday One.

1. Arsenal Are The Team To Beat This Season

If matchday one indicated anything, it’s that Arsenal are not ready to relinquish their Premier League title. 

The defending champions opened their title defense in dominant fashion as they thrashed newly-promoted Coventry City 3-0 at the Emirates Stadium. The Gunners got off to a fast start in this match as Kai Havertz scored the first goal of the game in the 15th minute before Bukayo Saka added a second eight minutes later. After taking a two-goal lead into halftime, Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard scored the third goal, four minutes into the second half, to put the game out of reach for Coventry City. 

Arsenal made this match look like a friendly, as Coventry City never looked remotely capable of threatening the defending champions. It dominated possession, had 20 shots with six on target, and limited Coventry City to only four shots with one on target. For a long time, Arsenal was playing with the pressure of not being capable enough to win another Premier League title after past near-misses. With that pressure gone after winning it last season, the Gunners look like a team playing with not just a lot of confidence but with nothing to lose.

Even though Coventry City will probably be a club that will be fighting to avoid relegation, Arsenal did what elite teams do: beat up inferior opposition. While it’s too early to tell that the Gunners are the clear favorites to win this season’s title, there is no doubt that this team is ready to defend their crown. 

2. Liverpool Is A Team That’s A Work In Progress

After a disappointing fifth-place finish last season, Liverpool is going to need some time to hit its top form this season. The Reds entered this season with a lot of questions after hiring Andoni Iraola, making significant changes to the roster, and wondering how long it was going to take for this new-look team to come together. 

Those questions were not put to rest after Liverpool’s 2-2 draw against Newcastle on the road. They had to come back from behind twice and were lucky to avoid defeat if it wasn’t for a clumsy challenge by Newcastle’s Lewis Hall to give away a penalty to Liverpool in the last minute. There were stretches in the game where Liverpool struggled to control the game and looked vulnerable defensively, as both Newcastle goals came on the counterattack. The offense was ineffective, as they shot the ball 27 times, with seven going on goal. Along with that, Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak continued their struggles as Liverpool players, as they failed to make an impact in the game. 

Despite the draw, there still shouldn’t be major concerns with this team. It was expected that this team was going to take some time to build up their chemistry, even captain Virgil Van Dijk acknowledged this before the beginning of the season. Also, Newcastle has proven to be a good team in the last couple of years, so getting a draw in a hostile environment like St. James’ Park isn’t a bad result.

However, this result has made it clear that the Reds are a team that is trying to figure out its identity. The biggest question is how long it’s going to take Iraola to build a good system around this team that possesses a lot of quality. Liverpool might eventually make themselves title contenders during the season, but for right now, fans will have to be patient with this team because they are a work in progress.  

3. It Might Be A Long Season For Tottenham and Aston Villa

Matchday One couldn’t have gone any worse for Tottenham and Aston Villa. 

Both teams opened their seasons with humiliating losses as they were routinely beaten by their opposition on the road. Tottenham was beaten 3-0 by Brentford while Aston Villa was crushed 4-0 by Brighton.

For Tottenham, this loss was a huge concern due to the amount of money the team spent during the transfer window. After surviving relegation last season with a 17th-place finish, the Spurs invested more than 300 million euros in hopes of not only improving on the previous season but also getting themselves back in the race to compete for a spot in the top six. 

Their performance against Brentford showed that there are a lot of problems with this team, as they failed to get a shot on target in the first half and were dominated by their opponent from start to finish. It doesn’t look like the team’s problems are going away any time soon, and Roberto De Zerbi’s seat as the Tottenham manager will keep getting hotter. 

As for Aston Villa, their loss against Brighton became a reality check that Unai Emery has a tough job up his sleeve after selling a lot of key players from last season during the transfer window. Aston Villa was completely outclassed in this game, as they conceded four goals before halftime and were lucky to not concede more after Joao Gomes was sent off in the second half. With more players like Ollie Watkins expected to leave, Aston Villa will need to bring in more reinforcements if they want to stay competitive for the top six in the Premier League. 

These losses don’t define either team because both teams are capable of turning it around with all the talent they have at their disposal. However, there will be a lot of pressure on both teams heading into matchday two. Both teams have the chance to ease the pressure if they manage to get a result this weekend, but if they don’t, it could be a sign of a long season for both teams.

4. Manchester United Hit By A Reality Check

Just like Tottenham and Aston Villa, the start of the season couldn’t have gone any worse for Manchester United. 

There was a lot of optimism and momentum heading into this season for Manchester United. They finished third last season and looked like one of the best teams in England after Michael Carrick took over as the manager. With the signing of Youri Tielemans and Bruno Fernandes coming off his best season as a Manchester United player, there was plenty of reason to believe that the Red Devils were ready to be title contenders. Instead, they were brought back down to earth after a disappointing loss to newly-promoted Hull City. 

Manchester United suffered its first-ever loss to Hull City in a 2-0 defeat that proved that there are still a lot of problems with this team. The Red Devils’ struggles to be clinical in attack became apparent again as they failed to score despite having 21 shots, with five going on target. Despite being dominated in possession, Hull City looked more dangerous than Manchester United when given opportunities, as they capitalized on two of their four shots on target. 

This was a huge disappointment for the Red Devils as they were expected to win comfortably against a newly-promoted team. Now, there is a lot of pressure on this team heading into matchday two as they take on another newly-promoted team, Ipswich Town. However, Carrick proved last season that his team can respond to adversity. With that in mind, we should expect this team to play better as the season goes on, but it was proven after this loss that Manchester United might not be ready to compete for a Premier League title just yet. 

5. Chelsea’s Attack Looks Among The Best

Despite a back-and-forth battle against Fulham, Chelsea showed that it might have one of the best front threes in England in their 3-2 win. 

Playing in their first game under Xabi Alonso, the newly appointed manager started a front three of Cole Palmer, Joao Pedro, and signing Morgan Rogers. The trio made an immediate impact, with Palmer assisting Pedro just 30 seconds into the match to give Chelsea an early lead. After Fulham equalized, Rogers restored Chelsea’s advantage before halftime. Just four minutes into the second half, Pedro returned the favor by assisting Palmer, who extended Chelsea’s lead to 3-1. The instant chemistry between the three attackers was one of the biggest positives from Chelsea’s opening match. Palmer, Pedro, and Rogers constantly looked dangerous and demonstrated how much attacking firepower Chelsea could have at their disposal this season.

This attack will need to remain crucial throughout the season, especially given the defensive concerns Chelsea exposed in their narrow victory over Fulham. The match also highlighted Chelsea’s need for an upgrade at goalkeeper, as Robert Sánchez was unable to keep out what appeared to be a saveable shot on Fulham’s first goal. If those defensive issues aren’t addressed as the season progresses, Chelsea will eventually be punished for them when they face stronger opposition. Giving up that many chances against the Premier League’s best teams could turn close victories into disappointing defeats.

Still, this was an important win for Chelsea. They managed to earn all three points despite entering the match without Moises Caicedo and with Enzo Fernandez limited. That makes the performance of their front three even more encouraging. Chelsea may have plenty of question marks to answer throughout the season, but the combination of Pedro, Palmer, and Rogers could be good enough to offset some of those weaknesses. If the trio continues to develop the chemistry they showed against Fulham, Chelsea could have an attack capable of competing with anyone in the Premier League.