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| Sam Vokes scored twice as Burnley torpedoed defending champions Chelsea 3-2 at Stamford Bridge on Saturday in one of the most sensational opening-weekend results in English top-flight history.
Sam Vokes scored twice as Burnley torpedoed defending champions Chelsea
3-2 at Stamford Bridge on Saturday in one of the most sensational
opening-weekend results in English top-flight history.
Chelsea had Captain Gary Cahill and Cesc Fabregas sent off and Burnley
took full advantage through Vokes's brace and a superb Stephen Ward effort,
with goals from Alvaro Morata and David Luiz coming in vain.
Leicester City lost 2-1 at Hull City on the first day last season, but
given the unexpected nature of their title win, this was the biggest
opening-day shock since Manchester United's 3-1 loss at Aston Villa in 1995.
"It was a pity because our fight in the second half was very
good," said Chelsea manager Antonio Conte.
"But our first half, we kept losing our heads. After the red card
we lost our heads, conceded two goals and then it's very difficult to change
the final result."
Big-spending Manchester City won 2-0 at promoted Brighton and Hove
Albion, while Huddersfield Town marked their top-flight return with a fine 3-0
win at Crystal Palace that sent them top of the table.
Burnley's win, their first at Chelsea since 1971, further blackened the
mood around Stamford Bridge after a close season during which Conte has grown frustrated
by his club's lack of transfer activity.
Conte was without the injured Eden Hazard and out-of-favour striker
Diego Costa, while £58 million ($75.5 million, 63.8 million euros) signing
Morata started on the bench.
Youth-team graduate Jeremie Boga made his debut, but was hauled off in
the reshuffle that followed Cahill's 14th-minute dismissal for a studs-up foul
on Steven Defour.
Vokes put Burnley ahead in the 24th minute, volleying in from Matthew
Lowton's cross.
Ward doubled the visitors' advantage in the 39th minute with a
blistering left-foot strike from Jack Cork's lofted pass and Vokes added a
third before half-time, heading in Defour's cross.
Half-time substitute Morata and Luiz reduced the arrears in the second half;
either side of Fabregas's 81st-minute dismissal for a second yellow card, but
Burnley hung on for a famous victory.
"Did we expect this situation? No, if we're honest," said
Burnley manager Sean Dyche.
"It was a fantastic three points and the referee, I just want to
say, was fantastic today."
- Klopp unhappy -
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola had some £150 million of new
recruits on display at Brighton, but it took the pre-season favourites until
the 70th minute to take the lead.
David Silva fed Sergio Aguero to run through and beat goalkeeper Mathew
Ryan and five minutes later Lewis Dunk headed Fernandinho's cross into his own
net.
"We controlled the counter-attacks and we didn't concede one
chance," Guardiola said.
"I was very happy with the new players. I want to say thank you to
the club. We have huge players with lots of talent. Big congratulations to all the
people in Manchester City we are a strong club."
Liverpool were denied a winning start as Miguel Britos claimed a
contentious stoppage-time leveller to earn Watford a 3-3 draw at Vicarage Road.
Watford twice went in front through Stefano Okaka and Abdoulaye
Doucoure, but Liverpool equalised each time via Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino,
who then teed up new boy Mohamed Salah to put the visitors 3-2 up.
In the third minute of injury time, a shot from Richarlison was pushed
against the bar by Liverpool goalkeeper Simon Mignolet and Britos, who appeared
to be offside, nodded the ball over the line.
"The equaliser was offside. It's obvious because the linesman is on
the line. He needs to see it," said Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp.
Frank de Boer made a losing start as Palace manager after a Joel Ward
own goal and a Steve Mounie double earned Huddersfield a 3-0 win on their
return to the top flight after an absence of 45 years.
Mounie's goals were the first repayments on his club-record £11.4
million transfer from Montpellier and sent the Yorkshire club to the top of the
fledgling standings.
Wayne Rooney crowned his first appearance for formative club Everton
since 2004 by notching the winner in a 1-0 win over Stoke City, heading in
Dominic Calvert-Lewin's cross for his 199th Premier League goal.
Debutant Ahmed Hegazi's first-half header earned West Bromwich Albion a
1-0 win over Bournemouth, while Mauricio Pellegrino's tenure as Southampton
manager began with a 0-0 draw at home to Swansea City.
Late goals from substitutes Aaron Ramsey and
Olivier Giroud earned Arsenal a 4-3 win over Leicester in Friday's frantic
opening game.
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