Liverpool Thrash Bournemouth 4-2 in Season Opener

The first Premier League weekend of the season has been ticked off - almost. The 2025-26 season got underway over the weekend, and there have been thrills and spills already.

Defending champions Liverpool kicked off the season in style with a 4-2 win against Bournemouth at Anfield thanks to two late goals from Federico Chiesa and Mohamed Salah . Aston Villa and Newcastle battled to the first 0-0 of the season, while Brighton were held by Fulham .

Tottenham and Manchester City opened the season with comprehensive victories against Burnley and Wolves respectively. Newly-promoted Sunderland also got off to the perfect start with a dominant win against West Ham .

Controversy reigned at Stamford Bridge as Crystal Palace earned a point against Chelsea . Meanwhile, Manchester United 's woes have continued with defeat against Arsenal.

There's still one more game to go as Leeds start their campaign vs Everton . But what have Mirror Football writers noticed from the (very short) Premier League so far?

When Manchester City signed former AC Milan midfielder Tijjani Reijnders for £46.5m, it looked like a good deal for a player who had scored 15 goals last season and was entering his peak years.

That fee however now looks to be a real bargain following one of the best Premier League debuts of recent years. The Dutchman put in a real virtuoso performance in City’s 4-0 trouncing of Wolves at Molineux. He covered basically every blade of grass, showed excellent creativity and composure. And he even had the finish to open his goalscoring account for his new club with a well-taken strike.

It’s not often you see a new signing take to a brand new league with such little effort but to come away with a goal and an assist represents an excellent return for Reijnders.

So often last season City lacked a real midfield presence due to Rodri’s knee injury but Reijnders appears to be just the man to replace him at the Etihad. If he can keep up those levels, then there is no reason why he can’t be a key cog in another relentless trophy-winning machine under Pep Guardiola .

What is your key takeaway from the first weekend of the Premier League season? Share your thoughts in the comments below

It is hardly the biggest headline from the weekend, but it could mark a significant improvement. On Saturday, Martin Dubravka became the first victim of a new Premier League rule . Burnley were just three minutes and 13 seconds into their top-flight campaign when Dubravka got his hands on the ball against Tottenham, before quickly losing it again.

Burnley's new goalkeeper held onto the ball for longer than eight seconds and therefore conceded a corner. The rule is designed to limit time wasting, which has become a scourge of elite football. Unlike many other changes to the game, this appears like a simple and easily applied one, which hopefully will have a positive impact.

Unfortunately, it can't stop the more conventional method of time wasting, which serial perpetrator David Raya demonstrated against Manchester United the following day. The Arsenal goalkeeper took an age over every goal kick or free-kick and was finally booked late on at Old Trafford. Time wasting will no doubt continue in those situations and from throw-ins, but one avenue has at least been shut down.

Going into the new season, some worried whether Pep Guardiola’s motivation was waning and a few even speculated he might not have long left as Manchester City manager. Now, though, it looks as though all he heeded was some shiny new toys to play with.

Some ruthless finishing sent City top with a 4-0 win at Wolves, with two of those summer signings on target. Tijjani Reijnders stole the show, but Rayan Cherki’s cameo showcased a level of creativity that could really come in handy against tougher-to-break-down opponents.

Not only that, but Oscar Bobb has made an early case for the ‘like a new signing’ badge after missing the bulk of last season through injury - with Rodri still to return.

Yes, it’s worth recognising that City won their first four games last season before Rodri’s injury. But winning in this manner while still waiting for the Spaniard to take his place in the side will surely worry their rivals for the title.

We can be guilty of not always realising just how good a foreign player is until they play in the Premier League and it looks as if Tijjani Reijnders might be the latest example. With Kevin De Bruyne no longer part of the furniture at Man City they've bought in the Dutchman, who was an instant hit on his debut during the win at Wolves. He was on the scoresheet, as was Rayan Cherki, who could be another massive hit.

City's recruitment may not have seen them land the household names, but Reijnders could yet prove to be an absolute steal having joined from AC Milan for £42.5m. There's no doubt that those on the blue side of Manchester have gone under the radar, regardless of what the pundits say. Few have tipped them to regain their Premier League crown, but that may suit them as they embark on a new era under Pep Guardiola.

My biggest takeaway from the opening weekend was Granit Xhaka might just be one of the signings of the season. While falling hopelessly headfirst into the trap of making judgements after one game, Sunderland’s incredible summer spending spree - in excess of £150m - gave them the energy to beat West Ham and the belief they can stay up.

At the heart of that is former Arsenal captain Xhaka who now wears the armband at the Stadium of Light and, at 32, is the experienced leader a newly-promoted club needs.

When the deal was first mooted, most fans were a bit surprised. He is swapping Bayer Leverkusen for a relegation scrap but it actually shows ambition and determination.

Sunderland’s was the best win of the weekend in my eyes. We desperately need one - hopefully two - of the newly-promoted clubs to stay up. It’s ridiculous that we keep seeing three up and three straight back down. It’s bad for the league.

But a rocking, loud and raucous Stadium of Light is good for the Premier League. I did tip Sunderland to go down before the season started - but I so hope they prove me wrong.

Plenty of players have come and gone this summer, and big hitters like Virgil van Dijk and Mo Salah remain, but if you could guarantee Liverpool supporters that one star would stay fit throughout the season then plenty are going to say Ryan Gravenberch.

Redeployed at the base of midfield, the Dutchman started every game last season up until the point that the title was secured, but his red card on the final day against Crystal Palace meant that he was suspended for the opener against Bournemouth on Friday, and it showed.

The Cherries were able to cut through the Liverpool midfield far too easily, and while more alterations and additions are expected in defence and attack in the remainder of the transfer window, getting Gravenberch back into his position as the midfield anchor is imperative for a Liverpool side who shipped 11 goals in six pre-season matches, including two in the Community Shield which Gravenberch missed as his partner gave birth.

Liverpool will face a fiery welcome at Newcastle next Monday, and they're going to need their midfield lynchpin available.

Are Arsenal going to play like this every week? If so then they will struggle to beat the big boys and finally land the title. They were hard to watch at Old Trafford. Yes they were defensively resolute but Roy Keane was right - why didn’t they look to kill off United?

Martin Odegaard still looks off his best and that has to be a worry. So many counter attacks he ruined by making the wrong decision or misplacing a pass. Liverpool certainly looked defensively vulnerable but they were ruthless in attack on Friday night while Manchester City were clinical and calm in walloping Wolves.

Arsenal looked sluggish and sloppy against an improved United but certainly not a title-challenging team from Old Trafford. It’s great to be good at set pieces but, my word, how long do they take over each one?

Arsenal have the attacking talent to be explosive and exciting to watch but last season they were too often boring and drew too many games. If they repeat their Old Trafford performance against better teams than United then they will be doing the same again this season.

So if you're an attacking player you can't be within one metre (or a yard) of a wall which has three or more defending players in it. Who knew? Well it seemed as though Marc Guehi didn't, judging by his reaction to referee Darren England when Eberechi Eze's goal was ruled out for Crystal Palace at Stamford Bridge.

So learning a new law of the game might well be my biggest takeaway from the opening weekend. The challenge for the referees now will be to ensure that the rule is consistently applied, because surely this type of thing has happened before and not been punished?

Sky has slashed the price of its Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle ahead of the 2025/26 season, saving members £192 and offering more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more.