The action kicked off at White Hart Lane with some decent football from Spurs and a breathtaking display from Joe Hart. Capello looking ever more foolish for not putting his trust in the young keeper at the World Cup. This game was let down by only one side wanting to play any football. How a side that has spent a zillion billion pound in the last 2 years can justify playing for a nil nil draw on the opening day of the season I don't know. Spurs looked like title contenders for the first 45 minutes and will have been sorely disappointed not to have won the game. The second half was more even with Tottenham looking the better side. City need to find their rhythm quickly which will be a hard task given the size of their squad. Keeping 25 international stars happy will be a tough task and on current evidence I'm not sure Mancini commands enough respect to maintain control. His handling of Craig Bellamy has been abysmal.
Blackpool got off to a dream start that not many predicted. They destroyed Wigan comfortably playing the type of free flowing football that Wigan manager Roberto Martínez has been promising Wigan fans since he took over last June. It may be a quick jolt of reality though for Blackpool as they visit Arsenal next week. Sadly I think both of these teams will be relegated and if Martínez can't conjure up a magical performance over the next 2 or 3 games he will be the next managerial casualty of no doubt many this season. Ian Holloway, on the other hand should have no worries about keeping his job after surprising everyone last season to get relegation favourites, Blackpool promoted in his first season with the club. My hope is that they repeat this performance enough times this season to gain some much deserved respect from the major press who shamefully see Holloway as little more than a joker.
Sunderland against Birmingham was another good game that Sunderland could have won comfortably had Lee Catermole's poor discipline and recklessness not reared it's ugly head yet again as the 22 year old earned his 4th red card of his short career. Steve Bruce's continual condemnation of referees is beginning to look tiresome as there was nothing wrong with rookie referee, Anthony Taylor's performance. Bruce should save his abuse for his players after throwing away a 2-0 lead with some sloppy defending. Birmingham, on the other hand will be delighted to have scored twice after their appalling scoring record last season.
Everton slumped to an unexpected opening day defeat to Blackburn after an uncharacteristic gaff by Tim Howard. Blackburn showed a lot of strength to hold off Everton for a deserved 3 points and could be a dark horse this season if they can find a few more goals to accompany their impressive defence. Everton need to improve on this performance if they are to mount a challenge on the European places as they lacked a certain spark during this performance.
It was interesting to see how Aston Villa would react after Martin O'Neill's sudden departure and credit must be given for their rousing performance against the woeful Hammers whose new manager
Wolves got a great 3 points against Stoke with the highlight of the game being a truly inventive goal from a free-kick just outside the area for Wolves. Karl Henry provided a short pass for David Jones who flicked the ball up and somehow managed to dip the ball over the wall and just under the bar. It will have been hugely disappointing for Tony Pulis and Stoke fans to lose Kenwyne Jones after just 13 minutes to what looked a pretty nasty injury on his debut after making a big money move from Sunderland. Wolves were deserved 2-1 winners on the day and on this form can look forward to a mid-table finish.
Bolton and Fulham was a dour affair with neither side looking likely to break the deadlock. Both sides will see this as a point won as they begin what could be a long hard season fought at the lower end of the Premiership table.
Chelsea got off to a perfect start against a terrible West Brom who will need to improve their defending drastically if they are to stand a chance of avoiding the yoyo club tag and dropping back down to the championship for the 4th time in 7 years. This was no great challenge for Chelsea but will be good for the team morale after a disappointing set of performances in pre-season.
Liverpool hosted Arsenal in their first Premier League game under Roy Hodgson. It was a great game despite several big stars not yet deemed fit enough to make the starting lineup. Joe Cole's harsh red card in the final moments of the first half seemed to have a positive affect on Liverpool as they were much the better side in the second half after Arsenal controlled the tempo of the game in the first half. If it were not for a remarkable error from the usually dependable Reina, Liverpool would have ended the game with 3 points but a draw was a fair result that both managers can be pleased with at this early stage of the season.
Manchester United got off to a great start at home against the newly promoted Newcastle on Monday night. United continued where they left off in the Community Shield with another fantastic performance from Paul Scholes. Berbatov also played well again and the hope for Man United fans will be that he can maintain this level of performance throughout the season, particularly away from home where his performances have tended to drop, even back in his Tottenham days. This was a very tough start for Newcastle and it's hard to judge their potential against an outstanding Manchester United. They will be hoping their season can start next week when they have another tough game against Aston Villa, this time at home.
