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Premier League

Shocks Reign as Premiership Burst into Surprise Openings

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The English Premier League, undoubtedly the most followed domestic football league in the world opened at the weekend with a flurry of shocks, but the big boys still lived up to expectations.

   While defending champions, Chelsea suddenly discovered themselves being pummelled at home and taking a 0-3 dip at half time, elsewhere, the likes of Wayne Rooney at Everton and Alexandre Lacazette with Arsenal proved their worth at the summer transfer market.

Alexandre Lacazette on the opening day on Friday needed just two minutes to fire Arsenal ahead in an eventual 4-3 defeat of Leicester City. So also Rooney fired in the only goal that enabled Everton overcome Stoke City.

What is more, his goal on Saturday was the 300th Premier League goal in which he was involved.

He is thus just 24 goals behind record holder, Alan Shearer. But as both Rooney and Lacazette made individual marks, Chelsea have everything to worry about in their title defence which opened with a 2-3 loss at home to lowly rated Burnley.

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They became the first defending champion to concede three goals in an opening match. They eventually finished their league opener with two man deficit.

Had it not been for Chelsea’s debacle/Burnley’s triumph, Liverpool’s draw at the hands of Watford would be the story of the day.

Miguel Britos scored a controversial goal in extra time to hand Watford a 3-3 draw with the boys from the Merseyside.

Watford are considered lightweights by Premier League standards, the match had the feeling of a heavyweight bout, as the two clubs traded blows all afternoon, with Watford landing the final punch that secured the draw.

But the hornets also landed the opening punch, with a goal from Nigerian decent, Stefano Okaka in the eighth minute.

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With uncertainty over the future of Philippe Coutinho, the mantle of best player at Liverpool will fall to either Sadio Mane or Roberto Firmino, both of whom scored on Saturday.

Mane sped around the Watford box and curled home a give-and-go with a couple of his teammates to the far-post in the 29th.

That lead didn’t last long, however, as Abdoulaye Doucouré brought Watford back ahead three minutes later. On the other side of the half, Firmino scored from the penalty spot following a foul on new boy Mohamed Salah to bring the score level again at 2-2.

It was Salah, a player with a bright future at Anfield, who scored two minutes after Firmino to give Liverpool its first lead of the match.

On the counter, Firmino chipped the keeper, but the shot was on trajectory to land well short of the goal line. But Salah charged onto the ball as if it were a pass and put a boot on it to score on the open net.

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With two goals in quick succession, Liverpool seemed to have weathered the storm and were set to take three points from the match at Vicarage Road.

But Britos headed the match-tying goal in off the line after the Reds failed to clear a corner that ricocheted around the box and to the Watford man.

There were calls for offside, but the referee swallowed his whistle and the goal stood.

Liverpool has the right to feel aggrieved in this draw, considering both the controversy on the last goal, as well as an offside Watford player in the build-up to the Doucouré goal.

But plenty of this draw was created by their own faults. The main criticism of the Reds last season was that, while they could score with the best of them, their defence was broken down far too easily far too often, especially on set pieces.

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That doesn’t seem to have changed in the offseason, as Jurgen Klopp never bought another defender to reinforce his back line.

If he doesn’t change something soon, this trend of excellent attacking and atrocious defending could continue for the next nine months.

Although it wasn’t on the same scale as Chelsea-Burnley, Huddersfield Town also secured an upset in the club’s first ever match in the Premier League, and they did it by a large margin.

The Terriers defeated Crystal Palace to open the season. A Joel Ward own goal and two from new signing Steve Mounie gave Huddersfield a 3-0 win away from home at Selhurst Park. It’s a dream start for one of the club’s favoured for relegation this season.

With three goals and a +3 goal differential, Huddersfield Town is top of the league. The beginning of the Premier League season is weird, man.

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Other Premier League results

  • Brighton 0-2 Manchester City
  • West Brom 1-0 Bournemouth
  • Southampton 0-0 Swansea City

Kunle Solaja is the author of landmark books on sports and journalism as well as being a multiple award-winning journalist and editor of long standing. He is easily Nigeria’s foremost soccer diarist and Africa's most capped FIFA World Cup journalist, having attended all FIFA World Cup finals from Italia ’90 to Qatar 2022. He was honoured at the Qatar 2022 World Cup by FIFA and AIPS.

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Premier League

Ten Hag credits United’s leadership for proactive transfer moves

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Pre Season Friendly - Rangers v Manchester United - Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh, Scotland, Britain - July 20, 2024 Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag Action Images via Reuters/Ed Sykes

Manchester United are on the front foot in the transfer market thanks to the club’s leadership making quick and decisive moves to secure new players early, manager Erik ten Hag said after the signing of Leny Yoro and Joshua Zirkzee.

Since British billionaire and INEOS chairman Jim Ratcliffe took control of football operations at Old Trafford, acquiring a 25% stake in February, United has not only witnessed a new hierarchy but also benefited from new ideas.

United signed French defender Yoro on a five-year contract for a fee of 62 million euros ($67 million) on Thursday, the 18-year-old had been pursued by several top European clubs prior to his move to Manchester, including Real Madrid.

Another crucial signing was striker Zirkzee, who had an excellent season with the Serie A club Bologna last season and played for Netherlands in the European Championship. United paid 42.5 million euros for the 23-year-old for a five-year deal.

“It is very good that we are also there on the front foot, we are very proactive,” Ten Hag said on Saturday. “So, (the) leadership is doing a great job in this moment and that’s how we want to act as United.”

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“We are highly ambitious and you have to be on the front foot and be ready for the season. The earlier you get your players in then (the faster) you can work on your team.”

Yoro made a strong impression in his United debut during their 2-0 pre-season friendly win over Scottish side Rangers

on Saturday, while Zirkzee, who has been given time off after the European Championship, is expected to join the squad in August.

-Reuters

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Super Eagles’ Cyriel Dessers fires blank as Rangers crumble to revamped Manchester United

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Rangers FC endured their second pre-season defeat in a row, falling to Manchester United at Murrayfield Stadium.

Super Eagles star Cyriel Dessers started the clash for Philippe Clement’s squad but failed to score in his 76 minutes of action, much to the disappointment of the Scottish fans in attendance.

This marks the former US Cremonese striker’s fourth consecutive appearance without a goal for the Glasgow-based club since his strike in Rangers’ 5-2 victory against Dundee FC.

During the game, Ivorian forward, Amad Diallo, capitalized on a clever pass from Mason Mount, firing the ball into the bottom left corner of Jack Butland’s goal.

In the 70th minute, Polish prodigy Maximiliano Oyedele, who has a Nigerian father, delivered a superb pass to Joe Hugill, who unleashed a thunderous strike past Butland.

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Another player of Nigerian descent who shone was Habeeb Ogunneye, making an impressive appearance for Erik Ten Hag’s side during his 45 minutes on the pitch.

Meanwhile, Dessers will be eager to end his goal drought as Rangers continue their preseason tour, with a match against Birmingham City up next.

On the side of Manchester United, Leny Yoro, made his first appearance just two days after the French centre-back signed his contract, Yoro was thrown into the starting lineup in Scotland, starting alongside veteran defender Jonny Evans while Lisandro Martinez remains away after his Copa America triumph with Argentina.

Just ten minutes into the game, Yoro caught the eye with an impressive block to deny striker Dessers.

Yoro’s composure on the ball played its part in United’s dominating possession in the first half, but the Red Devils were made to wait until the 39th minute to open the scoring.

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It was the impressive Amad Diallo who curled a delightful effort beyond Jack Butland, with Mason Mount grabbing the assist for United’s first goal of pre-season.

Yoro was removed at the break alongside nine other outfield starters. Only Jadon Sancho, making his first appearance for United in nearly 11 months after his clear-the-air talks with manager Erik ten Hag, remained for the second half.

United went incredibly young for the second 45 and predictably lost their dominant control of proceedings, while the heavy rain did not help either side play their best football.

The Red Devils added their second goal with 20 minutes remaining as Joe Hugill thundered home a glorious effort, removing the shred of doubt about the result which had started to creep in.

Just five minutes later, Rangers brought out their own wholesale changes, but the Scottish side continued to struggle in the final third as United managed to hold out for a solid win.

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Nigerian-born Man United’s new striker promises  creativity and unpredictability to fans

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Manchester United newcomer Joshua Zirkzee said fans can expect to see a creative, unpredictable player who developed his skills in cage football, and idolised Ronaldinho and Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

He is a Dutch, but has Nigerian mother.

The 23-year-old striker signed for the Red Devils on July 14 after an excellent season with Italian Serie A club Bologna, where he scored 11 goals and made five assists and helped them secure a place in the Champions League.

“Yeah, it’s been a roller-coaster the past few weeks, but some very good experiences. I’m very happy to be here,” Zirkzee said in an interview for United’s website on July 17.

“Obviously, (I’m arriving) at a good point, making a transfer to Manchester United is something very positive. So yeah, I just can’t wait to get started and continue what I basically did last season.”

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The 1.93m-tall Dutchman is technically gifted for a player his size, which he attributes to his childhood in Spijkenisse, in the south of the Netherlands where he developed his skills in Johan Cruyff cages – enclosed football pitches named after the Dutch football great.

“As a young boy growing up, playing mostly with tougher, bigger guys who are older than you makes you adapt, so I think that’s something that you learn at a young age in Holland, especially where I grew up,” Zirkzee added.

“(I’m a) creative player, good with the ball, I’m just a bit unpredictable at times.”

He laughingly recounted the countless times he got in trouble with his mother for coming home late.

“I hope she forgives me now for all the times I came home late, or if I broke something in the backyard,” he said.

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“Eventually, it all worked out pretty well… that was just life back when I was younger, playing football, forgetting about the time and getting back home late.”

Zirkzee also said that having a Dutch manager in Erik ten Hag is a “privilege” and the added presence of Ruud van Nistelrooy – the former Netherlands and United striker who joined ten Hag’s coaching staff earlier this week – will help him adjust to his new team.

But they are not the only reasons he made the move to United.

“Manchester United is a great, huge club so it’s just an extra privilege,” he said.

“Having some Dutch people around obviously makes it a bit easier, (but) to be fair I’m not too difficult adapting.

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“When I was younger, watching the Dutch national team, Manchester United, watching (van Nistelrooy) play, he was one of the guys who you pretend to be when you were playing with friends. So, having him out here is a bit special.

Zirkzee was a late addition to the Netherlands squad for the European Championship, making his senior debut in the quarter-final victory against Turkey.

On the heels of Euro 2024, he will be given some time off and is not expected to link up with his new teammates until early August.

Following his arrival at Old Trafford for a fee of about £36.5 million (S$63.6 million), United are set to sign Lille’s promising teenage defender Leny Yoro in a £52 million swoop, according to reports on July 17.

The 18-year-old had been linked with a move to European champions Real Madrid, but he has since travelled to England and has undergone a medical test with the Red Devils, before putting pen to paper.

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United will reportedly pay £52.7 million as an initial fee, with add-ons worth a further £6.7 million.

Yoro, who made his Lille debut at the age of 16, has been ranked as one of the best young players in Europe.

Ten Hag has been keen to land a new centre-back after Raphael Varane left at the end of last season.

Varane and Lisandro Martinez were United’s starting centre-backs in their FA Cup final victory over Manchester City in May, with Harry Maguire missing the showpiece due to an injury that also ruled him out of Euro 2024.

United have also been chasing Bayern Munich’s Dutch defender Matthijs de Ligt and is understood to have had two offers rejected for Everton’s Jarrad Branthwaite.

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Reuters/AFP

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