Premier League Recap: Five Lessons from the First Saturday of the Season

The opening Saturday of the 2025/26 Premier League season started slowly, but the drama and excitement were worth the wait.

Sunderland marked their long-awaited return to the top flight with a stunning 3-0 victory, Manchester City showcased their ruthless side with a 4-0 demolition of Wolverhampton Wanderers, and Tottenham Hotspur eased past Burnley 3-0 thanks to a sensational strike already tipped as a goal-of-the-season contender.

Here are the five biggest talking points from a thrilling first full day of action.

Sunderland’s Emotional Return Defies Recent Trends

Sunderland’s emphatic 3-0 triumph over West Ham United at the Stadium of Light will live long in the memory for the 49,000 fans in attendance. The noise and passion after each goal matched the emotion of their playoff victory over Sheffield United at Wembley back in May.

The Black Cats’ return has been eight years in the making, with four of those seasons spent in League One. Simply being back in the Premier League was an achievement, but to win in such dominant fashion was almost unthinkable.

Recent history had suggested otherwise. Across the last two campaigns, the three promoted clubs managed just one point combined from six opening-day fixtures. Over the past decade, promoted teams have only won five of their 30 opening games, though three of those – Huddersfield Town, Brentford, and AFC Bournemouth – went on to secure survival.

By claiming three points in such convincing style, Sunderland have shattered any doubts. Fans on Wearside will now believe survival is possible.

Kudus and Richarlison Spark Spurs’ New Era

Much was made of Tottenham Hotspur replacing Ange Postecoglou with Thomas Frank, with critics claiming flair would be sacrificed for pragmatism. Yet Frank’s debut Premier League match in charge proved otherwise.

Mohammed Kudus dazzled with a moment of brilliance down the right before linking with Richarlison, whose acrobatic volley doubled Spurs’ lead. Their combination had already produced the opening goal and looks set to become central to Frank’s plans.

The duo also started together in the UEFA Super Cup against Paris Saint-Germain earlier in the week, signalling the head coach’s intent. Kudus thrived on the wing, delivering crosses for a sharp Richarlison, who looked far more like the prolific forward seen in Brazil colours.

Frank has built reputations for elevating centre-forwards such as Bryan Mbeumo, Yoane Wissa, Ivan Toney, and Ollie Watkins. Now Richarlison has already scored half of his Премьер-лига total from last season in just one game.

With Spurs also securing their first clean sheet in 13 league fixtures, optimism is quickly returning to north London.

Reijnders Inspires a Ruthless Manchester City

Pep Guardiola’s side responded to last season’s disappointment with the perfect statement: a 4-0 thrashing of Wolves that carried echoes of their very best performances.

Tijjani Reijnders stole the show. The Dutch midfielder set up the opener, scored the second himself, and then created the third. His slaloming run for the first and clinical counter-attacking finish for the second reflected Guardiola’s apparent desire for a more direct approach this campaign.

A long pass from new goalkeeper James Trafford initiated the third before debutant Rayan Cherki added the fourth. Just as importantly, Reijnders seemed to get the best out of Erling Haaland, whose brace marked a sharp response after a subdued end to last season.

This was exactly the kind of performance Guardiola wanted to begin City’s rebuild.

Newcastle and Aston Villa Struggle for Firepower

At Villa Park, Newcastle United and Aston Villa played out a goalless draw that highlighted attacking issues for both sides.

For Eddie Howe’s visitors, the absence of Alexander Isak, caught up in a prolonged transfer saga, was glaring. Without him, Newcastle failed to threaten meaningfully, with only an early Anthony Elanga chance standing out. Their struggles without Isak are stark: no wins in six league games and just three goals from 75 shots with an Expected Goals tally of 9.4.

Villa, meanwhile, had problems of their own. Despite Ollie Watkins staying put, they mustered just three attempts all match, their lowest tally in any of their 38 Premier League games last season. They also failed to record a first-half shot on target for only the third time in a decade.

With Marco Asensio and Marcus Rashford leaving after loan spells and Leon Bailey seemingly close to an exit, Villa’s lack of creativity was exposed. Both clubs desperately need solutions before the campaign progresses further.

Muniz Saves Fulham with Dramatic Equaliser

Brighton & Hove Albion dominated Fulham but were denied victory by a stoppage-time leveller from Rodrigo Muniz.

Introduced as a substitute, Muniz struck powerfully with his left foot in the sixth minute of added time, reminding everyone of his value amid speculation over a possible move away from Craven Cottage.

Brighton had created the better chances and should have secured the points, but Fulham’s super-sub punished their wastefulness. Muniz has now scored seven goals from the bench since last season began – more than any other Premier League player in that time.

After a quiet summer in the transfer market, Marco Silva may find Muniz’s contribution crucial to Fulham’s campaign.