Mourinho’s side are off to a winning start
The Premier League season is just that bit more widely anticipated after a World Cup, mostly due to the likelihood of new arrivals fresh from our screens. The EPL is the chosen destination for the scraps unwanted by Real Madrid and Barcelona, and those scraps put together make for a very healthy banquet.
The season opened with the third down the rung of global football brands, Manchester United, hosting Leicester City.
Leicester surprisingly held on to Harry Maguire, one of the few England players who performed better than expected in the World Cup, but they began life after Rihad Mahrez today. United boss Jose Mourinho seems to have sulked and snarked his way through the summer and had failed to capture many transfer targets. Fred was there though including Maguire.
Season Previews:
Make or break campaign for Mourinho and Manchester United
Limbo for Claude Puel and Leicester
The season began in a way to warm nostalgia lovers everywhere. Just 76 seconds in, Manchester Unuted were awarded a dodgy penalty at Old Trafford when Leicester’s Daniel Amartey was adjudged to have handled Alexis Sanchez’s shot. Andre Marriner dutifully awarded the penalty. Paul Pogba then dutifully scored having had to practically fight Alexis Sanchez for the right to take it.
Two of the odder goals you will see completed the scoring.
United left back Luke Shaw’s first touch was so bad when he collected the ball inside the Foxes’ area, that he totally confused everybody. However he was the first to react and manages to hook the bouncing spinning ball past a bemused Kasper Schemichel.
Jaime Vardy gave the visitors a brief hope when he watched the ball sail over De Gea and hit the United post. Ever alert, he ducked his head and nodded the ball in off the rebound from inches out United held on to deservedly take all three points.
Leicester’s best two opportunities otherwise were denied by impressive United Ivorian defender Eric Bailly who made one fantastic last ditch tackle haring back and impeded Jaime Vardy enough so that he blasted a late volley over.
There are six more games tomorrow with Newcastle v Tottenham being the early game and Wolves v Everton the later one. In between. these is a very interesting South London derby between Fulham and Crystal Palace.
Manchester City at Arsenal highlights Sunday with Liverpool also hosting Burnley.
Arsenal face their first season without Arsene Wenger for over two decades but Chelsea too have a new manager Maurizio Sarri. For those reasons many think Liverpool will be the main challengers to Champions Manchester City.
