Biggest winners and losers of opening Premier League weekend as Luke Shaw stars

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  • Who stood out and who had a weekend to forget in the first round of Premier League fixtures?

    After a wonderful summer of thrills, spills and controversy at the FIFA World Cup in Russia, the Premier League finally returned last weekend, with Manchester United kicking off the season on Friday night by defeating Leicester City.

    After a thrilling campaign last season, we can expect double the excitement this time around with teams like Liverpool and Chelsea hoping to de-throne Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City.

    The first round of fixtures saw the majority of the big teams picking up three points, as Liverpool, Chelsea, Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur all started off with wins.

    On the other hand, Bournemouth secured their first-ever opening fixture victory in the Premier League, whilst Crystal Palace and Watford also sealed solid starts to the league season.

    Each week, we’ll be taking a closer look at the stand-out players and teams as well as the under-performers. Here are our three winners and three losers from game week one.

    Winners:

    1) Luke Shaw – Manchester United

    The left-back has found it incredibly difficult to please United boss Jose Mourinho, but his performance against Leicester could only be admired.

    The Englishman was flying up and down the left-flank and even managed to net with a good finish past Kasper Schmeichel – his first goal in senior football.

    What was most impressive about Shaw was his fitness and willingness to have the ball. In previous seasons, it has been clear that he has lacked confidence, but he looked imperious on Friday night. After a performance like that, it’ll be hard for Mourinho to drop him.

    What a feeling! ❤ #MUFC

    A post shared by Luke Shaw (@lukeshaw23) on

    2) Richarlison – Everton

    After securing a big-money move to the Toffees, the spotlight was shining on the winger against Wolves and boy, did he deliver. The Brazilian was almost unplayable at times and scored twice to earn ten-man Everton a point. His first goal was a matter of being in the right place at the right time but his second was a sumptuous finish into the far corner.

    With all the pressure on his shoulders, Richarlison proved that he can be the man to lead Everton’s charge for European football this season and any doubts about him have somewhat been quashed.

    WOLVERHAMPTON, ENGLAND - AUGUST 11: Richarlison of Everton scores his and Everton's second goal during the Premier League match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Everton FC at Molineux on August 11, 2018 in Wolverhampton, United Kingdom. (Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)

    Instant impact: Richarlison.

    3) Chelsea

    After being convincingly beaten by the Sky Blues in the Community Shield, it was crucial for Maurizio Sarri to open his Premier League account with a victory, and they did just that by thrashing Huddersfield Town.

    The Blues started without Eden Hazard, but it was no problem as they swarmed all over the Terriers in a brilliant first-half performance. Sarri managed to persuade Jorginho to join the London club and it could turn out to be a decisive move as the Italian bossed the midfield.

    There is still plenty to come from this Chelsea side, but they showed their title credentials with a dominant display on Saturday.

    Losers:

    1) Phil Jagielka – Everton

    Nobody wants to start off the season with a straight red card and suspension, but that was the fate suffered by Jagielka after taking down Diogo Jota five minutes before half-time.

    The Englishman’s position in defence is now at risk of being lost to new arrival Yerry Mina and he could find it difficult to get back into the side. He had a good chance to show new boss Marco Silva that he is worthy of starting at the back, but it turned out to be a nightmare first match for the veteran.

    WOLVERHAMPTON, ENGLAND - AUGUST 11: Phil Jagielka of Everton stretches for the ball during the Premier League match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Everton FC at Molineux on August 11, 2018 in Wolverhampton, United Kingdom. (Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)

    Phil Jagielka endured a game to forget at Molineux.

    2) West Ham United

    The Hammers have invested heavily this summer and looked like they assembled a strong squad, however, the east Londoners were toothless against Liverpool and comfortably beaten 4-0.

    Manuel Pellegrini’s side can’t be judged on this first game alone, but it was clear to see how disorganised they were in defence as Sadio Mane prodded the ball into an empty net on the stroke of half-time.

    There was a real excitement amongst Hammers fans prior to the opener, but the defeat has seemingly knocked them back down to earth.

    LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - AUGUST 12: Jack Wilshere of West Ham United battles for possession with Georginio Wijnaldum of Liverpool during the Premier League match between Liverpool FC and West Ham United at Anfield on August 12, 2018 in Liverpool, United Kingdom. (Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)

    West Ham has an afternoon to forget at Anfield.

    3) Mesut Ozil – Arsenal

    The Gunners had an opportunity to state their intent going into the new season by playing reigning champions Manchester City, but they looked the exact same as they were last term.

    No doubt, new boss Unai Emery needs some time to implement his methods into the squad, but he needs senior players like Ozil to help him out with good performances on the pitch.

    The German was a peripheral figure for a majority of the match at the Emirates and if Arsenal are to push for a UEFA Champions League spot, he needs to take control of these big matches.

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