Twitter reacts to Premier League opening weekend
Jamie Clark, Sports Editor | August 14, 2016
Twitter reacts to Premier League opening weekend
It’s been worth the wait! The Premier League is back on our screens with football fans and punters alike enjoying the opening weekend.
What better way than to have your say on social media. As Twitter reacts to all the action, Coral will round up the best comments and observations on all the major Premier League talking points every Sunday.
Did your tweet get in our debut edition? Read on to see what we’ve picked out from the Premier League opening weekend…
Hull City 2-1 Leicester City
A managerless club that’s made no summer signings and had 13 fit senior players beating the defending Premier League champions?
Yep, that’s what the Tigers did to the Foxes under the caretaker stewardship of Mike Phelan. While Robert Snodgrass scored the winner, it was tough to credit who grabbed the opener: Abel Hernandez or Adama Diomande?
Even the official Premier League account had a sense of humour about it:
New #PL season
New way to score a goal…. #HULLEI pic.twitter.com/NpmN2bMLfX
— Premier League (@premierleague) August 13, 2016
Riyad Mahrez scored a penalty at the KC Stadium for Leicester, and his influence on Claudio Ranieri’s men remains:
29 – Riyad Mahrez has had a hand in 29 Premier League goals since the start of 2015-16 (18 goals, 11 assists). Star. #HulLei
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) August 13, 2016
Did Hull ‘do a Leicester’ on the Foxes? One observer certainly thinks so!
Hull ‘leicestered’ Leicester #HulLei #PremierLeague
— fmfanuk (@fmfanuk) August 14, 2016
Manchester City 2-1 Sunderland
Sergio Aguero’s penalty and a Paddy McNair own goal on his debut gave Pep Guardiola a winning start to life at Man City, despite Jermain Defoe briefly bringing Sunderland level.
The big team news saw Joe Hart dropped, and Yaya Toure not even involved:
Aside from Joe Hart, feels telling that Yaya Toure not even among the subs for Pep Guardiola’s first game. Toure fit, just not selected.
— Daniel Taylor (@DTguardian) August 13, 2016
Who doesn’t want to be a Nacho man?
2-1! IheaNACHO with some assistance from a Sunderland head! pic.twitter.com/gtcg8RUcUp
— Coral (@Coral) August 13, 2016
David Moyes must now realise the enormity of what faces him at the Black Cats:
Can hardly ever rely on Moyes to grab a win, bringing on McNair and him scoring an own goal really is a Moyes esque thing to do.
— Paul. (@VintageDeGea) August 13, 2016
Read all about what we learned from Guardiola’s Premier League bow.
Bournemouth 1-3 Manchester United
Jose Mourinho followed up winning the Community Shield by steering Man Utd to a handsome away win at Bournemouth.
After that substitution spat at Wembley, what irony that it was Juan Mata who opened the scoring…
Juan Mata scoring the first Premier League under Mourinho. Love it.
— Marc McGoldrick (@marcmcgoldrick) August 14, 2016
Red Devils captain Wayne Rooney then gave the statisticians some work to do..
Wayne Rooney scores his 87th away @premierleague goal, drawing level with Alan Shearer for most away goals in PL era pic.twitter.com/B3k4P7jbJk
— Sky Sports Statto (@SkySportsStatto) August 14, 2016
Zlatan Ibrahimvoic was also on target during his Premier League bow with a long-range effort…
GOAL! Zlatan Ibrahimovic gets his first #PL goal! From 25 yards! 3-0 now https://t.co/MMbbE3PDhu #MUFC #afcb pic.twitter.com/HH3BUh8jxE
— talkSPORT (@talkSPORT) August 14, 2016
Prompting Coral to point this out…
Man United in the 1st half – Is LVG still the gaffer?
Man United in the 2nd half – They’ll win the league this lot.— Coral (@Coral) August 14, 2016
Adam Smith then scored a consolation for the hosting Cherries…
Adam Smith, strong finish, stadium shaking, 1-3.
— Henry Winter (@henrywinter) August 14, 2016
Arsenal 3-4 Liverpool
If some games still had that early season feel, then the wide open encounter between the Gunners, without a senior centre back, and Liverpool certainly wasn’t one of them.
Theo Walcott grabbed the opener for the hosts, only to see Philippe Coutinho and Adam Lallana strike either side of half-time to turn this game on its head.
Coutinho then netted again with Sadio Mane joining him for the Merseysiders. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Calum Chambers later added some respectability to the scoreline for Arsene Wenger at the Emirates. He won’t have been deaf to the boos at the final whistle, though.
30′: Theo Walcott’s penalty is saved by Mignolet
31′: Theo Walcott opens the scoring for Arsenal
Walcott moment. pic.twitter.com/02rUyGAvDx
— Squawka Football (@Squawka) August 14, 2016
Walcott saw a penalty he won from Alberto Moreno saved, but quickly atoned…
He redeemed himself real quick Walcott
— Dilli (@I_amdavidson) August 14, 2016
After 68 seconds to be precise!
Only for Coutinho to equalise in first-half stoppage time with a sumptuous free-kick:
Superb free kick from Coutinho in first-half stoppage time. 1-1
— Oliver Kay (@OliverKayTimes) August 14, 2016
It then took less than five minutes after half-time for Lallana to complete the turnaround for Liverpool:
Great goal by Liverpool and Lallana, great football and deserved the finish
— Mr NBT! (@JoeNBT) August 14, 2016
And before the hour mark, Coutinho netted again to make it 3-1 to Jurgen Klopp’s visitors:
OMG YESSSSSSSSS Coutinho
— Nic (@LiverpoolNicola) August 14, 2016
Things got even worse for the Gunners with Mane’s magnificent finish:
It’s an unbelievable goal from Mane but the defending in this game
— Jamie (@JCollettCFC) August 14, 2016
Oxlade-Chamberlain made the perfect impact from the bench, prompting this Arsenal fan to tweet:
What does Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain need to do to get a run in the side? So many inferior players picked before him.
— Charlie Doris (@charliedoris94) August 14, 2016
Gunners defender Chambers had a torrid time, but managed to glance home a free-kick to setup a grandstand finish!
Blimey. What a game. Suspect Chambers was marginally offside but makes for a grandstand finish.
— Gary Lineker (@GaryLineker) August 14, 2016
Hope you’re tweeting with more than just your pants on after Match of the Day on Saturday night, Gary.