Premier League Review: Title contenders start well as favourites Man City falter

With just an hour played at Old Trafford in Saturday afternoon’s early kick off, it was abundantly clear that the challengers for this season’s Premier League title were hitting the ground running.

It was in the 60th minute that Manchester United centre-back Victor Lindelof’s searching forward ball found Bruno Fernandes inside the Leeds penalty area, and the prolific Portuguese midfielder rifled beyond Illan Meslier and into the top corner to complete his hat-trick.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men – despite being without new signing Raphael Varane, who was introduced to supporters before kick-off, and with Jadon Sancho only starting from the bench – were an irrepressible blend of speed, invention and clinical finishing.

Fernandes – whom you can back to be the Premier League’s top scorer this season at 7/1 with the each-way option, or at 9.28/1 on the Exchange (win only) – grabbed the headlines with his treble, while Mason Greenwood and Fred added incisive strikes to round out a 5-1 rout, but Paul Pogba, out of contract next year and the subject of constant transfer rumours all summer, shone equally brightly, providing four assists.

After their stunning display against Marcelo Bielsa‘s shell-shocked Leeds on Saturday, United are now available to be backed at 7.613/2 on the Betfair Exchange Premier League Winner market.

But last season’s runners-up were not the only title contenders to see their Exchange odds tumble on the opening weekend.

No New-Season Blues for Chelsea

Chelsea cemented their status as second favourites with a 3-0 destruction of Crystal Palace. Much like United, Thomas Tuchel’s men had their afternoon’s work all but wrapped up within an hour of kick-off, with academy graduate Trevoh Chalobah‘s long-range strike for his first-ever Chelsea goal completing the scoring for the Blues in the 58th minute.

The reigning European champions appear to have struck upon a profitable mix of expensively purchased superstars and home-grown youngsters in the composition of their impressive squad. Against Palace, Chalobah was joined in the starting line-up by fellow academy products Mason Mount and Andreas Christensen, while Reece James came off the bench in the second half.

What is most frightening for the Blues’ rivals to ponder is that they are yet to add £97.5m returning man Romelu Lukaku into their selection. It’s little wonder Chelsea have fallen to just 4.84/1 on the Betfair Exchange to be title winners this term.

Star Man Salah

Liverpool‘s 2021-22 campaign might have gotten started a little later than some of their rivals’, with their away trip to newly promoted Norwich City falling in Saturday-evening kick-off slot, but Jurgen Klopp’s Reds were no less quick out of the blocks.

Mohamed Salah twice turned provider at Carrow Road – first fortuitously setting up Diogo Jota with a sliced shot attempt, then cutting back precisely for Roberto Firmino to finish – before scoring himself to cap a thoroughly professional and efficient night’s work for the 2019-20 champions.

Salah – 7/2 joint-favourite to win this season’s Golden Boot – has now scored on the opening weekend of the season for five years running, and the Merseysiders barely broke a sweat in seeing off Norwich. Liverpool are available to back at 5.95/1 on the Betfair Exchange Premier League Winner market.

Harry Who?

It was a less pleasing weekend for the current occupants of the throne.

A trip to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium was always likely to represent a stern challenge for Manchester City as they kicked off their title defence, and the ongoing storyline of Harry Kane being stuck in limbo between the two clubs – with his heart and hopes in Manchester but a concrete and lucrative contract tying him to the capital – was a distraction neither side needed.

And with Kane not yet fit enough to play, it was City who appeared to need him more. A commanding start from the champions, who had £100m new arrival Jack Grealish in their line-up, yielded few clear-cut chances and soon Tottenham were giving as good as they were getting.

Heung-min Son, cutting in from the right and firing a saveable-looking strike beyond Ederson, put Spurs in front and City rarely looked likely to equalise. In fact, it was Tottenham who missed the game’s next most presentable chance, as Steven Bergwijn shot wide when through on goal.

City remain favourites to claim a fourth Premier League title in five years, but their slip-up at Spurs has seen their Exchange odds lengthen slightly to 2.265/4.

Tottenham, despite having vanquished the champions so impressively and without Kane, remain distant fifth favourites for the title. You can back them at 44.043/1 on the Betfair Exchange Premier League Winners market.

New Season, Same Arsenal

Arsenal, the remaining member of the English top flight’s so-called “Big Six”, were in action first, taking on plucky Premier League newcomers Brentford at the promoted club’s newly constructed home on Friday night.

And the Gunners were utterly humiliated in the season’s curtain-raiser, out-fought, out-pressed and out-performed as they were soundly beaten 2-0. Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta is now the 11/4 favourite to be the first Premier League manager to be sacked this season.