The 2026/27 Premier League season is officially underway, with Gameweek 1 already producing landmark results, dramatic late goals and a host of eye-catching individual milestones. From Hull City’s historic win over Manchester United to Liverpool’s long unbeaten run on the opening matchday and Arsenal’s dominant start, here are some of the key numbers and storylines from the opening weekend.
150 | ARTETA REACHES ANOTHER LANDMARK
Arsenal began their title defence with a convincing 3-0 win over newly promoted Coventry City, while Mikel Arteta reached 150 Premier League victories as Arsenal manager.Arteta reached the landmark in 249 games, putting him among an elite group of managers to reach 150 Premier League wins in fewer than 250 matches.The result also extended Arsenal’s remarkable record against promoted opposition. The Gunners are now unbeaten in 46 consecutive Premier League home games against promoted sides, with 41 wins and five draws. They have won their last 17 such matches, scoring 47 goals and conceding just nine.Martin Ødegaard also made an early mark, scoring in consecutive appearances for Arsenal for the first time since December 2023. His two goals already this season have surpassed his total of one goal in 36 appearances across all competitions last season.
71.6% | MANCHESTER UNITED HAVE THE BALL, BUT HULL HAVE THE HISTORY
One of the biggest shocks of the opening weekend came at Hull City, where the newly promoted side defeated Manchester United 2-0.United had 71.6% possession, their highest in a Premier League match since September 2023, but could not find the net.The defeat was historic. It was the first time in Manchester United’s league history that they had lost their opening fixture to a newly promoted side. United have now lost their opening Premier League match in four of the last seven seasons.Their attacking frustration was highlighted by another number: United have failed to score on the opening day in back-to-back Premier League seasons, despite registering a combined 43 shots across those matches.For Hull, meanwhile, the win ended a long wait against United. They had gone without scoring in their previous 37 attempts against the Red Devils in the competition before Semi Ajayi found the net. Hull’s victory was also their first league win over United since 1974.
14 | LIVERPOOL’S OPENING-DAY STREAK SURVIVES ANOTHER THRILLER
Liverpool’s new era under Andoni Iraola began with a dramatic 2-2 draw at Newcastle, but one remarkable streak remained intact.Liverpool are now unbeaten on the opening day of the Premier League season for 14 consecutive campaigns, the longest active run in the competition.Newcastle’s wait for a victory over Liverpool, however, continues. They are now without a win in their last 20 Premier League meetings with Liverpool, recording six draws and 14 defeats since their last victory in December 2015The fixture has also developed a remarkable late-goal pattern. This was the fourth consecutive Premier League meeting between the sides at St James’ Park to feature a result-changing goal in the 90th minute or later.Dominik Szoboszlai’s stoppage-time penalty came at 98:06, making it Liverpool’s latest-ever Premier League penalty, while giving the visitors a dramatic point.
40 | ELANGA AND WILLOCK FINALLY END LONG GOAL DROUGHTS
Gameweek 1 was also a weekend for players ending lengthy waits for goals.Anthony Elanga scored his first Premier League goal for Newcastle on his 33rd top-flight appearance for the club, ending a run of 40 Premier League appearances without a goal.Joe Willock also found the net against Liverpool, scoring his first Premier League goal since February 2024. His goal ended a drought of 61 appearances and 40 shots without scoring in the competition.Newcastle’s late collapse against Liverpool also continued another unwanted trend. They have dropped 29 points from winning positions in the Premier League since the start of last season, the second-most among teams in Europe’s big-five leagues during that period, behind Wolfsburg’s 33.
1993/94 | IPSWICH END LONG WAIT
Ipswich Town marked their return to the Premier League with a dramatic 2-1 win over Sunderland, secured by Jack Clarke’s 90th-minute winner.The victory was Ipswich’s first opening-day Premier League win since 1993/94, ending a wait of more than three decades.It also ended a run of nine consecutive top-flight defeats at Portman Road.There was another debut milestone in the match, with Emersonn becoming the first player to score on his overall Premier League debut for Ipswich since Fabian Wilnis in August 2000.
26 | TOTTENHAM HAVE THE BALL, BUT BRENTFORD HAVE THE SHOTS
Tottenham endured one of the weekend’s heaviest defeats, going down 3-0 to Brentford. Spurs had 59.8% possession but still conceded 26 shots, highlighting the disconnect between having the ball and controlling the game. It was the highest possession recorded by a team to face more than 25 shots in a Premier League match since records began in 2003/04.The result matched Spurs’ joint-heaviest defeat on the opening day of a Premier League season, equalling their 3-0 loss to Manchester United in 2011/12. For Brentford, meanwhile, it was their biggest-ever win in the top flight, with their attacking dominance reflected in an xG of 3.96, their highest in a Premier League match since January 2025.
4 | EVERTON END FOUR YEARS OF OPENING-DAY FRUSTRATION
Everton also began the campaign with a 2-0 victory over Crystal Palace, ending their opening-day drought.The result was Everton’s first opening-day Premier League victory since August 2021, following four consecutive defeats without scoring.Iliman Ndiaye continued his growing importance to the side. Since joining Everton in 2024/25, he has been involved in 19 Premier League goals, scoring 15 and providing four assists, the most goal involvements of any Everton player during that period.Despite losing, Crystal Palace created plenty of opportunities, recording an xG of 2.04, their highest in a Premier League game without scoring since December 2018.
5 | STACH’S LONG-RANGE THREAT LEADS THE WAY
Leeds United began their campaign with a 1-0 win at Nottingham Forest, extending another impressive opening-day run.Leeds have now won their opening Premier League fixture in three consecutive campaigns, matching their longest such run in the competition.They have also won five of their last eight Premier League games, collecting 17 points during that run. Only Arsenal, with 18 points, have collected more points since the start of April.Anton Stach was again a threat from distance. He has scored five Premier League goals from outside the penalty area since the start of last season, more than any other player.He also has four direct free-kick goals during that period, joint-most among all players.
2 | PROMOTED SIDES MAKE STRONG RETURN
Two of the three promoted clubs won their opening fixtures, a feat that had previously occurred only four times in Premier League history.That gives the opening weekend an interesting early storyline: the promoted sides have arrived in the Premier League with little interest in simply making up the numbers.
31 | CHELSEA START THE SEASON AT A SPRINT
Chelsea closed out the opening weekend with a 3-1 victory over Fulham, and they did not waste any time getting started. João Pedro’s opener after just 31 seconds was the earliest-ever goal scored by a team in its opening game of a Premier League season.It was also Chelsea’s fastest Premier League goal since Pedro scored after 30 seconds against Manchester United in October 2016. Chelsea have now scored 13 goals in the opening minute of Premier League matches, with only Everton having more, at 14.The result also gave Xabi Alonso a winning start to his Premier League career at Chelsea. He became the first Blues manager since Maurizio Sarri in 2018 to see Chelsea score three goals in his first Premier League game in charge.For Chelsea, the victory ended a wait for an opening-day win. The Blues had not won their first Premier League game of the season since 2022/23, when they defeated Everton 1-0.Chelsea’s starting XI had an average age of just 24 years and 43 days, making it the youngest starting XI fielded by any team on the opening weekend.
The Gameweek 1 numbers at a glance:
- 150 | Arteta’s Premier League wins
- 46 | Arsenal’s unbeaten home games vs promoted sides
- 71.6% | Man Utd possession vs Hull
- 4 | United’s opening-day defeats in the last seven seasons
- 14 | Liverpool’s consecutive unbeaten opening days
- 20 | Newcastle games without beating Liverpool
- 98:06 | Szoboszlai’s late penalty
- 40 | Elanga’s appearances without a goal
- 61 | Willock’s appearances without a goal
- 1993/94 | Ipswich’s previous opening-day win
- 3.96 | Brentford’s xG vs Tottenham
- 31 seconds | João Pedro’s record opening goal
- 13 | Chelsea’s opening-minute goals
- 24 years, 43 days | Chelsea’s youngest starting XI of GW1
- 124 | Chelsea’s consecutive games without a player aged 30+ featuring
