Topics: Jose Mourinho, Mohamed Salah, Mikel Arteta, Kepa, Arsenal, Totenham, Liverpool, Wolves, Chelsea, English Premier League
Elsewhere, Arteta enjoyed a lovely victory but Mourinho unfortunately set an unwanted record in Tottenham's 1-0 opening day defeat to Everton.

The 2020/21 Premier League season has finally kicked off! While the wait for its return was much shorter this year, football fans were excited to welcome back the English top-flight.

Man City and Man United were not involved in the opening round due to their European campaigns. Regardless, Matchday 1 delivered all the necessary entertainment, with Arsenal, Liverpool, and Chelsea enjoying victories. The same cannot be said for Tottenham as Mourinho's side fell to a 1-0 loss at home to Ancelotti's debut.

The opening round left us all food for thought and a glimpse of what might come. Here are the key stats from Matchday 1 of the 2020/21 Premier League season.

Fulham 3-0 Arsenal – an impressive opening game for Willian and Arteta

Arsenal kicked off the 2020/21 Premier League season on Saturday with their trip to Craven Cottage. The Gunners took on the newly-promoted Fulham side, led by Scott Parker, and handed them a harsh lesson on what it's like to play among the big boys. The north London giants overcame a shaky start and marched to a comfortable 3-0 win, with debutant Willian grabbing two assists to become the first Arsenal player to set up two goals in his Premier League debut since the iconic Ray Parlour vs Liverpool in August 1992.

It was also a positive result for Arteta, having registered a convincing win in his first competitive match since being promoted from head coach to first-team manager. It was the biggest away win under the Spaniard and the largest EPL opening day victory since 2009.

Liverpool 4-3 Leeds – a memorable game for Salah but a not-so-memorable one for Van Dijk

Defending champions Liverpool opened their campaign against Championship winners Leeds and what ensued was one of the most exciting 90 minutes of Premier League football in recent memory. Klopp's side took the lead three times on an every occasion, the newly-promoted side found an equalizer – almost instantly in some instances. A late Mohamed Salah penalty broke the hearts of Bielsa's men, handing the Reds the victory. That strike also saw the Egyptian complete his hat-trick and reach a lovely goalscoring feat at Anfield.

As for Van Dijk, it wasn't a great game. Despite being Liverpool's only other goalscorer, the Dutchman was susceptible at the back and even committed an error which gifted the visitors a goal. This means since 201/19, no player has made more mistakes leading to goals than Van Dijk.

Sheffield 0-2 Wolves – Nuno's men make history with quick-fire goals

West Brom 0-3 Leicester – Vardy surpasses EPL icon after brace

Leicester embarked on their campaign with a trip to West Brom and the Foxes dispatched their opponents with ease, beating them 3-0. Jamie Vardy, last season's Golden Boot winner, grabbed a brace and took his goalscoring tally in the league to 105. His first strike saw him draw level with the iconic Didier Drogba in the all-time goalscoring chart before overtaking him despite having played 42 fewer games. 

Tottenham 0-1 Everton – Mourinho set unwanted record with opening day defeat

Tottenham kicked off the campaign on the wrong foot, losing 1-0 at home to Everton. Not only was it a horrible start to the season, but it also saw Jose Mourinho set an unwanted record as this was his first defeat in an opening matchday of a domestic league in his entire career (P19, W11, D7, L1). 

Brighton 1-3 Chelsea – the Blues set an EPL feat but it was another day forget for under-fire Kepa

Wrapping things up is the final game of Matchday 1: Brighton vs Chelsea. All eyes were on new boys Timo Werner and Kai Havertz heading into this clash and while both failed to impress on their debuts, which is understandable, the former RB Leipzig attacker looked the more promising. Nonetheless, Lampard's men won 3-1 despite the lackluster display and registered their 2000th point in Premier League history, becoming only the third team to do so.

One man who disappointed in this game was Kepa. The goalkeeper conceded a goal from outside the box for the 19th time since joining the club and what made things worse was that it was a stoppable attempt. It comes as little surprise that Chelsea have agreed a deal for Senegalese shot-stopper Edouard Mendy.