The ‘Moises Caicedo Derby’ proved exactly why Chelsea and Liverpool were so willing to shell out a nine-figure transfer fee for the Ecuadorean.
Meanwhile, an intriguing tactical ploy from Manchester City saved them from a shock result while a European contender sent a major warning to their rivals.
Foxsports.com.au reviews the weekend’s action in Premier League Talking Points!
Stream Over 50 Sports Live & On-Demand with Kayo. Join now and start streaming instantly >
EPL Wrap: Newcastle start with a victory | 02:57
MORE COVERAGE
Burning Qs: Matildas mull big Kerr gamble as Aussie WC trend sparks burnout fears
Done Deals: PL club’s staggering $200m profit as Chelsea smash record for star after Liverpool snub
LIVERPOOL, CHELSEA REVEAL WHY BIG-MONEY SEARCH WAS NECESSARY
Chelsea and Liverpool took their battle in the transfer market for the signature of Brighton midfielder Moises Caicedo onto the pitch at Stamford Bridge.
Liverpool started without a recognised defensive midfielder and an attack-minded front six looked slick early on as Luis Diaz gave the visitors the lead.
Chelsea, though, were soon able to pick the Reds’ defence apart with ease and could easily have given Mauricio Pochettino a dream start as Blues boss.
Pochettino’s midfield options have been decimated by a clear out to trim down a bloated squad, but it is still an area of the field in which the Blues possess significant quality.
The end result was 1-1 in a game some had dubbed as the ‘Caicedo Derby’ as the contest provided glaring evidence why both were so desperate to break their transfer records to snap up the Ecuadorean.
“As an advert for the skills Caicedo can bring them then this was as good as it gets,” Jason Burt wrote in The Telegraph.
Klopp defends Salah substitution in draw | 01:18
“Both Chelsea and Liverpool desperately need Caicedo and as much as they showed their strengths they have also revealed their weaknesses.”
Chelsea’s midfield on the day consisted of Enzo Fernandez, Conor Gallagher and Carney Chukwuemeka who operated further forward, yet none of them are in the mould of a tough-tackling defensive midfielder.
Nor was anyone in Liverpool’s midfield trio of Dominik Szoboszlai, Alexis Mac Allister or Cody Gakpo.
It is Chelsea who have won the transfer battle by snapping up Caicedo for a staggering £115 million and could beat Liverpool to the signing of Romeo Lavia.
The proof will be in the pudding as to whether Caicedo justifies his lofty price tag, but it’s clear Chelsea view him as the clear answer to the void left at the defensive midfielder position.
CITY’S IN-GAME SWITCH YET ANOTHER SIGN OF ABSURD DOMINANCE
City ended last season over a month after Burnley had concluded their Championship campaign, but a lack of preparation time for the new season did not show on opening night.
Pep Guardiola insisted the champions are far from their physical best. “We are still away from our best form but we have to try to not drop points in this period with this amount of games,” said Guardiola.
“How you solve this lack of preparation is a question of mentality.”
But Erling Haaland’s finishing was as sharp as ever to ensure there was no slip-up from City.
The Norwegian took just over three minutes of the new season to find the net before smashing home a sumptuous second off the underside of the bar.
Haaland also took full advantage of a new tactic from City, although it was one borne out of necessity given how Burnley had set up.
Vincent Kompany’s side were impressive at not letting City easily slice through them on the wings or through the middle, so Guardiola instructed his side to play longer balls in a more direct style.
City goalkeeper Ederson ended up attempting to play 29 long balls over the 90 minutes, more than he attempted in any game last season.
The direct style also meant Haaland was one-on-one with either one of Burnley’s centre-backs in Dara O’Shea or Ameen Al-Dakhil.
“If opponents want to do one against one against Erling or Julian (Alvarez), with all the space and the length of the pitch in behind, we accept it,” Guardiola said.
The fact City could so easily switch up their game plan to devastating effect no doubt bodes well for the rest of the campaign and is a big warning for their rivals.
RED DEVILS SLIP TO HORROR 18-YEAR FIRST
Manchester United may have eked out a 1-0 win over Wolves in their Premier League opener, but it was far from pretty.
In fact, the Red Devils slipped to an embarrassing 18-year first as Wolves fired off 23 shots, the most an away team has had at Old Trafford since 2005.
At least it is already a better start than United had last season in which they lost their first two games of the season to Brentford and Brighton.
But, as The Times’ Henry Winter pointed out, it was “a very unconvincing performance” from Erik ten Hag’s side.
“Raphael Varane came to their rescue with a 76th-minute header and saved Erik ten hag from some painful questions,” Winter wrote.
“Beyond Varane’s moment of composure, United lacked a finishing touch, and even their wealth of wingers could not conjure up chances.”
There would have been high hopes placed on the shoulders of £55 million summer signing Mason Mount to perform.
But he too couldn’t find his rhythm in a midfield trio alongside Casemiro and skipper Bruno Fernandes and was hauled off in the 68th minute for Christian Eriksen.
Perhaps Mount’s saving grace was that the remainder of his teammates also struggled to shine in the season opener, although he’ll be expected to lift for the trip to Tottenham next Sunday.
TOON SEND SCARY WARNING IN FIVE-STAR SHOWING
As many of the game’s biggest names chased the riches on offer in the Gulf in recent months, Saudi-backed Newcastle have again resisted the temptation to splash out on stars.
However, Sandro Tonali and Harvey Barnes enjoyed dream debuts in a 5-1 demolition of Aston Villa that exemplified the new-found strength in depth on offer to Eddie Howe.
It was a game that arrived with plenty of excitement and expectation given how well these two teams performed last season.
Fans from both clubs also had plenty of optimism going into the new campaign given some of the new additions they had made respectively.
But after full time, it was those in black and white who were left bouncing inside St. James’ Park as Newcastle made a significant statement of intent over Villa.
Tonali smashed home just six minutes into his St James’ Park bow after a cross from Anthony Gordon, who had started ahead of Barnes.
Howe’s decision to select Alexander Isak over Callum Wilson was also rewarded with two goals by the Swede.
But Barnes made a stunning impact off the bench as he teed up Wilson for Newcastle’s fourth before rounding off the scoring in stoppage time.
The Magpies will need a stronger squad as the demands of a first Champions League campaign for 20 years kick in.
On this evidence, though, their rise since the Saudi Public Investment Fund took charge under two years ago shows no sign of stopping.