Goalscoring may have been the focus of the opening weekend of the Premier League season, as Manchester United's five-goal total against Leeds and West Ham's six-goal thriller against Newcastle both delighted EPL fans, but for goalkeeping fanatics, the real story was the all-around poor play between the sticks from some of the EPL's top keepers.
Brentford hadn’t played a game in England’s top flight in nearly three-quarters of a century. The Bees came swarming back on Friday to open their Premier League campaign by thumping Arsenal 2-0 on the opening night of league play.
The Arsenal vs. Brentford highlights are a reminder of how much better this sport is in front of a full stadium. The scenes before the game were enough to give goosebumps
The scenes that Brentford supporters have waited 75 YEARS FOR.
Match-by-match facts and statistics ahead of the first round of Premier League fixtures from Aug. 13-15 (all times EST).
Friday, Aug. 13
Brentford v Arsenal (3:00 p.m.)
* Brentford will be the 50th different team to play in the Premier League, and the 10th from London.
The new Champions League intro video has been released and USMNT fans will be happy to know Christian Pulisic made the final cut. Pulisic’s grand cameo comes in at the end of the video with the Chelsea trophy lift.
New UCL *Updated* Intro [@truthseeker_9] #CFC pic.twitter.com/MoVTmcxy05
The long-awaited announcement is imminent: Jack Grealish will complete a transfer to Manchester City. Grealish’s reported $140 million price tag makes him one of the most expensive English players ever.
The biggest deal in English football is effectively done. Jack Grealish is on his way to Manchester, ahead of a medical tomorrow morning. Everything else is completed, he will now become the first £100m English player.
Players from all 20 Premier League clubs will continue to take the knee ahead of games this season to highlight their opposition to racism, the league said on Tuesday.
The Premier League said it "wholeheartedly supported" the decision, adding that players and match officials will continue to wear a No Room For Racism badge on their shirts.
Players and staff have been taking a knee prior to kickoff since the league returned to action in June last year to show their support for the Black Lives Matter movement.
Bukayo Saka has been spending time with family for the past week. The 19-year-old has also been on a short social media hiatus after he saw his penalty kick saved in the Euro 2020 final that ultimately crowned Italy champion. After several days of silence, a Saka tweet has been put out with an update on how he’s doing.
Scottish Premiership side Hibernian hosted Arsenal for a preseason friendly on Tuesday in a match that was very much a tale of two teams heading on opposite trajectories.
One club was preparing for European football after coming off its best league finish in 15 years — a season where it reached the semifinal of one domestic cup and the final of another.
The other was Arsenal.
The Gunners were reeling from a second consecutive eighth-place finish in the EPL and will be without European football this season for just the third time in the Premier League era.
Arsenal and Tottenham are not two teams known for their defensive solidity over the years. Yet three center backs who came to prominence at those two clubs just shut down Cristiano Ronaldo, Diogo Jota, Bernardo Silva, Bruno Fernandes, João Félix and Portugal.
Not so Spursy after all.
The six English clubs that said they would join the European Super League will pay a combined 22 million pounds ($31 million) as "a gesture of goodwill" and face a 30-point deduction if they attempt a similar move in future, the Premier League said on Wednesday.
Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur will also each be fined 25 million pounds if they attempt another breakaway, the league added.