Premier League opening weekend brings shocks and a Kevin Keegan tribute
The Premier League season opened with Hull beating Manchester United, Arsenal beating Coventry, and a tribute to Kevin Keegan at Newcastle's draw with Liverpool.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
The Premier League season opened with a weekend of surprises, goals and an emotional tribute to Kevin Keegan, who died of cancer last month.
Arsenal began their title defence with a 3-0 win over newly promoted Coventry City on Friday night. Kai Havertz scored the first goal of the season, with Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard adding further strikes. The Gunners looked comfortable throughout.
On Saturday, Hull City produced the biggest shock, beating Manchester United 2-0 at home. It was Hull's first league win over United in 52 years. Goals from Shemy Ajayi and Nobel Mendy secured the victory, leaving United manager Michael Carrick with plenty to ponder.
Tottenham's new era under Roberto De Zerbi got off to a poor start as they lost 3-0 at Brentford. New signing Mamadou Sangare impressed for the hosts.
Manchester City, now managed by Enzo Maresca after Pep Guardiola's departure, came from behind to beat Bournemouth 2-1 at the Etihad. Mark Gaye equalised with a header before Josko Gvardiol scored an injury-time winner.
Brighton thrashed Aston Villa 4-0 at the Amex, with Jack Hinshelwood scoring twice in two minutes.
The weekend's most poignant moment came at St James' Park, where Newcastle and Liverpool paid tribute to Kevin Keegan, a legend at both clubs. Former players gathered to honour him, and the match itself was a fitting tribute. Newcastle took the lead through Anthony Alanga, but Liverpool equalised through Cody Gakpo. Joe Willock restored Newcastle's lead, only for a stoppage-time penalty to make it 2-2. The draw meant neither of Keegan's old clubs lost on a day dedicated to his memory.
Other results included a goalless draw for Swindon at Northampton, and wins for Cheltenham and Forest Green in the lower leagues.
On screen
Stills are sampled automatically at 60-second intervals. Where shown, the still is the nearest available frame from the relevant broadcast segment and is included to show what was on screen during that part of the broadcast. A still may not correspond to the exact second of a quoted phrase.
Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, mapped by channel. Ordered by how many channels carried each claim.
| Claim | BBC News | BBC One | Channel 4 | ITV | ITV1 ITV Evening News | Sky News |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hull City beat Manchester United 2-0 in their opening Premier League match, recording their first league win over Manchester United in 52 years. | · | · | ||||
| Brentford beat Tottenham 3-0 on the opening weekend. | · | · | · | |||
| Newcastle and Liverpool paid tribute to Kevin Keegan. | · | · | · | |||
| Arsenal beat Coventry 3-0. | · | · | · | · | ||
| Arsenal beat Manchester City 3-0 in the Community Shield, scoring after 24 seconds and with Martin Odegaard scoring the third goal. | · | · | · | · | ||
| Bolton Wanderers returned to the Championship after seven years, with Thierry Gale scoring a goal reminiscent of Lamine Yamal. | · | · | · | · | ||
| Coventry returned to the Premier League after 25 years | · | · | · | · | ||
| Kevin Keegan died recently, reportedly of cancer. | · | · | · | · | ||
| Leicester City drew their opening League One match against Notts County, with Jadon Joseph scoring for Leicester. | · | · | · | · | ||
| Man City beat Bournemouth 2-1. | · | · | · | · | ||
| Michael Carrick said Manchester United did not click after the loss. | · | · | · | · | ||
| Michael Carrick, Manchester United manager, admitted his side made mistakes. | · | · | · | · |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
ITV1 provided a comprehensive round-up of the opening weekend, focusing on the major results and the emotional tribute to Kevin Keegan at Newcastle's match against Liverpool. They highlighted the shock of Hull's win over Manchester United and Arsenal's strong start, while also covering the new managerial era at Manchester City.
- “Beware the roar of the Tigers.”
- “Two clubs united in tribute to one of England's all-time greats.”
- “This one was for the great man watching down from above.”
BBC ONE West focused on regional clubs in the West of England, including Bristol City, Cheltenham, and others, while also covering the national headline results such as Hull's win over Manchester United and Arsenal's victory over Coventry. Their coverage had a local angle, with less emphasis on the Keegan tribute.
- “It's a dream start for Hull City.”
- “It finished 2-0, leaving Manchester United with plenty to think about.”
- “A winning start for Cheltenham Town, thanks to goals from Charlie McCann.”
Sky News provided analysis and discussion of the opening weekend, emphasising the shock results and the new managerial era at Manchester City. They also noted the tribute to Kevin Keegan and the global appeal of the Premier League, with a conversational tone.
- “So the Premier League is back in full force with newly promoted sides getting wins and their first weekend back in the division”
- “I wasn't expecting that loss”
- “They will both pay tribute to Kevin Keegan who died Just a few weeks ago”
Channel 4 centred on the poignant tribute to Kevin Keegan at St James' Park, with detailed coverage of the match between Newcastle and Liverpool. They also reported on other results, including Manchester City's comeback and Brighton's thrashing of Aston Villa.
- “Remembering a man who, for so many, meant so much. A Geordie hero and a Liverpool legend.”
- “On Tyneside, he was King Kev. On Merseyside, King of the Cop.”
- “In today's other Premier League matches, Man City fought back from 1-0 down to beat Bournemouth at the Etihad.”
BBC NEWS offered a global perspective on the Premier League's opening weekend, highlighting the surprise results and the new managers. They also interviewed a Swedish football journalist about the league's popularity in Sweden, adding an international dimension.
- “Hull City fans had a weekend to remember after beating 2-0, one of the most competitive teams, Manchester United.”
- “Manchester City came from behind to beat Bournemouth 2-1, giving them a perfect start to the season and to their new boss Enzo Maresca after he took over from Pep Guardiola.”
- “Tottenham had a shocking start to the season after losing to Brentford 3-0.”
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.