The 5th of August marked the return of the Premier League from its annual three-month hiatus, and what a spectacle we were treated to. At the London Stadium, Erling Haaland’s Manchester City debut was just as blockbuster as it promised to be. The giant Norwegian striker bagged himself a brace on his first league outing for The Blues. Online bookmakers like 888Sport, provides betting and free offers on Premier League football, have made Pep Guardiola’s side the favourites to retain the crown they won so impressively last season, and on this showing, its clear to see why.
If you head over to the red half of Manchester, things couldn’t be more different if they tried. Erik Ten Hag’s first game in charge of Manchester United was supposed to be the beginning of a new chapter, but it was anything but. They slumped to a 2-1 defeat at home to Brighton & Hove Albion, and it seems that the Dutchman is already under pressure after just one game.
Elsewhere, there were wins for Arsenal, Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur Newcastle United, Leeds United, and AFC Bournemouth. And it doesn’t stop there, with the fixtures coming thick and fast over the next few weeks. But this particular fixture below is chief among those you’d best not miss in the coming weeks.
Manchester United vs Liverpool – August 22nd
Manchester United and Liverpool are typically the two biggest clubs in England. Admittedly there is now competition from the likes of Chelsea and Manchester City, as well as Arsenal – who were major contenders in the early 2000s – but the aforementioned pair are by far and away the most successful clubs in English football history. But at the moment, they are poles apart.
The Red Devils looked to have turned a corner in the preseason. Reports of a successful preseason left fans and pundits alike excited as to what the future may hold at Old Trafford, but that opening day defeat looks to have derailed their plans.
Liverpool on the other hand are undergoing their most successful era in a generation. They missed out on the first ever quadruple last season by the skin of their teeth, pipped to the Premier League title by Manchester City, and lost the Champions League final to Real Madrid.
Last season, this fixture ended up in a 5-0 victory for the visitors, their biggest ever victory at Old Trafford. In that game, they had scored all five goals by halftime, with Egyptian sensation Mohamed Salah bagging a hat trick. If current form is anything to go by, the result this time around could somehow be even worse for the hosts, who will be hoping to get their act together to give a good account of themselves against their major rivals.
