The three-week international break felt a bit more like a three season one, but at last, the Premier League is back. Did it kill some momentum, offer a fresh start or could teams pick back up where they left off?
For us in the North East, it’s been a mixed bag to start the season. Going into the weekend, Regis Le Bris’ Sunderland had won only one of their opening five games and had just come off the back of an enthralling but second-best display away at Man City.
...the Black Cats season didn’t exactly pick up here.
The Stadium of Light was to host high-flying Brighton, and the Black Cats season didn’t exactly pick up here. Belgian utility-man Maxim De Cuyper opened the scoring for the Seagulls just into the second half, before Sunderland were offered a lifeline in the form of Pascal Struijk’s red card for denial of a goal scoring opportunity.
However, Le Bris’ side did not take advantage of this, ultimately falling 2-0 at the hands of summer signing Jaouen Hadjam’s 93rd minute finish.
The Magpies got off to the worst possible start...
On the other side of the Tyne, Matthias Jaissle’s Newcastle did not fare much better at all in the Monday Night kick-off away at promoted Coventry City. The Magpies got off to the worst possible start when a poor spill and foul from goalkeeper Lukas Hornicek gave the Sky-blues an early penalty, which Jack Rudoni converted.
Impressive goals followed from Sidiki Cherif, Ellis Simms, and Stephen Mfuni, with Newcastle’s only reply being a frustrated thunderstrike from centre back Sven Botman. A 4-1 loss handed Coventry their first home win of the season and certainly wasn’t what Jaissle’s men had been expecting.
Elsewhere in the League, Man City fought a hostile crowd and a defiant Liverpool side to claim a 3-0 victory, whilst Crystal Palace, Chelsea, Ipswich, and champions Arsenal also claimed crucial wins.