Tottenham & Man United flop, FPL mayhem, European draws & more | OneFootball

It would be fair to say that the opening weekend of the 2026/27 Premier League season produced more than its fair share of talking points.

Five of the so-called ‘Big Six’ clubs were in action, and four of them received an early wake-up call from their respective opponents.

Without further ado, read on as we look at some of the talking points from the opening games, before assessing what’s in store for the rest of the week.

Big guns get a rude awakening

Defending champions Arsenal laid down an early marker with an impressive 3-0 victory over newly-promoted Coventry City on Friday night. Most of their rivals were less fortunate.

Manchester United produced a horror show against top-flight new-boys Hull City the following day, slipping to a dismal 2-0 defeat at the MKM Stadium.

Amusement levels subsequently cranked up a notch during the afternoon as big-spending Tottenham Hotspur suffered a demoralising 3-0 defeat at Brentford.

Manager Roberto De Zerbi trotted out a series of weak excuses after the game. His attempts to justify the shambolic performance were pitiful.

Manchester City were also underwhelming at home to Bournemouth, but eventually dug themselves out of a hole to secure a hard-fought 2-1 victory.

Big-money signing Elliot Anderson was dreadful before picking up an injury. City undoubtedly improved after he was substituted. It’s baffling why they paid £116 million for him.

Liverpool completed a quartet of uninspiring displays by top clubs by snatching an undeserved 2-2 draw at Newcastle United on Sunday.

The Reds will win nothing while they persist with Virgil van Dijk at centre-back. The 35-year-old is a defensive liability and needs to be ditched.

Mayhem abounds as FPL gets underway

Matchday 1 was eagerly anticipated by Fantasy Premier League (FPL) fans, but things did not go to plan for many of them.

Some lucky fortune tellers somehow had Brighton & Hove Albion’s Maxim De Cuyper as triple captain, thus garnering 51 unlikely points.

Over in the real world, FPL players expecting a decent points haul from Bruno Fernandes and Erling Braut Haaland had their fingers burnt.

United’s defeat at Hull was particularly galling for the FPL players who tripled up on their players. Next weekend’s home game against Ipswich Town is an opportunity for redemption.

The Football Today FPL table paints a sorry picture, with the current leader already 61 points behind the overall number one in the competition.

A miracle performance by Joao Pedro for Chelsea at Fulham tonight would help to rectify a disappointing overall weekend for many of our FPL players.

If you fancy joining in the fun, and aren’t amongst the people who have somehow accrued a silly points total, please click the link above.

European contenders find out their fate this week

UEFA will conduct the draws for the Champions League, Europa League and Europa Conference League later this week.

Arsenal, Man City, Man United, Aston Villa and Liverpool are England’s contingent in the Champions League for 2026/27.

Scottish Premiership giants Celtic are on course to join them after claiming a 3-0 victory over Austrian side LASK in the first leg of their play-off qualifier.

Crystal Palace, Bournemouth and Sunderland will be flying the flag for the Premier League in this season’s Europa League.

Brighton & Hove Albion are hoping to secure a place in the Europa Conference League. They drew 0-0 with Norwegian side Tromso in their first play-off game.

Scottish clubs Motherwell, Hibernian, Hearts and Rangers are all in contention to progress to the league phase in UEFA’s third-tier competition.

Northern Irish club Larne could also qualify after claiming a 2-0 victory over Lincoln Red Imps in the first leg of their play-off tie.

Silly season is almost over

The end of the 2026 summer transfer window is almost in sight and probably cannot come soon enough for many fans.

Endless fake rumours from supposedly ‘in-the-know’ reporters have become one of the biggest blights on the professional football ecosystem.

Ridiculous fees are not helping matters. When Tottenham agree an £85m deal with Man City for Savinho, you know the market has lost its sense of value.

Having already splashed the cash on several other underachievers this summer, Tottenham seem determined to retain their status as the Premier League’s biggest ‘banter club’.