Five players who impressed on the Premier League’s opening day.
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The Premier League is finally underway, with seven games having been played on an opening weekend that saw a shock home defeat for Manchester United and a last gasp victory for Arsenal.
Newly promoted Leicester City held Everton to a draw at the King Power Stadium, whilst there were also impressive away wins for Aston Villa, Tottenham Hotspur and Hull City.
In amongst this, there were a number of notable individual displays, with these players particularly coming to the fore on opening weekend:
Eric Dier (Tottenham Hotspur)
Young defender Eric Dier’s Tottenham Hotspur debut was an eventful one – the player, who was signed from Sporting Lisbon this summer, found himself starting the game at centre back, shifted to right back after Kyle Naughton’s harsh red card and then bursting through on goal to score Spurs’ dramatic injury time winner. Dier was solid in both positions in defence, suggesting that he should be a fine capture for Mauricio Pochettino, whilst he also showed superb composure to role in the winning goal after rounding the ‘keeper.
James Chester (Hull City)
Hull City manager Steve Bruce hailed the performance of former Manchester United centre back James Chester after the Tigers’ 1-0 victory at Queens Park Rangers, after he got the better of Rio Ferdinand to head home the winning goal for Hull and was also a tower of strength at the back. Even a ridiculous penalty award against him for a non-existent handball failed to ruin Chester’s afternoon, with Charlie Austin missing the resulting spot kick.
Aaron Ramsey (Arsenal)
Aaron Ramsey admitted himself after Arsenal’s dramatic win over Crystal Palace that he wasn’t at his best – but the Welsh is underplaying his performance somewhat and deserves plaudits for his perseverance alone. Ramsey kept making runs forward, kept troubling the Palace defence and got his rewarded when Julian Sperino parried Mathieu Debuchy’s shot to his feet as the game ticked into injury time.
Ki Sung-Yeung (Swansea City)
Whilst it was Gylfi Sigurdsson who got the headlines for Swansea City after his winning goal at Old Trafford, returning midfielder Ki Sung-Yeung was the metronome in the centre of the Swans’ midfield who was able to help them control the game. It was a surprise when Michael Laudrup allowed Ki to leave on loan for Sunderland last season, with Garry Monk throwing him straight back into the team on his return. The South Korean repaid his manager’s faith with an intelligent and controlled display that was topped off with a fine finish for the game’s opening goal.
Steven Pienaar (Everton)
Everton winger Steven Pienaar didn’t see a huge amount of game time under Roberto Martinez last season, but his fine display as the Toffees drew 2-2 at newly promoted Leicester City indicated that the South African will have plenty to offer this season. Pienaar linked up brilliantly with marauding left back Leighton Baines, causing real issues for Belgian right back Ritchie de Laet, particularly during a first half which Everton dominated.
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