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It's always interesting to watch a team that won the Premier League title defend their crown the following season. Primarily, how they adapt to the added attention for an entire season and how the opposition adjust their game plans in the new campaign.
That's why defending a league title has never been an easy feat, with only one club — Manchester City — retaining the trophy since the 2008-09 season.
Here's a look at three teams that lost in their opening games as defending champions:
#3 Leicester City vs Hull City (2016-17 season)
Leicester City roared into the 2016-17 season on the back of a Premier League title and were looking to recapture the magic of their title-winning season. They were up against newly-promoted Hull City away from home in their league-opening fixture.
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Their first game didn't bode well for a title defense as they lost 2-1 to the Tigers. Hull took the lead in first-half stoppage time thanks to an Adama Diomande goal. Leicester equalized with a Riyad Mahrez penalty, but Robert Snodgrass scored the decisive winner in the 57th minute to give the Tigers their first win of the season.
The Foxes won the reverse fixture at the King Power Stadium. They fought back from a goal down to win 3-1, thanks to Mahrez and Christian Fuchs finding the net and an own goal from Tom Huddlestone. Leicester went on to finish in 12th place, but the season was not all doom and gloom. They had a fun run in the UEFA Champions League, culminating in a quarterfinal exit to Atletico Madrid.
#2 Chelsea vs Burnley (2017-18 season)
Chelsea kicked off their Premier League title defense against Burnley. The Clarets secured their place in England’s top flight with a 16th place finish in the 2016-17 season. The Blues had just won their second league title in three seasons but the match turned out to be a chaotic affair.
Gary Cahill was sent off in the 14th minute to reduce the Blues to 10 men. Burnley put in a sizzling first-half performance. They raced to a 3-0 lead thanks to a brace from Sam Vokes and a goal from Stephen Ward.
The Pensioners managed to pull two goals back courtesy of Alvaro Morata and David Luiz. However, they finished the game with nine men after Fabregas was sent off for a second bookable offense. Chelsea failed to score an equalizer and fell to a 3-2 home defeat to the Clarets.
Antonio Conte’s side went on to finish fifth that season, five points behind Liverpool in fourth. That was enough to secure a spot in the following season’s UEFA Europa League. They did finish the season with some silverware though, beating Manchester United 1-0 in the final to win the FA Cup.
#1 Manchester City vs Tottenham Hotspur (2021-22 season)
Manchester City showcased their class last season, winning the Premier League title by a comfortable 12-point margin over their nearest rivals Manchester United. That win made it two league titles in a row for Pep Guardiola’s men, and their third in four seasons.
The Cityzens also came into this season as favorites to make it two Premier League trophies in a row. A good start was pivotal in their opening game against hosts Tottenham Hotspur last Sunday.
Spurs were without their talismanic forward Harry Kane but it proved to be no problem. They secured a 1-0 victory courtesy of a goal from Son Heung-min. City had the lion’s share of possession and more shots on target in the game. But Spurs proved more resolute in defense to earn themselves a winning start to their Premier League campaign.
It was their third straight defeat away to Tottenham and third loss in their last four competitive games in all competitions.
Their next match will be at home to newly-promoted side Norwich City. It'll be an opportunity for the defending champions to bounce back in front of their supporters next weekend.
