10 interesting stats from Matchday 1 of the Premier League

#6 Roberto Firmino scores Liverpool's 8000th English top-flight goal

Roberto Firmino exults after scoring against Norwich City.

Roberto Firmino hasn't been among the goals of late. But the Brazilian opened his 2021-22 Premier League account by scoring on the opening day of the season.

Firmino came off the bench to double Liverpool's lead midway through the second half as the Reds won 3-0 on the night. It was a landmark strike for the 29-year-old, as it marked Liverpool's 8000th goal in the English top flight.

Firmino, who has failed to record double-digit goal tallies in his last two Premier League campaigns, only started from the bench against Norwich. Diego Jota was preferred alongside Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane up front.

#5 Marcos Alonso scores Chelsea's 50th direct free-kick goal in the Premier League

Marcos Alonso scored Chelsea's first goal in the 2021-22 Premier League, curling in a sumptuous free-kick to open the scoring against Crystal Palace. It marked Chelsea's 50th direct free-kick goal in the competition, with only Manchester United (64) having scored more.

Alonso has scored 25 goals for Chelsea in 168 games across all competitions, with 22 of these strikes coming in the Premier League. The left-back now has four direct free-kick goals for the Blues. It is the most by a Chelsea player since the start of the 2016-17 season, when Alonso first arrived in the English top flight.

#4 Manchester City's loss marks the third instance of a defending Premier League champion losing their first match of the season

Manchester City slumped to a 1-0 defeat at Tottenham Hotspur.

Manchester City launched their bid for the 2021-22 Premier League on the wrong note as the holders slumped to a 1-0 defeat at Tottenham Hotspur.

That marked only the third instance of the reigning Premier League champions losing their first league game of the new season.

The defeat to Spurs was Pep Guardiola's fifth away from home against the London club. It is the most in the legendary manager's illustrious career against a single opponent.

Although City have ample time to get their campaign back on track, the defeat doesn't bode too well for their hopes of a successful title defense. That's because Manchester United (thrice) are the only Premier League holders to successfully defend their title after a loss in the opening game week.

About the author

Bhargav is a veteran sports journalist and editor at Sportskeeda, with a rich professional experience of 17 years, working for the likes of Siemens and Bombay Dyeing. An avid football and tennis follower for over three decades, Bhargav uses his vast knowledge and experience, attention to detail, an unbiased yet interesting writing style, and thorough research to craft insightful articles, which have raked in over 20 million reads so far.

Bhargav supports Italy at national level, a team steeped in tradition and history according to him. He still harbors the heartbreak from the Azzurri’s 1994 FIFA World Cup final defeat against Brazil, and protagonist-turned-antagonist from the game, ‘Divine Ponytail’ Roberto Baggio is his all-time favorite player. His favorite manager is Marcelo Lippi, who ended Italy’s 24-year wait for the World Cup trophy, winning it in 2006.

Outside Europe’s top five leagues, he follows the MLS following Lionel Messi’s move in 2023 but favors Cristiano Ronaldo in the G.O.A.T. debate. During his free time, Bhargav enjoys driving off to new places and singing.

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Edited by Anantaajith Raghuraman