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The Premier League started off with a bang this season. As many as 31 goals were scored in the opening weekend of the league. And going by the script, there was no shortage of drama as well - Huddersfield won their first ever match in top-flight, Chelsea lost and finished the game with nine men while Arsenal made an amazing comeback to win a seven-goal thriller. It was all there.
Debuts are never easy for any player, especially in the demanding Premier League. Change in tactics, new teammates, new surroundings; everything is new. While some players take to the new surrounding like a duck to water, others take the time to settle in.
As is the norm, there were quite a few players who made their debuts this weekend. Here are five of the best.
#5 Ahmed Hegazi
Ahmed Hegazi had a great start to his Premier League career. He scored the only goal to give West Brom a win over Bournemouth and also made 10 clearances at the back.
Hegazi, a central-defender, on loan from Al-Ahly, helped West Brom bag 3 points for the first time since the start of March. The Egyptian caused havoc at set pieces and Tony Pulis would be pleased with that.
Hegazi headed in his goal from a set piece before almost scoring in another. He was close to scoring a second but shot the ball over the bar. The ball landed in front of him unexpectedly and in a hurry to score a brace, he missed the post.
Club manager, Pulis said, "He made a great start. I watched a couple of games in the African Cup of Nations and was impressed by Egypt, so we followed it up and took a chance."
Hegazi will be pleased with his debut and would be hoping for such performances in the future.
#4 Alexandre Lacazette
Alexandre Lacazette scored just 2 minutes into the game and became the 5th Arsenal player to score on Premier League debut under Arsene Wenger.
The Frenchman smartly headed in Mohamed Elneny's cross, giving the Gunners a lead within the first 2 minutes. It was a brilliantly controlled header which gave Arsenal and their fans a dream start to the Premier League.
The player looked sharp and alert throughout the game, after scoring the goal. He came close to scoring another goal in the 83rd minute.
He came alive in the box and had a go at the post only to be denied by Kasper Schmeichel, which in turn gave the Gunners a corner. This set up Arsenal's 4th and winning goal, which was headed in by Giroud.
Lacazette has a long way to go but has shown positives from his first game. The Frenchman will take confidence from this game and will hope to keep up his performance for the rest of the season.
#3 Sead Kolasinac
Despite being a part of the Arsenal team that let in 3 goals, Sead Kolasinac made a huge impression on his debut.
Building on from his performance in the Community Shield game, the player looked good at the back and made some marauding runs.
The Serbian assisted Danny Welbeck's goal in the first half and then made a crucial save in the second half.
Arsenal were leading the game 4-3 and Leicester were desperately looking for an equaliser. During the stoppage time of the second half, Riyad Mahrez came very close to levelling the game.
It was the former Schalke player who stopped Mahrez from scoring, thus ensuring that his team won on the night.
Kolasinac seems to have settled quite well in England and has already become a fan favourite in a very short span. Arsenal have done some good piece of business getting him for free. The player will look to capitalise from his past two great performances.
#2 Alvaro Morata
Alvaro Morata came off the bench to score a goal and assisted another but it still wasn't enough for the Blues who lost to Burnley 2-3 and ended the game with 9 men on the field.
As soon as he was introduced, the Spaniard made an immediate impact by scoring a diving header to give Chelsea a goal.
He had a great sense of mind when he flicked the ball with his head that set up David Luiz who comfortably scored the second goal.
Chelsea became the second reigning team to lose on the opening day (Leicester City were the first). Morata also lost his 52-game unbeaten streak in league matches which he featured in.
Antonio Conte could be tempted to start the next game with Morata up front as Michy Batshuayi failed to make an impact while on the field.
Chelsea fans will be hoping that the Spaniard can keep up his form for the rest of the season.
#1 Steve Mounie
Two goals in his Premier League debut to give Huddersfield their ever top-flight win; not everyone can boast of such a start, except for Steve Mounie.
His first goal - Huddersfield's second - was a powerful header guided into the corner, while the second one was a snapshot beating the keeper at his near post.
Being inspired by Dider Drogba, the player aspires to become like him. He wants to follow his footsteps and become as successful as the Cheslea legend is.
"Now people know who I am. It was amazing to start like this. I couldn't imagine a better start. For my first game it's a big confident boost," said the player after the match.
Mounie is still very young, just 22 years old. He has a long career ahead and a lot to improve on. The club, the manager and the fans will be hoping that the £11.5m player, club's most expensive signing till date, can continue his good form and live up to the expectation.
