Premier League 2018-19: 6 things we learned from matchday one

#4 The big-spending mid-table teams might not make the impact sought

Fulham FC suffered a 2-0 defeat to Crystal Palace

Fulham were taken over by ambitious sports entrepreneur Shahid Khan, in July 2013 and since then the Pakistani-American has pumped massive amounts of money into the club as he seeks to revamp the club's fortunes and turn it into an English football heavyweight.

Fulham were the league's third biggest spenders in the just concluded window behind Liverpool and Chelsea, with a total spend of £105.3 million, becoming the first ever promoted club to spend in excess of £100 million in a transfer window.

The Cottagers brought in a total of 13 new players, with 7 of those on a permanent transfer including highly sought after record signing Jean Michael Seri and Aleksandr Mitrovic, while 6 others came in on loan including World Cup winner Andre Schurrle and Europa League-winning goalkeeper Sergio Rico.

With this heavy investment, Fulham would have sought to not only stave off relegation but challenge for a spot in the top half of the league table. However, the opening day humbling recorded by Slavisa Jokanovic's side would bring their hopes crashing back down to earth.

Fulham suffered a disappointing 2-0 defeat to Crystal Palace at the Craven Cottage, and their performance is a far cry from the optimism expressed by fans prior to the commencement of the league season.

Elsewhere also in London, West Ham also expended the cash, following clashes last season between fans and club owners David Gold and David Sullivan which escalated over protests of the lack of ambition of the club, leading to fans invading the pitch in a league match against Burnley asking the board to resign.

West Ham fans invaded the pitch against Burnley

The club responded to those demands, spending a total of £99 million (the 5th highest in the league) to bring players including Andriy Yarmolenko and Felipe Anderson to the club. They also announced the appointment of Premier League winning manager Manuel Pellegrini as the man to lead the club to its new era.

However, their opening day fixture went horribly off script, as The Hammers suffered a debilitating 4-0 defeat to a Sadio Mane inspired Liverpool at Anfield, which would have the club going back to the drawing board.

Fulham and West Ham spent big in order to challenge for the top spots. However, as the opening day showed them, it requires much more than that to make an impact in the EPL, and instead of finding themselves in the top half of the table, both occupy the relegation spots, with Fulham 18th and West Ham 20th on the table.