Premier League 2019/20: 8 Big Takeaways From Gameweek Two
More drama and history made in London.
With week one of the new Premier League season officially in the books, it made for a tough act to follow for week two. With a total of ten goals from the first two games alone, fans were eager to see if the explosive start to the year would continue.
After Liverpool and Chelsea competed for 120 minutes plus penalties for the European Super Cup in mid-week, gameweek two didn't quite hit the ground running in the same fashion as week one. While Liverpool opened the season with a 4-1 demolition of Norwich, Arsenal and Burnley opened the second set of games with a far cagier affair.
That's not to say it was a bad game by any means, and through the next nine games there were plenty of goals, plenty of drama, and of course, a heavy influence from the Video Assistant Referee.
Most teams in the league right now are not where they want to be, but for Arsenal and Liverpool, as the only two teams to win both of their opening games, so far so good. As always, however, there were big things happening all across the country, across all ten games, this week in the Premier League.
8. More Debuts
Naturally, the opening week of the season is the first chance for fans to see their teams’ new signings, but it can often take a few weeks before all the new faces get their debuts. From taking time to integrate new players into the first 11, to recovering from injuries and competitions over the summer, teams usually aren’t 100% until at least few games in. Week two saw the debut of some big names in the league, with mixed results.
After coming off the bench to score against Chelsea, Man United youngster Daniel James’ full debut didn’t go quite so well. The midfielder was booked for diving, and was lucky to escape a second yellow after fouling Diogo Jota in the Red Devils' draw with Wolves.
David Luiz missed Arsenal’s opener against Newcastle but was inserted into the starting line-up for a solid debut against Burnley. Luiz was outdone by fellow debutante Dani Ceballos, who grabbed two assists in an incredible performance, and Pepe, who came on at half time, almost immediately becoming a fan favourite.
In the game between Villa and Bournemouth, there were two great goals from two new boys. Douglas Luiz for the Villains, and Harry Wilson for the Cherries (with the help of a big deflection). Finally, Adrian made his full Premier League debut between the sticks for Liverpool, marking the appearance with a calamitous error, allowing Danny Ings his first goal of the season.