Premier League returns with its second gameweek with Aston Villa playing against Everton in the opening match at Villa Park. The contest will see former England teammates and club rivals Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard square off for the first-time as managers.
Defending champion Manchester City, which rode on an Erling Haaland brace in its opening match against West Ham United, plays its first home match of the season against the newly-promoted AFC Bournemouth. Confidence will be high in Pep Guardiola’s City camp after starting the season strongly.
For Jurgen Klopp, it was a disappointing opening weekend. Held by a resilient Fulham to a 2-2 draw at the Craven cottage, the Reds will be hoping to get their first win of the season when it plays Patrick Vieira’s Crystal Palace at Anfield.
The positives from the frustrating draw against Fulham were new-arrival Darwin Nunez scoring his debut Premier League goal and Mohamed Salah maintaining his streak of scoring in every opening match of Liverpool for six consecutive seasons. He now has eight opening-day goals and is jointly tied with Alan Shearer, Wayne Rooney and Frank Lampard.
Erik Ten Hag got a bitter demonstration of the amount of work that lies in front of him after Manchester United slumped to a 2-1 defeat against Brighton and Hove Albion in a lacklustre display at Old Trafford. Ten Hag will want his team to bounce back against what is sure to be a tricky match against Brentford, which has the ability to take points against top six teams.
Asked about signing more players before the window ends, Ten Hag said, “We have to.”
“I am convinced we will have (a better squad). I’m happy, I think we’re cooperating really well, I cannot tell you about any individuals, I cannot talk about players under contract at other clubs,” he added.
Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea will be engaged in a London derby as it takes on Antonio Conte’s Tottenham Hotspur, which will head into the second round of fixtures as the table-topper. Both Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur won their opening matches, but in contrasting fashion. The Blues edged a 1-0 win against Everton while Tottenham thumped Southampton 4-1.
Premier League matchday 2 fixtures list
Date | Match | Time | Venue |
August 13 | Aston Villa vs Everton | 5:00 pm | Villa Park |
August 13 | Arsenal vs Leicester City | 7:30 pm | Emirates Stadium |
August 13 | Brighton and Hove Albion vs Newcastle United | 7:30 pm | American Express Community Stadium |
August 13 | Manchester City vs AFC Bournemouth | 7:30 pm | Etihad Stadium |
August 13 | Southampton vs Leeds United | 7:30 pm | St. Mary's Stadium |
August 13 | Wolves vs Fulham | 7:30 pm | Molineux Stadium |
August 13 | Brentford vs Manchester United | 10:00 pm | Gtech Community Stadium |
August 14 | Nottingham Forest vs West Ham United | 6:30 pm | City Ground, Nottingham |
August 14 | Chelsea vs Tottenham Hotspur | 9:00 pm | Stamford Bridge |
August 16 | Liverpool vs Crystal Palace | 12:30 am | Anfield |
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