From Michu’s memorable introduction against a hapless QPR to the glorious sight of a full-bodied Micky Quinn decimating Arsenal at Highbury, these solo displays got top billing...
Micky Quinn – Sheffield Wednesday vs Arsenal (1993/94)
"He's fat, he's round, he's worth a million pounds, Micky Quinn, Micky Quinn!"
He may have been a little plumper than your average Premier League striker, but Quinn had a habit of scoring valuable goals at Coventry. A return of 17 in his debut season for the Sky Blues secured their top-flight safety in 1992/93, but better was to come.
Facing off against League Cup and FA Cup holders Arsenal at a newly-refurbished Highbury, Quinn bagged a hat-trick in a 3-0 win. He remains one of only six players to score a Premier League treble against the Gunners.
“I got a call to say that no opposition player had scored a league hat-trick at Highbury for 75 years,” he later reflected. “The amazing thing is nobody did it after that either and I think I must have been one of the only people that was happy when Highbury was taken down.”
Signed from an all-star Parma side in the summer of 2000 alongside Eidur Gudjohnsen and Jimmy-Floyd Hasselbaink, Stanic hit the ground running at Stamford Bridge with a stunning brace in Chelsea’s 4-2 opening day win over West Ham.
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His first goal was the undoubted highlight: a sumptuous keepy-uppy-fuelled 35-yard-volley that still ranks among the Premier League’s finest.
“It was a goal that only a man with confidence and personality can score in his first match in front of new supporters,” Blues boss Gianluca Vialli beamed. Unfortunately, that was also about as good as it got for the Croatian, who failed to net again that season and didn’t even bag the goal-of-the-season award for his troubles. Bah.
Cesc Fabregas – Arsenal vs Everton (2009/10)
The Gunners put David Moyes’s Everton to the sword in scintillating style with a 6-1 win at Goodison Park. Cesc Fabregas ran the show, scoring twice and laying on another two assists in a performance that showed exactly why Barcelona were keen to bring him home.
The midfielder’s second goal – a scampering run followed by a low, precise drive into the bottom corner beyond Tim Howard – was a particular highlight. Fabregas ended the season with a career-best 15 goals, a place in the PFA Team of the Year, and remained at Arsenal for another campaign before finally leaving for the Camp Nou in summer 2011.
Fabrizio Ravanelli – Middlesbrough vs Liverpool (1996/97)
The White Feather earned instant hero status at the Riverside with this impressive hat-trick against the Reds. Ravanelli, a shock £7m signing from Champions League winners Juventus, wasted little time making an impact by pegging the Merseysiders back three times and showcasing his signature shirt-over-head celebration.
Having bagged his first equaliser with a penalty, Ravanelli’s poacher instincts came to the fore with his other two goals which capped a memorable 3-3 draw.
The Italian personified Boro’s swashbuckling style that season; alas for them, one that ultimately saw Bryan Robson’s side sink back to the second tier. Ravanelli – who aggravated team-mates throughout the season and even fought defender Neil Cox during a team photo – left soon after.
Arsenal fans have endured some difficult opening days down the years, but this calamitous curtain-raiser from the 1992/93 campaign takes some beating. Leading the Canaries 2-0 thanks to goals from Steve Bould and Kevin Campbell, the Gunners looked in control and out of sight at half-time.
However, the second-half introduction of Mark Robins for Chris Sutton soon turned the tide – the former Manchester United man had reduced the arrears within 10 minutes via a diving header. Another two goals followed – one courtesy of a clanger from David Seaman – before Robins took full advantage of a mistake from Tony Adams and sealed an unlikely 4-2 win with an audacious lob.
Chelsea went into the 1997/98 season full of confidence after winning only their second ever FA Cup. But despite dominating for large spells against a Coventry side tipped to struggle, they hadn’t counted on Dion Dublin enjoying arguably his finest afternoon in a Sky Blues shirt.
Ruud Gullit’s west Londoners twice took the lead through Frank Sinclair and Tore Andre Flo, but were twice pegged back: Dublin scored a header direct from a long throw and added another at the near post from a corner.
With only minutes remaining, a ball into the box found the striker in acres of space and with the goal gaping for his hat-trick. Dublin went on to score 18 league goals – enough for a share of the Golden Boot – but narrowly missed out on Glenn Hoddle’s World Cup squad.
NEXT: The 16-year-old who made light work of Arsenal
Marlon Harewood – Blackpool vs Wigan (2010/11)
A bargain bin free transfer, Harewood arrived at Blackpool in 2010 off the back of a nightmare spell at Aston Villa where he struggled for form and goals. The striker made a dream start to life with the Tangerines, though, scoring twice in a surprise 4-0 win over Wigan at the DW Stadium that had manager Ian Holloway purring.
Harewood was a livewire presence throughout, and it was his two goals – a 22-yard-strike, and fine poacher’s finish from a spilled shot – that had Blackpool going in 3-0 up at half-time. Though his scoring touch deserted him for much of the remaining campaign, for one magical afternoon everything went right for him.
Reece Oxford – West Ham vs Arsenal (2015/16)
Petr Cech endured a nightmare debut at the Emirates Stadium – the former Chelsea man was at fault for both West Ham goals in a surprise 2-0 win for the Irons.
However, it was the performance of a 16-year-old Reece Oxford that dominated much of the post-match analysis. A centre-half by trade, Oxford was instead deployed at the base of a central midfield three by boss Slaven Bilic.
It proved something of a masterstroke: the youngster effectively nullified the attacking threat of Mesut Ozil and stifled any hopes of an Arsenal comeback. His performance earned comparisons with Rio Ferdinand, but Oxford’s career hasn’t really kicked on since.
Cristiano Ronaldo – Manchester United vs Bolton (2003/04)
Dubbed “the most exciting debut performance I’ve ever seen” by George Best, Cristiano Ronaldo’s opening day solo show only lasted half an hour – but it was enough to earn him the man-of-the-match award.
Brought on for Nicky Butt with Manchester United 1-0 up, Ronaldo gave Nicky Hunt a torrid time, dazzling the Bolton full-back with a mix of speed, skill and step-overs.
The £12m signing played his part in two more United goals as his new side ran out 4-0 winners. Nobody really knows much about what happened to him after that.
Michu – Swansea vs QPR (2012/13)
Michael Laudrup brought the one-season wonder to Swansea from Rayo Vallecano in 2012 for a bargain £2m. The Spaniard justified that fee in his first appearance alone, scoring twice and setting up another for the Swans in an imperious 5-0 away win over a disjointed QPR.
“It's not easy to score goals in England, and to get two in 50 minutes was sensational,” Michu hummed. “This is the way I dreamt it would be in this adventure.”
It proved to be a dream season for the Spaniard, who bagged 18 Premier League goals and a League Cup winners’ medal. Alas, all dreams must come to an end…
Steve McManaman – Liverpool vs Crystal Palace (1994/95)
Having taken the reins midway through a disastrous 1993/94 campaign following the sacking of Graeme Souness, Liverpool manager Roy Evans was determined to return the Reds to the top table of English football.
A commanding 6-1 win over Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park was the perfect start and served as the perfect showcase of McManaman’s talents. The Liverpool talisman scored twice, including one goal where the winger set off with the ball in his own half before unleashing an unstoppable strike past Nigel Martyn.
Liverpool went on to finish fourth, with McManaman at the fulcrum of their attack and instrumental in a 2-1 League Cup final win over Bolton.
A young David Beckham hogged headlines on the opening day of the 1996/97 season, thanks to a goal from inside his own half against Wimbledon.
It was a strike that capped a comfortable 3-0 win for the Red Devils, in part thanks to a commanding performance from Roy Keane in the centre of the park. The Irishman was in his element, leaving opposite number Vinnie Jones biting the dust in a performance full of defensive bite and slick passing.
He played a part in United’s second goal and was commanding throughout, in what would become the norm for much of the five years that followed.
