An interesting trivia question: who was the last Everton player to score a double on his debut? Believe it or not, Brazilian forward Jo - on loan from Manchester City at the time. Richarlison matched his achievement today, scoring two lovely goals at Molineux.
Wolves began the day by setting a new Premier League first: the five Portuguese players named in their starting lineup was a new record. Ultimately, it was a Mexican who won them their point, Raul Jimenez equalising 10 minutes from time with a fine header. Ruben Neves also scored a glorious free-kick to cancel out Richarlison's first goal but, given that Everton had Phil Jagielka dismissed in the first half for a reckless tackle, Nuno Espirito Santo will be slightly disappointed not to have won.
Fulham recieved a reality check
Fulham's Premier League party was upset by Crystal Palace. Shahid Khan has bankrolled major investment at Craven Cottage over the summer, supplying Slavisa Jokanovic with over £100m worth of new players – the first newly-promoted team to ever spend that much. Unfortunately, Palace were in no mood to play along. Jeff Schlupp gave Roy Hodgson's side a first-half lead, lashing home brilliantly, and 10 minutes before the end Wilfried Zaha - who had spent the afternoon being kicked from one end of south-west London to the other - rounded the goalkeeper to calmly put the points beyond doubt.
Not the start Fulham wanted at all. Worrying also, given that they enjoyed over 60% of possession.
Pereyra already has contender for goal of the month
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Oooof. This was a hit. Roberto Pereyra has had a frustrating time at Watford since arriving, struggling to stay fit and in form as a succession of managers have tried to get the best from him. If his first goal today is anything to go by, though, 2018/19 might be his season: the Argentine put his side ahead at Vicarage Road with a stunning volley directly from a corner.
If you can't wait for Match of the Day, think of Paul Scholes's famous goal against Bradford - but imagine a harder body angle, more power and a loopy, awkward ball to control. Lovely.
Pereyra added a second after half-time – no scruffy finish there either – and Javi Gracia's Watford are up and running.
Cardiff's goalkeeper makes instant impression
Cardiff ultimately lost on their Premier League debut, succumbing to goals from Ryan Fraser midway through the first half and Callum Wilson's stoppage-time clincher, but goalkeeper Neil Etheridge had an afternoon to remember - he saved Wilson's first-half penalty, becoming the first debutant goalkeeper to do so in five years. Then-Hull keeper Allan McGregor denied Frank Lampard at Stamford Bridge in August 2013.
Fine save though it was, the FA's discipinary commitee might have a second look at the incident itself. Wilson appeared to go down very easily - and voluntarily - under minimal contact from Bruno Manga and he will now do well to avoid a potential ban.
Kante has already scored his annual goal
Chelsea began life under Maurizio Sarri with a collector's item: an N'Golo Kante goal - admittedly not with with the purest of contacts - put them ahead against Huddersfield. It was his first since September 2017 (against Manchester United), and just his fourth in 107 Premier League appearances. Debutant Jorginho would later double the lead, nonchalantly converting a penalty after Marcos Alonso had been fouled.
Eden Hazard slipped in Pedro for Chelsea's third, giving Sarri the perfect start in his new job. A footnote too: Ross Barkley starting only his third game for Chelsea, before being hooked on 54 minutes for Ruben Loftus-Cheek. Mateo Kovacic will be breathing down his neck for a place imminently, but perhaps he's not quite as forgotten as we thought.
Spurs win by millimetres at Newcastle
Who doesn't enjoy goal-line technology? Jan Vertonghen is presumably a fan now, having seen his header ruled to have crossed the line by just 9mm at St. James' Park. Vertonghen reacted first to Davinson Sanchez's knock-down to give Tottenham the lead against Newcastle, before the normally goal-shy Joselu quickly equalised with his own fine header.
Spurs took all the points, though, with Dele Alli drifting away from DeAndre Yedlin to restore the visitors' lead before half-time and then, during a second 45 minutes during which the hosts exerted plenty of pressure, surviving a late Newcastle push.
Results in full:
Newcastle 1-2 Tottenham
Bournemouth 2-0 Cardiff
Fulham 0-2 Crystal Palace
Huddersfield 0-3 Chelsea
Watford 2-0 Brighton
Wolves 2-2 Everton
Manchester United 2-1 Leicester (Friday)
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Seb Stafford-Bloor is a football writer at Tifo Football and member of the Football Writers' Association. He was formerly a regularly columnist for the FourFourTwo website, covering all aspects of the game, including tactical analysis, reaction pieces, longer-term trends and critiquing the increasingly shady business of football's financial side and authorities' decision-making.
