The 8 most momentous opening-day Premier League matches

They started with a bang...

The opening day of the 2018/19 Premier League season will feature a clash between two members of the big six, with defending champions Manchester City set to visit Arsenal. In this gallery, we pick out eight of the most memorable fixtures to have taken place on the first weekend of the top-flight campaign…
Arsenal 2-4 Norwich (1992/93)

This would certainly seem like a shock result today, and things were no different when the Premier League opened for business in 1992: Arsenal had won the First Division in 1991 and went on to claim the FA Cup and League Cup in 1992/93, while Norwich had escaped relegation by just three points the previous year.

This was a sign of things to come, however, as Norwich drove on to challenge for the title – they ultimately finished third after a late-season collapse – and Arsenal slumped into mid-table. The Gunners were 2-0 up at the break, but a brilliant second-half comeback brought the Canaries all three points.
Derby 3-3 Leeds (1996/97)

Derby marked their promotion to the top flight with a humdinger against Leeds at the Baseball Ground. It was rather appropriate that both sides took a share of the spoils on the opening day: come the end of the campaign, they were separated only by goal difference.

The bulk of the action took place in the second half of this fixture. A young Lee Bowyer forced an own goal out of Derby's Jacob Laursen to break the deadlock in the first 15 minutes, and after 71 minutes the score was still just 1-0 to Leeds. Then all hell broke loose: five goals in a manic 16-minute period that justified the entrance fee.
Coventry 3-2 Chelsea (1997/98)

Chelsea weren't the behemoth of English football they would go on to become in 1997, but they certainly had a talented team with Gianfranco Zola, Dennis Wise, Mark Hughes, Roberto Di Matteo and Gus Poyet all turning out for the Blues. Coventry couldn't quite call on such a talented crop – but all they needed was Dion Dublin.

Frank Sinclair put Chelsea ahead after 39 minutes, driving at the hosts' defence before cutting inside and finishing at the near post. Dublin soon equalised, nodding in from a long throw, but Tore Andre Flo restored Chelsea's lead with 70 minutes played. Dublin wouldn't be denied, though; the striker completed a hat-trick to cap a dramatic late comeback.
Arsenal 2-1 Everton (2003/04)

The 2003/04 season was Arsene Wenger's Arsenal at their very best, as they went undefeated en route to the Premier League title. It all started at home to Everton on the opening day, with goals from Thierry Henry and Robert Pires firing the Gunners to victory.

It wasn't all plain sailing, though: Sol Campbell was sent off early on for a foul on Thomas Gravesen, and Tomasz Radzinski made it a nervous end to the game by pulling a goal back with six minutes remaining. Arsenal held on, however, and went through the whole top-flight season without losing once.
Chelsea 1-0 Manchester United (2004/05)

This was no classic, but Chelsea's 1-0 victory over Manchester United ushered in a new Premier League rivalry. The previous six years had been dominated by Arsenal and Manchester United, but Roy Keane vs Patrick Vieira was soon replaced by Wayne Rooney vs Didier Drogba, Edwin van der Sar vs Petr Cech and Alex Ferguson vs Jose Mourinho. This was the start.

The game itself was cagey, with both managers trying to slowly work one another out. United probably shaded it but couldn't make the breakthrough, allowing Chelsea to take all three points en route to the Premier League title. The championship was won by one of these two sides in each of the next seven years.
Aston Villa 4-2 Manchester City (2008/09)

This game featured one of the Premier League's fastest ever hat-tricks and six second-half goals, but it also had ramifications that affect the present day. Villa were a genuine force back in 2008, with Gareth Barry, Ashley Young and Gabriel Agbonlahor playing some of the best football of their careers. Manchester City, meanwhile, were experiencing growing pains after their giant injection of cash.

Agbonlahor stole the show on the opening day, scoring a perfect hat-trick to fire the Villans to victory. City were busy in the transfer market for the rest of the month, signing Vincent Kompany, Pablo Zabaleta and Robinho – something that may have been at least partly prompted by their loss at Villa Park.
Liverpool 1-1 Arsenal (2010/11)

What this game lacked in quality, it made up for in entertaining calamity. Joe Cole, who had been likened to Lionel Messi by Steven Gerrard after moving to Anfield that summer, was sent off for a reckless tackle on Laurent Koscielny in the first half, before David N'Gog flashed in a brilliant goal at the start of the second.

Liverpool looked set to hold on despite having to play the majority of the second half a man down, but a major blunder from Pepe Reina salvaged a point for the Gunners. The Spaniard made a mess of a cross from the left and then couldn't keep out the rebound, which cannoned off the post and hit him on the leg before rolling over the line.
Leicester 4-2 Sunderland (2015/16)

This seemed like an early relegation six-pointer at the King Power Stadium, with both teams having narrowly avoided the drop in 2014/15. As it turned out, only one of them would spend the year fighting to stay out of the bottom three.

Leicester came flying out the traps: Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez headed home Marc Albrighton crosses, before Mahrez made it 3-0 from the penalty spot with just 25 minutes gone. Sunderland responded well after the break, but Leicester held on to pick up their first win under Claudio Ranieri. The Foxes went on to make history by winning the title in remarkable fashion.