The Premier League is back, and it was complete with plenty of thrills and spills on the opening weekend.

Champions Manchester City began their title defence with a relatively routine 2-0 win over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, while Liverpool kick-started the Arne Slot era by beating promoted Ipswich Town by the same scoreline.

Manchester United left it late against Fulham, new Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler enjoyed a fantastic start to his tenure, though that was not the case for Julen Lopetegui at West Ham, and Arsenal were comfortable victors over Wolves. 

However, who were the lucky winners and unlucky losers based on the underlying metrics from this weekend's matches?

With the use of Opta data, let's find out.

Lucky winners: Aston Villa

Jhon Duran's cool finish got Villa over the line against West Ham, with Unai Emery's team clinching a 2-1 win at the London Stadium. The Hammers, who handed debuts to six players during the match, had cancelled out Amadou Onana's early opener when Lucas Paqueta converted a penalty.

And even though Villa got the job done, they were not exactly defensively solid, with only Ipswich (2.65) registering a higher expected goals against (xGA) than Emery's team (2.46) this weekend, albeit a large chunk (.78) of that was down to the Hammers' penalty.

That being said, Villa did face 14 shots, with Tomas Soucek squandering some big chances late on, while having 15 going the other way and accumulating 2.03 xG themselves, so a draw would have perhaps been a fair result.

Lucky winners: Newcastle United

There was plenty of drama at St James' Park, with Newcastle overcoming Fabian Schar's dismissal to beat Southampton 1-0.

Southampton created 1.77 xG, with Villa the only team to have won at the weekend while registering a higher xGA than Newcastle.

The Magpies had only three shots - the lowest figure of any team this weekend - and produced just 0.25 xG, but it is the scoreline that matters, with Joelinton's goal clinching three points.

Unlucky losers: Southampton

Naturally, with Newcastle coming in as a lucky winner, then Southampton classify as an unlucky loser.

Russell Martin's team love to have the ball, and they capitalised on their numerical advantage by having 77.8% of the possession, registering 649 passes to Newcastle's 118.

It was certainly not a case of keeping the ball for the sake of it, though. Southampton had 48 touches in Newcastle's box (going the other way, the hosts had only 14) and made 67 final-third entries, mustering 19 shots. Getting only four of those attempts on target is obviously an issue, but Martin can consider his team unfortunate.

Unlucky losers: Chelsea

Manchester City were comfortable winners at Stamford Bridge, but is there cause for some positivity for Enzo Maresca after his first competitive match in charge?

Chelsea limited City to 0.77 xG from 11 shots (0.07 per attempt), while accumulating 1.01 going the other way from 10 efforts.

Indeed, had Nicolas Jackson not needlessly strayed offside before capitalising on Ederson's first-half parry to slot home, it might have been a different story for the Blues, so there is some reason to be cheerful.

Real Sociedad president Jokin Aperribay has revealed the club will talk to Arsenal over a potential transfer for Mikel Merino, admitting the midfielder has a price.

Merino was left out of La Real's squad for their opening match of the season in LaLiga on Sunday, a 2-1 defeat at home to Rayo Vallecano.

The 28-year-old, who was part of the Spain team that won Euro 2024 last month, has made 242 appearances for La Real since joining from Newcastle United in 2018.

Reports have suggested Arsenal are working to bring him back to the Premier League in the closing days of the transfer window, with a fee of around £29.8million mooted after Merino entered the final 12 months of his contract in San Sebastian.

Aperribay has now revealed La Real are open to a sale for the right price after Merino indicated he was unwilling to renew his deal with the club.

"Merino was clear that he didn't want to say he was renewing and then leave. It wasn't a surprise to us," Aperribay told Basque Country radio station Onda Vasca.

"Unfortunately, one of the teams we didn't want to show up showed up. We will talk to Arsenal and defend the interests of La Real.

"When we consider that the offer is good, we will say yes. We know what Merino's wishes are, so we decided that he should not be called up [on Sunday]."

The sporting director of the German national team, Rudi Voller, believes “it probably makes sense” for Leon Goretzka to leave Bayern Munich in the transfer window. 

Goretzka, who has made 221 appearances for Bayern since his move from Schalke in 2018, has played a bit-part role ahead of the new Bundesliga season. 

The 29-year-old was not included in Vincent Kompany's side for their 4-0 win over German second division side Ulm in the DFB Pokal last Friday. 

He was also left out of Julian Nagelsmann's Germany squad for Euro 2024 despite featuring in four of their 10 international fixtures leading up to the tournament. 

Goretzka started in 25 of his 30 Bundesliga appearances last season, winning 23 of his 41 tackles, only ranking the sixth highest in the Bayern squad. 

And with qualifying for the 2026 World Cup on the horizon, Voller believes it is best for the midfielder to end his time with the 33-time Bundesliga champions. 

“He logically still has the quality to be part of the 2026 World Cup. It probably makes sense for him to move if he still has these aspirations," Voller

“It makes sense to play somewhere else again. But in the end he has to decide for himself.”

Stefan Effenberg, who most recently acted as sporting director for KFC Uerdingen 05, echoed Voller's comments surrounding Goretzka's future at the club. 

"The players Bayern have brought in will take Bayern to a new level," said Effenberg on the current state of the Bayern squad. 

"It's also a fact that you still have a lot of players with whom you don't want to go into the new season. There is still a need to let go of one or the other.

"There are still many question marks at Bayern, they wanted to finish planning early. They didn't succeed. 

"You won't be nominated for the European Championship, you don't play a role in pre-season and you're not even in the squad against Ulm.

"You have to be sensible enough to say, 'Wait a minute, I don't want to go to the training ground every day and know that I'm not in the squad.' That wears you down."

Harry Maguire believes he is in a "good place" and is ready to play a key role in what could be a big season for Manchester United.

Maguire started alongside Lisandro Martinez as United started their Premier League campaign with a 1-0 victory over Fulham on Friday, Joshua Zirkzee coming on to net a late winner on his Red Devils debut.

Maguire was expected to leave Old Trafford this time last year but chose to stay and fight for his place, ultimately making 22 Premier League appearances as fellow centre-backs Martinez, Raphael Varane and Victor Lindelof were plagued by injuries.

The England international started 18 league games last campaign, having only recorded eight starts throughout Erik ten Hag's first season at the helm in 2022-23.

A calf injury prevented Maguire from featuring for England as they finished as runners-up to Spain at Euro 2024, but he feels physically and mentally ready for his sixth season with United. 

"I feel good, I feel fit. Physically and mentally, I'm in a good place and I'm looking forward to a big season," Maguire told the club's media channels.

"There are so many games this season. I'm sure there's going to be a lot of changes to come, game to game, in the starting eleven. 

"When your turn is upon you, you need to take your chance. It's one that we'll need a big squad for. I feel fit and ready to go and I'm looking forward to the season."

United's eighth-place finish in 2023-24 was their lowest in the Premier League era, while they also conceded more league goals (58) than in any campaign since 1978-79 (63).

However, the Red Devils did finish the campaign with a 2-1 victory over Manchester City in the FA Cup final – a result that likely saved Ten Hag's job as the Dutchman was handed a new contract.

Maguire wants to deliver further silverware in 2024-25 but is also aware of the need for an improved league showing, adding: "Obviously, we want to be in the Champions League spots.

"We missed out for this season as we weren't good enough in the league. I think we don't really want to set any targets but I think this club demands trophies. 

"We want to win another trophy, of course, and in the Premier League we know there's large improvements that we need to make from what we did last season. 

"For sure, we've got to improve on last season and let's see where it takes us."

Matthew Potts has been called back into action for England after a year-long absence from the squad for this week's first Test against Sri Lanka.

The Durham seamer had not featured for England since June 2023 but returns in the absence of skipper Ben Stokes, who remains out through injury.

Surrey batter Dan Lawrence, who has not featured for England since March 2022, will replace another absentee, Zak Crawley, at the top of the order.

Stokes’ injury has also caused a captaincy conundrum. Ollie Pope has been announced as captain in his absence, while Yorkshire batter Harry Brooks will become vice-captain.

The Test will start at Old Trafford on August 21, with the series then heading to Lord's for the second Test and The Oval for a third match.

England XI to face Sri Lanka: Ben Duckett, Dan Lawrence, Ollie Pope (c), Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jamie Smith, Chris Woakes, Gus Atkinson, Matthew Potts, Mark Wood, Shoaib Bashir.

Ange Postecoglou has declared his desire to “win things” during his second season as Tottenham manager.

The 58-year-old joined Spurs last summer after two seasons as Celtic boss, during which time he lifted five trophies, including the Scottish Premiership twice.

During his first season in North London, Postecoglou guided Spurs to a fifth-place finish, just two points away from Champions League qualification but 25 points adrift of champions Manchester City.

While the attention on the Australian might have lessened since his headline-grabbing start to last season, his hopes have certainly not diminished.

 "I guess I'm not the shiny new thing anymore, so there's other new managers. People can go off and discover them and their childhood and not have to speak about mine anymore,” he told Sky Sports.

"Usually in my second season I win things. That's the whole idea. First year is about establishing principles and creating a foundation. Hopefully the second year is going on to win things.

“That's always the way I've looked at it, is that the second year you should be in a position where you can push on, depending on how the first year has gone.”

Postecoglou is realistic about the challenges of achieving his goals, however. After a blistering start to last season saw Spurs top the table in late October, injuries saw them struggle.

As momentum dropped, they suffered heavy defeats to Newcastle United and Fulham later in the season.

Should Postecoglou want a chance of silverware this season, they will need to sustain their early-season form far longer.

“Of course, it's easier said than done, particularly in the Premier League and the competition we're in,” he added.

"Last year we had some really good moments, obviously we had some tough moments.

“We learnt as much from the tough moments as we did from the good stuff and hopefully that means we're in a good place. We're definitely a better-prepared team than we were last year."

Tottenham face newly-promoted Leicester City in their Premier League opener on Monday.

Thierry Henry has stepped down from his role as France's Under-23 head coach after guiding his side to a silver medal at the Paris Olympics. 

Henry, who was appointed last year on a contract until June 2025, said he was moving away from the position due to reasons personal to him. 

The former Arsenal striker led Les Bleus to a first final at the Games since 1984 in Paris, but fell agonisngly short in the showpiece match against Spain. 

Two goals in extra-time from Sergio Camello secured La Roja a second gold medal after France had come from 3-1 down to force extra-time at the Parc des Princes. 

During his time in charge of the Olympic squad, Henry won eight of his 11 games in charge (two draws and one loss) while also scoring 31 goals in that time. 

His side conceded 12 times during his tenure, with five of those coming in their gold medal match to Spain at the Games. 

"I would like to thank the FFF and the president Philippe Diallo who offered me this incredible opportunity," Henry said in a statement.

"Winning the silver medal at the Olympic Games for my country will remain one of the proudest things I have ever had.

"I am incredibly grateful to the Federation, the players, the staff and the fans who have given me a magical experience."

Thierry Henry has stepped down from his role as France Under-21's head coach after guiding his side to a silver medal at the Paris Olympics. 

Henry, who was appointed last year on a contract until June 2025, said he was moving away from the position due to reasons personal to him. 

The former Arsenal striker led Les Bleus to a first final at the Games since 1984 in Paris, but fell agonisngly short in the showpiece match against Spain. 

Two goals in extra-time from Sergio Camello secured La Roja a second gold medal after France had come from 3-1 down to force extra-time at the Parc des Princes. 

During his time in charge of the Olympic squad, Henry won eight of his 11 games in charge (two draws and one loss) while also scoring 31 goals in that time. 

His side conceded 12 times during his tenure, with five of those coming in their gold medal match against Spain at the Games. 

"I would like to thank the FFF and the president Philippe Diallo who offered me this incredible opportunity," Henry said in a statement.

"Winning the silver medal at the Olympic Games for my country will remain one of the proudest things I have ever had.

"I am incredibly grateful to the Federation, the players, the staff and the fans who have given me a magical experience."

Zlatko Dalic has named Luka Modric in Croatia's 24-man squad for their upcoming UEFA Nations League fixtures next month. 

Modric, who has made 178 appearances for his nation, has been picked alongside Manchester City duo Josko Gvardiol and Mateo Kovacic to face Portugal and Poland. 

Following their group stage exit at Euro 2024, there was speculation about whether the 39-year-old midfielder would continue to play for the national side. 

Both Domagoj Vida and Marcelo Brozovic, who starred alongside Modric at recent major tournaments, announced their retirement from international football after the European Championships. 

But Dalic confirmed the Real Madrid midfielder is in his plans for their games next month as they look to build towards qualifying for the 2026 World Cup. 

"The Nations League will be a good platform for us to create a team that will start qualifying for the 2026 World Cup next year," head coach Dalic said.

"Compared to this year's Euro, we lost two senators, Vida and Brozovic, but we are all happy that the captain is still with us - Luka is our great strength on and off the field."

Modric's goal against Italy at Euro 2024 saw him become the oldest player to ever score at the finals at the age of 38 years and 289 days. 

The former Ballon d'Or winner has featured in both of Los Blancos' games this season, coming on as a substitute in both, which included claiming his 27th major honour in Madrid's Super Cup win against Atalanta. 

Yann Sommer has announced his retirement from international football after a 12-year career representing Switzerland.

The Inter goalkeeper made his international debut in 2012 and has since racked up 94 caps and kept 33 clean sheets.

Sommer was ever-present during Switzerland’s impressive run to the Euro 2024 quarter-finals in Germany, where they lost to eventual finalists England on penalties.

Euro 2024 marked his fifth major tournament with the Swiss national team having also received call-ups for Euro 2016 and 2020 and the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.

The 35-year-old will now focus solely on domestic football as he continues his career in Serie A.

"After careful consideration, I have decided to end my career as a goalkeeper for the Swiss national team," Sommer posted on Instagram.

"With the conclusion of another great final round at the European Championship in our neighbouring country Germany, where I previously spent unforgettable years in the Bundesliga, the time has now come to say goodbye."

Las Vegas Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce has confirmed Gardner Minshew will open the season as the team's starting quarterback. 

Minshew, who joined the Raiders as a free agent during the offseason, has been given the nod over Aidan O'Connell for the starting spot. 

The 28-year-old nearly led the Indianapolis Colts to the playoffs last year having taken over from rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson just four games into the season. 

He went 7-6 as a starter, completing 15 touchdowns and nine interceptions.

When asked about the decision, Pierce said that Minshew's experience and his handling of the offense ultimately gave him the edge over O'Connell. 

"A lot of things went into it," Pierce said. "It wasn't based off of [solely] last night. There are a lot of factors.

"So, we feel like Gardner gives us the best opportunity to get off to a fast start, and that's what we're going with.

"We support him, our team's behind it, our staff's behind it, the organisation's behind it."

Minshew completed 10 of 21 passes for 95 yards against the Dallas Cowboys at the weekend, while O'Connell was 14 of 20 for 96 yards with a touchdown and an interception. 

And while Minshew has the starting spot for now, Pierce said that he may not have it for the duration of the season. 

"I told them both just be ready," Pierce said.

"In the National Football League, you never know. Aidan is a young player that has tremendous upside and I think will be a starter at some point in this league, whether it's this year or next year.

"But he will play in games. I think Gardner's done a good job of being that older presence."

Jessica Pegula knows she can take nothing for granted when she goes up against Aryna Sabalenka in the final of the Cincinnati Open on Monday.

Pegula recently won her third career WTA 1000 title at the Canadian Open in Toronto, with all three of those triumphs having come on hard courts.

She equalled her longest career winning streak of nine matches by defeating Paula Badosa 6-2 3-6 6-3 in the semi-finals to reach the final in Cincinnati.

In doing so, Pegula became the sixth player in the Open Era to reach the finals at the Canadian Open and Cincinnati Open in a calendar year, joining Rosie Casals, Evonne Goolagong, Na Li, Serena Williams and Simona Halep in achieving the feat.

When asked if she was "in the zone", Pegula said: "I think I'm just finding my game a little bit and then competing and being smart out there."

The American, however, will not be complacent when she goes up against world number three Sabalenka.

The Belarusian defeated world number one Iga Swiatek in straight sets to reach the final.

"It seems like she's been playing really, really good," Pegula told the media.

"Obviously she can serve really big, so it's always tough to deal with opponents that have weapons like that, where they can get a lot of free points on a faster hard court."

Diogo Jota is confident of flourishing as a central striker under new Liverpool head coach Arne Slot after his impressive opening day display against Ipswich Town. 

Jota netted the opening goal of Liverpool's first 2024-25 Premier League encounter on Saturday, finding the far corner in the 60th minute after he was picked out by Mohamed Salah.

Salah subsequently marked his 350th Liverpool appearance with his 300th goal involvement (212 goals and 88 assists) five minutes later to secure the win at Portman Road. 

Jota has now been involved in 10 goals in his last 10 Premier League appearances for Liverpool, scoring seven and assisting three.

The Portugal international contributed an expected goals (xG) of 0.95 to the Reds' 2.65 total against Kieran McKenna's side, the highest of any player from either team

He also recorded 11 touches in the opposition box, the joint-most in the Liverpool squad alongside Luis Diaz and Salah, while also winning six of his 13 contested duels. 

Slot spoke of his belief that Jota's best position is in the centre of the attack, with the 27-year-old agreeing with his new boss. 

"It's obviously a bit different from [Jurgen] Klopp where I maybe was useful out wide," Jota told Liverpool's official website.  

"I think here he [Slot] wants our wingers a lot more in one-v-ones and I think we have better options than myself.

"If I stay in the middle and wait for those chances to come in and score them, I think that is what I do the best so you can take that into the season."

Liverpool struggled in the first 45 minutes against Ipswich, managing just three shots on Christian Walton's goal, none of which were on target. 

But a much-improved display after the interval saw the Reds muster 15 shots, five of which were on target with 12 coming from inside the penalty area. 

And with Brentford up next in the Reds' first home game of the new season, Jota said their second-half showing has given the team a solid foundation to build on. 

"Yeah, a positive performance. Obviously, the first half was a bit harder, they were really on it [and] pressing almost man-v-man," Jota said. 

“The fans were there and we knew it was going to be a difficult first half because they would give it all – [it is] a long time since they have been in the Premier League.

“And then the second half they started giving us a little bit more space, which was enough for us to start building and start creating those spaces in behind.

"We created a lot of chances and we ended up scoring two, so in the end I think it's a deserved three points."