Tuesday 15 August 2017 15:50, UK
Martin Tyler returns with the best stats and facts from the opening weekend of the campaign.
What is the most goals scored on the first weekend of a new season? How have champions fared at the start of their title defences? Was Alexandre Lacazette's header against Leicester the earliest goal scored in the opening game of a Premier League campaign?
Read on for the answers and don't forget to try to answer Martin's tricky teaser...
Manchester United have now won more opening fixtures in the Premier League than any other club. They were level on 16 with Chelsea, but now have 17.
West Ham have lost more opening Premier League games than any other club (11).
Romelu Lukaku has now scored more Premier league goals against West Ham than any other club. He has eight against Sunderland, but now has nine against West Ham and he now has 11 goals in 13 games against them in all competitions.
Lukaku is the 18th player to score on a Premier League debut for Manchester United. The most recent players were Anthony Martial, Marcus Rashford, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Josh Harrop (in his first and last game for Manchester United… he has since left for Preston).
West Ham fans were not happy to see Martial come on. He has five in his last three appearances against West Ham - and six in six against them in all competitions. They are his most fruitful opponent!
Meanwhile, Paul Pogba has scored his third goal in four competitive games, but says he's still not scoring enough!
In this opening week we have 27 different goalscorers, is it new record? @Chelsea26KSA
MARTIN SAYS: You're right to say 27 different players scored in the Premier League. Jamie Vardy, Romelu Lukaku, Sam Vokes and Steve Mounie all notched doubles, while Joel Ward and Lewis Dunk found the back of their own nets for Crystal Palace and Brighton, respectively.
However, this weekend was six goals shy of the record for an opening matchday in the Premier League. There were 33 different goalscorers on the opening weekend of the 2003/04 season, netting 36 goals between them.
Alan Shearer, Andrew Cole and Ryan Giggs grabbed a double each for Newcastle, Fulham and Manchester United respectively, while the likes of Carlos Marinelli (Middlesbrough), Junichi Inamoto (Fulham) and Patrick Berger (Portsmouth) found their way on to the scoresheet.
At the other end of the scale, there have been two seasons where just 17 players found the back of the net on the opening weekend - 1998/99 and 2011/12.
Wimbledon's Efan Ekoku was the only player to score more than one goal on the opening weekend in 1998/99 for Wimbledon, while Sergio Aguero was the only player to do it in 2011/12 on his debut for Man City. In 2011/12 there were two own goals among the 18 scored as well, as Danny Gabbidon (QPR) and Steven Reid (West Brom) both put past their own goalkeepers.
Goals galore
#AskTyler there were 31 goals scored this weekend. Where does that rank in the highest number of goals scored on the opening weekend ever? Francis Moneva @f_moneva
MARTIN SAYS: The opening round ended with 31 goals from its 10 games, which was the fourth highest-scoring weekend since the Premier League switched to its 20-team format in 1995.
The highest-scoring opening weekend was in 2003/04 when 36 goals flew in, while 2006/07 saw 33 and there were 32 in 2008/09. 34 goals were scored in the 1994/95 season's opening round of matches, but that was when there were 11 games.
However, the lowest-scoring opening weekend to a Premier League campaign was in 1998/99 when there were just 18 goals in 10 games.
The 31st goal of the weekend was significant though. It took Manchester United to the top of the table, which was unfortunate for Huddersfield Town who were knocked off that position!
How many defending champions have lost their opening game? (Jack, Cardiff)
MARTIN SAYS: On Saturday, nine-man Chelsea became just the second champion to lose the opening fixture of their Premier League title defence after a shock 3-2 loss at home to Burnley.
The only other title winners to suffer such an ignominious start to a campaign were Leicester City, who lost 2-1 at Hull City the season before.
Otherwise, there have been 20 wins and four draws for champions since Leeds United kicked off the inaugural Premier League campaign by beating Wimbledon 2-1 at Elland Road in August 1992.
Man Utd, the most successful side of the Premier League era, have won 10 and drawn three of their openings games of a season after winning the league.
As well as Saturday's defeat to Burnley, Chelsea have also won three and drawn one of the first matches of their Premier League title defences, while Arsenal have won all three of their season openers after winning the league.
Blackburn Rovers were also victorious when they began their Premier League campaign after winning the title in 1995, and Man City's two Premier League wins (2012 and 2014) were followed by opening-day victories the next season.
The biggest win for a defending champion was Chelsea's 6-0 victory over West Brom on August 14, 2010.
Was Alexandre Lacazette's header against Leicester the earliest goal scored in a Premier League season? (Cathy, Bristol)
MARTIN SAYS: Alexandre Lacazette made a dream debut for Arsenal when scoring just 94 seconds into the opening game of the new Premier League season against Leicester City on Friday Night Football.
And according to our records, that's the fastest goal ever scored at the start of a Premier League season.
Previously the record was held by Newcastle United's Faustino Asprilla, who scored in 101 seconds against Sheffield Wednesday in 1997/98.
And before that, it was Kevin Campbell when he scored for Arsenal in 121 seconds on the opening day against Man City in 1994/95.
So it was a great start for Lacazette with only his second touch as a Premier League player. The first was the kick-off!
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