152. GW1 Recap: The Grand Overreaction

Gameweek 1 is done. The league table exists. The overreactions have begun. Here's everything that happened across all ten matches, who delivered, who didn't, and where to look before Gameweek 2.

The Numbers First

Gameweek 1 is behind us. The average was 48 points. I finished on 52 — four above average, nothing spectacular, but you take it. We started the season. That's what matters.

The global high score was 131. Whoever got there almost certainly played their bench boost in week one. Different strategy. I respect the boldness even if it's not mine.

In our league, the top score went to Dudade, managed by Oti Omondi, who put up 94 points. That is an extraordinary haul for a single gameweek. The rest of the table tells you exactly what happened on Saturday and Sunday.

Before I go through the games: this episode is the grand overreaction to gameweek one. We get one week of data and we all act like the season is decided. I know. I'm doing it too. Let's go.

All Ten Matches

Arsenal 3–0 Coventry

Exactly what you'd expect from Arsenal at home against a promoted side. Clinical, controlled, and comfortable. Havertz scored — that's four consecutive starts where he's found the net, apparently the first time that's ever happened in English football for him. Calafiori and Ben White both got assists. Ødegaard picked up three bonus points.

Mosquera handled himself well alongside Gabriel in the absence of Saliba. The clean sheet was never really in doubt. Arsenal's unbeaten run at home against promoted sides is now 45 consecutive Premier League games. And Arteta has now reached 150 Premier League wins — the 5th fastest manager to get there in 249 games.

If you owned Arsenal defenders this week, you'll be happy. If you're trying to get in, it just got more expensive.

Hull 2–0 Man United

The shock result of the weekend. Hull City, newly promoted, beat Man United on opening day. It's apparently the first time in their history that United have lost to a promoted side on the first day of the season. Ever.

Tzolakis in goal for Hull was the best-performing goalkeeper in gameweek one with 10 points. Three bonus points, clean sheet, saves — he earned it. Slater and McBurnie were involved going forward. Ajayi, Egan, and Mendy were solid at the back. Davis also picked up decent defcon contributions.

Man United were embarrassed. If you tripled up on them — and someone in our league did — this was a very painful afternoon.

Everton 2–1 Crystal Palace

A home win for Everton. Dewsbury-Hall scored and showed exactly why Moyes brought him in. Barry added another. Ndiaye contributed with an assist — worth noting as the designated penalty taker going forward. Armstrong was solid defensively.

Palace had chances and didn't take them. The conversion issue in front of goal is going to come up again if they don't sort it.

Ipswich 3–1 Sunderland

Ipswich were genuinely impressive. Enciso was the standout — the kind of creative player who makes you want to act fast. Emersonn and Clarke were both involved, with Clarke getting the decisive goal. O'Shea picked up 18 defensive contributions, and Nunez was another defcon name to watch from this game.

Sunderland weren't bad though. Angulo's free kick made history: the first free kick to be a promoted side's first Premier League goal since Crystal Palace back in 21/22. Granit Xhaka provided the assist. They looked threatening despite losing 3–1.

Leeds 1–0 Forest

Tight and low on points. Stach won it with a cheeky free kick. Both goalkeepers — Trafford for Leeds and Sels for Forest — were solid. Unless you had Stark or played the clean sheet correctly, there wasn't much in this one.

Sels is a name worth watching. Forest's defensive shape looked organised even in defeat.

Brentford 3–0 Spurs

The headline result for FPL. Sangare — the new Brentford signing — registered two assists on his Premier League debut. Two. On debut. If you didn't have him, you were already behind 183,000 managers before Sunday evening ended.

Janelt scored. Kayode scored. Igor Thiago missed a penalty, which will frustrate. But Brentford were dominant from start to finish.

The number that tells you everything: Spurs conceded 26 shots while having 59.8% possession. The highest possession total for a team to face 25 or more shots since 2003/04. This was not a close game.

Brighton 4–0 Aston Villa

The performance of the weekend. De Cuyper — playing as a left winger but classified as a defender at £4.5 — finished with 17 points. The best outfield defensive return of the gameweek, and the transfer queues for him opened before the match was over.

Hinshelwood scored twice in 79 seconds. That gives him five goals outside the box since April — a remarkable record. Brighton were four goals up within 31 minutes, the fastest any team has been 4–0 up on opening day since Man United vs Fulham in 06/07 (19 minutes, if you're keeping count). Gomez was composed at the back.

For Villa, Joao Gomes was sent off on his debut, which made their afternoon considerably worse. This is not a panic moment yet — one week is one week — but dropping four at home is a difficult way to start.

Man City 2–1 Bournemouth

Bournemouth scored first. Guéhi levelled. Gvardiol got the winner. But the story here is Rayan Cherki coming off the bench and completely altering the game.

He became the first Man City substitute to register two assists since Gündoğan did it against Leeds in 2021. The open play assists stat makes it even more striking: 12 since the start of last season, more than any other Premier League player. He is going to be dangerous. Whether as a starter or a super-sub, the ceiling on him is high.

Bournemouth played well enough to win. They didn't. Man City are Man City.

Newcastle 1–1 Liverpool

Liverpool conceded two goals in the first half — the first time that's happened to them on match day one since last season. Newcastle were excellent. Elanga repeatedly ran in behind and caused problems. There were legitimate questions raised about Liverpool's defensive shape, particularly on the flanks.

The draw kept Liverpool's remarkable record intact: unbeaten in 14 consecutive match day one games dating back to 2013/14. And they apparently haven't won a Premier League game when going behind 1–0 in 18 attempts.

Gakpo scored a brilliant equaliser. Wissa was solid. Munoz won the penalty — fouled by Lewis Hall — which kept the point alive. Thiaw and Miley were Newcastle's standouts. Lewis Miley in particular. Keep an eye on him.

Chelsea 3–0 Fulham

João Pedro scored after 31 seconds — the quickest goal on match day one in Premier League history. Chelsea were sensational from the opening minute.

Palmer, Pedro, and Morgan Rogers are the three you need from this club. Rogers became the first Chelsea player to create five chances on a Premier League debut since the 2003/04 season. Chelsea's starting eleven had an average age of just 24 years and 43 days — the youngest XI on match day one this season. Lacroix was composed in defence.

For Fulham, Gonzalo and Cuenca — both arrivals from Real Madrid — had a difficult introduction. They'll be better. But Chelsea gave no space and no time.

GW1 Records and Numbers

The Mini-League Table

The average was 48. If you're above that, you're in a decent position for now.

The bottom of the table is a story worth telling. Arnoldinho Arnold sits at the foot on just 24 points — tripling up on Man United after that Hull result was the worst possible week for it. Dennis Mua and Ibuki Jr. both on 30. Makosh on 31. Haj Luvumbi on 32. Patrick Philip on 33. Marcos Peterz on 34. Ilyasa De Bruyne on 35. One week in. Nothing is over. But 94 to 24 tells you how wide this can get in a single gameweek.

Here's what the top team in our league looked like this week — Dudade, managed by Oti Omondi:

The World Table

Context matters. Here's where the league sits relative to the global FPL picture:

And here's what the best team in the world looked like this gameweek:

The Best Possible Team This Week

If you had somehow known exactly what would happen in GW1 and built the optimal squad from the start, here's what it would have looked like:

Top Transfers for GW2

Transfers In

Transfers Out

*Numbers correct at time of writing and subject to change.

De Cuyper and Sangare topping the transfer-in charts tells you everything about this weekend's narrative. If you already have them, you're sitting on significant value. If you don't, you're joining a very large queue.

GW2 Captain Options

1. 01
   Haaland (Man City vs Crystal Palace) — the standard. Man City at home, Palace lost away in week one. If you want the safe captain, it starts and ends here.
2. 02
   Cherki (Man City vs Crystal Palace) — if he starts rather than subs, the ceiling on this game is enormous. Two assists off the bench in GW1. Same fixture as Haaland, but the upside is different.
3. 03
   Saka (Arsenal vs Aston Villa) — Arsenal at home, Villa were destroyed 4–0 in week one. Saka is the most reliable mid pick from Arsenal and the go-to captain from this fixture.
4. 04
   De Cuyper (Brighton vs Chelsea) — the differential. 17 points last week from a £4.5 DEF slot. Brighton are in form and his attacking role gives him multiple routes to score.
5. 05
   João Pedro (Chelsea vs Brighton) — scored at 31 seconds in GW1. Chelsea look brilliant going forward. If you have him and want a Chelsea captain over the Brighton angle, this is it.
6. 06
   Enciso (Ipswich vs Man United) — the big differential. Man United were torn apart by Hull. Ipswich were dominant at home. If Enciso starts, his ceiling here is very high.
7. 07
   Gakpo (Liverpool vs Forest) — Liverpool need a response after the Newcastle first half. Gakpo scored a brilliant goal in GW1 and is one of their more reliable creative outlets.
8. 08
   Sangare (Brentford vs Leeds) — can he back it up? Two assists on debut is a very high bar. But the Brentford system is there to support him and Leeds at home is a winnable fixture.

GW2 Fixture Scan

Crystal Palace vs Man City

From Man City: Haaland is the captain. Cherki is the ceiling play if he starts — same fixture, different kind of output. O'Reilly is also worth considering as a creative option.

From Crystal Palace: Nketiah and Mateta are the attacking picks. Palace were wasteful in week one but had chances — if Man City's defence creaks, these two are in the right place.

Liverpool vs Forest

From Liverpool: Gakpo and Isak are the picks from the attacking line. The wing-backs — Frimpong in particular — offer a route to clean sheet and attacking returns if Liverpool get back to basics. Szoboszlai is the midfield option if you want creativity over wing returns.

From Forest: Morgan Gibbs-White is the creative hub. Jesus is the forward option. Ola Aina is one to watch defensively — Forest's defensive shape was solid in GW1 even in defeat at Leeds.

Bournemouth vs Everton

From Bournemouth: They scored first against Man City and kept competing. Evanilson is the forward option. Tavernier as a set-piece and delivery option.

From Everton: Dewsbury-Hall scored in GW1 and is already in the rhythm. Ndiaye is the penalty taker and involvement is high. Barry is a striker who showed his threat in week one. Tarkowski leads the defensive picks.

Coventry vs Hull

From Hull: They are no longer just a newly promoted side — they are a team that just beat Man United. Tzolakis is the goalkeeper to own. Slater, Ajayi, Egan, and Mendy are all in the frame for defcon and clean sheet points. McBurnie going forward.

From Coventry: I haven't seen enough from Coventry to recommend anyone. Until they show me something, I'll be looking elsewhere.

Newcastle vs Spurs

From Newcastle: Thiaw and Miley were standouts in GW1. Elanga is an attacking threat. Newcastle at home after a decent opening performance is a reasonable fixture.

From Spurs: After conceding 26 shots against Brentford, a clean sheet looks difficult. Kinsky is hard to trust this week. I would not be looking at Spurs defenders. Solanke and the forward options are the angle if you must pick from them.

Chelsea vs Brighton

From Chelsea: Palmer, João Pedro, and Morgan Rogers are the three. That attacking trio looked as good as anyone in week one. Captain territory for João Pedro or Palmer.

From Brighton: Hinshelwood scored twice last week. Brighton's attack is in good shape and worth monitoring going into this fixture.

Brentford vs Leeds

From Brentford: Sangare will be the most transferred-in player going into this. Janelt and Kayode both scored in GW1. The system is there to back him up, even if repeating two assists is a high ask.

From Leeds: Stach scored a free kick in week one. Trafford kept a clean sheet. Leeds at home is a reasonable defensive fixture, but Brentford's attacking form makes a clean sheet difficult.

Sunderland vs Fulham

From Sunderland: Angulo and Granit Xhaka showed involvement in GW1. The home fixture against Fulham gives them a chance to respond after the Ipswich defeat. Brobbey is a player I am keeping a close eye on — if he gets into his rhythm, this could be the week he announces himself.

From Fulham: Gonzalo and Cuenca — the Real Madrid arrivals — will want a better performance. Home for Sunderland makes this a difficult fixture, but Fulham have the quality to push. Castagne has been composed at the back and is one to watch for defensive returns.

Man United vs Ipswich

From Ipswich: Enciso is the differential captain option here. Emersonn and Clarke were both involved in GW1. Man United were poor in week one and this is an opportunity for Ipswich to build momentum. O'Shea for defcon points if you are in that bracket.

From Man United: Bruno Fernandes carries the creative load — he needs a performance here. Mbeumo and Cunha are the attacking options. This feels like a must-win for United at home, so there may be a reaction. But the confidence question is real.

Aston Villa vs Arsenal

From Arsenal: Saka is the captain option. Havertz has scored in four consecutive starts. Calafiori picked up an assist in GW1. Mosquera is in the team alongside Gabriel and has looked composed. Arsenal away is still a very good pick.

From Villa: They dropped four at home in week one. That cannot happen again if they want to stay in the top half conversation. Joao Gomes is suspended following his red card, which weakens them in midfield. Their reaction performance is the angle here.

One Final Thought

The grand overreaction to gameweek one is almost complete.

Hull beat Man United. Brighton dismantled Villa. Chelsea demolished Fulham with a goal at 31 seconds. Brentford were frightening. De Cuyper got 17 points from a £4.5 defensive slot. A new signing called Sangare registered two assists on debut.

And the average was 48. Which means for every 94-point miracle there was a 24-point cautionary tale somewhere in the league.

See you after Gameweek 2.