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Football Muse

24 August 2026

Football Muse

24 August 2026

🎬 If this weekend had been a film, Manchester United would definitely have been the opening scene where everything starts going wrong.

The match that defined the weekend

St James' Park was full of emotion on Sunday afternoon as Newcastle United and Liverpool paid tribute to the late, great Kevin Keegan. Remarkable tifos and banners were followed by a minute's applause and chants in honour of Keegan, an iconic figure in the history of both clubs.

With the added sub-plots of Alexander Isak's first return and Victor Munoz's own reception after turning down Newcastle this summer, the stage was perfectly set.

It led into yet another thriller between two teams that almost always deliver entertainment. There were four goals shared equally, and a 99th-minute equaliser ensured the familiar late drama.

Player of the weekend

There was no shortage of impressive debuts across the Premier League this weekend, but Mamadou Sangare's first appearance for Brentford stood out as exceptional.

The Mali midfielder was everywhere as Brentford thrashed Spurs, overpowering an opposition midfield that included £92.5m signing Sandro Tonali.

Sangare created the first goal and played a part in the third, receiving a standing ovation when he was taken off in West London. The club-record signing has made an immediate statement in the Premier League.

Manager of the weekend

Keith Andrews was already a candidate for Manager of the Season last term after guiding Brentford to ninth place in his first managerial job, despite a summer that saw several big-name departures.

Andrews has begun the follow-up in ideal fashion after the Bees beat Tottenham 3-0 at the Gtech Community Stadium. Brentford remain an outstanding example of talent identification and smart management on a limited budget, and the appointment of Andrews has proved to be a gamble that has delivered handsome returns.

The weekend's antagonist

Debuts do not get much worse than Joao Gomes' first outing for Aston Villa this weekend. Sent off in the first half with Aston Villa already 4-0 down at Brighton, it was a dreadful day all round.

Gomes became the first Premier League player to be shown a first-half red card on debut since 2012.

The result/event nobody saw coming

Hull City's promotion to the Premier League was a minor miracle in itself. Football is not decided by data, but if it were, Hull would have been stuck near the bottom of the Championship last season. Only crisis-hit Sheffield Wednesday conceded a higher xG than Hull, who were the biggest defensive overperformers in the division.

Hull, though, tore up the script once again on the opening weekend. A first-ever Premier League win over Manchester United saw Sergej Jakirovic stun his high-profile visitors and give their return to the top flight a dream beginning.

Someone who didn't get the headlines

Yoane Wissa did not get on the scoresheet at St James' Park, but his contribution in Newcastle's opening fixture should not be overlooked.

The DR Congo international was excellent as the Magpies drew with Liverpool, offering relentless work rate and attacking threat.

No player won more duels (11) or made more high pressures (41) than Wissa, whose superb run created Joe Willock's second goal. After a disastrous debut season at Newcastle, this was far more like the player they had hoped to see.

The single moment dominating Monday's football conversation

There is something undeniably childish about Hull City's 'Mauled by the Tigers' shithousery.

Manchester United became the first team to endure the sight of thousands of Hull supporters clawing at them after a 2-0 defeat at the MKM Stadium, a chant so absurdly playground-like that it sits perfectly between cringe and hilarious.

The storyline carrying into next weekend

Does Enzo Maresca really view Marc Guehi as a genuine midfield option for Manchester City? Or was this intended as a message to the board?

Guehi started in the engine room during Manchester City's 2-1 victory over Bournemouth at the Etihad, with the centre-back deployed alongside Elliot Anderson in midfield. The England international performed well in the unfamiliar role, winning eight duels, making three tackles, and completing 95.1% of his passes.

Guehi also headed in the crucial equaliser, after missing a better chance earlier in the match, to complete an impressive audition. Speaking to Sky Sports, he admitted he had also been surprised by the positional switch.

"So was I [surprised]. It was just an idea the manager had, we worked on it in the week. We're trying different things, trying different solutions for the team. I'm glad today it paid off in the end.

"I had a lot of help. Playing next to Elliot [Anderson] helped. It helps having guys experienced in that position to talk me through the game.

"It's difficult, they're a team that creates loads of space in midfield, they want to create one vs ones. We did well in the end to manage the challenges. The most important thing was to win the game.

"I'll do whatever the team asks me to do. It's for the team."