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The opening weekend of the 2026/27 Premier League season offered plenty to analyse. From the importance of managerial continuity to promoted clubs making an immediate impact, there was no shortage of major discussion points.

Manchester United and Liverpool saw familiar midfield issues reappear, while an unprecedented number of new managers got an instant lesson in what the Premier League demands. Here are five of the biggest themes and questions from the first weekend of the season.

There have never been as many new managers on the opening weekend of a Premier League campaign as in 2026/27. Nine new head coaches took charge across the first round of fixtures, with two more beginning their first full seasons in the job.

The early results appeared to underline the value of stability in the dugout. Arguably the standout performances of the weekend came from Arsenal, Brighton, Leeds United, Everton, Hull and Brentford, all of whom have managers who have been in place for more than 12 months.

Unai Emery, meanwhile, can perhaps be excused for Aston Villa’s disastrous start given the squad upheaval he has had to deal with this summer.

Among the new managers, only Gary O'Neill, Enzo Maresca and Xabi Alonso recorded victories, and two of those came against fellow managerial debutants. It may serve as a reminder for trigger-happy owners.

Michael Carrick had enjoyed a dream start after taking over as Manchester United manager in January. The interim boss guided the Red Devils to Champions League qualification, beating top-six opponents along the way, and that was enough to earn him the role on a permanent basis.

Carrick’s spell as caretaker had gone so smoothly that Manchester United effectively had little choice but to appoint him full-time, but the first match of his permanent reign ended in a damaging defeat at Hull. United looked fragile from set pieces and seemed short of match fitness, though Carrick remained composed after full-time.

That calmness helped keep down the noise that tends to surround Manchester United more than any other side last season, but he now needs a swift response if he is to keep that pressure under control.

“I’m talking to you quite calmly, but I’m not exactly calm inside and enjoying the day, so there’s a big difference,” he said. “I played [for United] for a long time. You don’t get to play here for a long time without just going day by day, the results, the ups and downs, but you just carry on as normal.

“It’s 100% not that, and trust me, it’s not that. It just doesn’t mean that we all have to shout and scream and come out and create some chaos just because of it. Inside we’re hurting and we need to get better. But the calmness doesn’t mean there’s no emotion in it, for sure.”

He added: “The result’s the result. We got beat, we’re hurt and it’s not a nice feeling. It doesn’t mean it’s going to change the whole direction of how we’re going as a team or as a football club.

“It’s one game and results can happen in football, we all understand that. It’s not nice when they do, but it does happen.”

Tottenham Hotspur began the season with considerable optimism after an ambitious recruitment drive, with Sandro Tonali, Andy Robertson, Marcos Senesi and Jan Paul van Hecke all thrown straight into the starting XI at Brentford.

The North London side had plenty of possession, but Brentford repeatedly sliced through them and surged to a 3-0 victory. In truth, the Bees could, and probably should, have won by an even bigger margin, having registered 26 shots and created six big chances.

No team has ever had as much possession as Spurs, with 59.8%, while still conceding 25 or more shots in a Premier League match since Opta started collecting that data. There are clearly major problems still to solve.

It is not unusual for the three promoted clubs to start the season as favourites for relegation, and in recent years there has been growing concern over the widening gap between the Premier League and the Championship. In both 2023/24 and 2024/25, all six promoted teams went straight back down, making the fact that Leeds and Sunderland bucked that trend last season all the more notable.

The opening weekend saw Hull City and Ipswich Town both begin their returns to the top flight with victories. Hull secured their first-ever Premier League win over Manchester United, while Ipswich shocked Sunderland late in the game. It is only the fourth time in Premier League history that two promoted sides have won on the opening weekend.

Liverpool needed a late rescue act at Newcastle, where Dominik Szoboszlai’s stoppage-time penalty earned them a point. Andoni Iraola will come away from his first game in charge with more questions than answers, as many of the weaknesses seen last season were still evident.

Both of Newcastle’s goals came from direct surges straight through the middle of Liverpool, whose midfield balance still looks wrong.

Florian Wirtz is continuing to struggle to make a real impact, while Ryan Gravenberch does not provide the assurance of a specialist number six. The Dutchman was at fault for both Newcastle goals, and midfield is an area Liverpool must address.