It is difficult to live up to expectations for the premiere weekend of Premier League football, especially when the 20 clubs offered such high-quality entertainment when we returned to arenas up and down the country.
Gameweek 2 had to handle high expectations then, but Saturday’s competitors did not disappoint.
We saw teams pick up their first points of the season, continue to win lines and for some fall to a second defeat in as many games.
But what have we learned from the first six matches of the Premier League season’s second week of existence 2021/22?
Jota shines for the reds / Visionhaus / Getty Images
Some Liverpool supporters may have been a little underwhelbed for the second week in a row when they looked at the team magazine, but the new starters made the deal again in the 2-0 victory against Burnley.
Diogo Jota has done brilliantly in replacing Roberto Firmino in the middle forward, while the right side movement and interplay between Trent Alexander-Arnold, Harvey Elliott and Mohamed Salah is a joy to see.
Kostas Tsimikas has made an admirable deputy for Andy Robertson, while Naby Keita takes advantage of his chance in the team. Two wins, two zeros and five goals scored (without key players), it has been a safe start to the new campaign.
Do not write about them yet.
A strong performance from Citizens / Michael Regan / Getty Images
Did it come as a surprise to anyone that Manchester City removed all their frustrations from the defeat against Tottenham Hotspur at poor Norwich City?
The Canary Islands never had a prayer from the start, as Pep Guardiola’s rotated lineup tore them apart and put five goals past a helpless Tim Krul for 90 minutes.
Gabriel Jesus shone by carrying a couple of assists, while Jack Grealish secured his first goal for his new club. Substitutes Raheem Sterling and Riyad Mahrez came on point, as Norwich raged against Cityzen’s deep, deep squad.
Daniel Farke will be happy to have had such difficult matches out of the way already, but the pressure is on to start picking up points – or at least look like picking up points.
OHHHHHH MYYYYYY DAYSSSSSSSSS
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– Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) August 21, 2021
People feared for Aston Villa after the opening day’s defeat to Watford and wondered if all this investment would stop biting them in the back. We should not worry too much, because Danny Ings will always score goals.
The 29-year-old scored in a 2-0 victory by shooting a fantastic overhead kick past Newcastle United goalkeeper Freddie Woodman, as Villa collected three much-needed three points.
There is a plan, but there will always be questions about whether they could win without Grealish. Time to move on from that debate.
As for Newcastle, it was another stink. Just a shot on goal in 90 minutes, and the pressure is already on Steve Bruce’s shoulders.
Another important point against security / Craig Mercer / MB Media / Getty Images
You may be forgiven for believing that the story and the size of the occasion helped propel Brentford to victory over Arsenal, and all eyes were on how they would fare in a more “typical” Premier League outing.
Once again, they impressed. The Bees held another zero and saw the more likely team to break the deadlock, creating more chances than Crystal Palace in 90 minutes.
Coach Thomas Frank will know how important each point will be at the end of the season, and as a general rule, all positive results along the way are a bonus for clubs struggling with relegation.
However, Brentford are an ambitious club, and after two games in their new division, fans can even believe that they can do better than simply avoid relegation.
Both sets of players did well / Jan Kruger / Getty Images
Leeds United fans finally got to see their team play on Elland Road in the Premier League after a 17-year absence, and they were offered four goals in the 2-2 draw with Everton.
However, both sides will feel that they could have won the match, if it were not for loss of concentration or poor decision-making in the back. Leeds captain Liam Cooper was guilty of the hosts and pulled down Dominic Calvert-Lewin to concede an unnecessary penalty.
And Michael Keane followed it up with another misjudgment to match his howling against Southampton, was out of position and missed the interception for Mateusz Klich’s equalizer.
Both teams dream of pushing up the table, but improvements must be made in their own penalty areas if they are to really move forward.
Bissouma is the answer to many of the top six clubs’ problems / GLYN KIRK / Getty Images
Brighton fans will not thank us for saying this, and they will rightly point to the fact that after two matches they are currently in second place in the Premier League – but …
Yves Bissouma turns out to be far too good for the seagulls. He was incredibly brilliant in the 2-0 win over Watford on Saturday, which made more tackles and interceptions than any other player on the pitch.
He also contributed at the other end and jerked the ball deep into Hornets territory before delivering Neal Maupay’s clincher. Surely there is a top-six club that cries out for his skill?
And to think about, Arsenal went to Brighton with a check for 50 million pounds and ended up taking Ben White back to north London instead of Bissouma …
