12 August: Arsenal 0-2 Manchester City
Arsenal – Then: A real dampener after all that heady post-Wenger optimism. Fans crash back to earth. Now: No Emery Out banners after all: his side tidy enough in fourth via a 14-game pre-Christmas unbeaten run.
Manchester City – Then: Just so much swagger. Guardiola’s side are the real deal: the title’s basically safe. Now: Panic building. Three defeats in four winter games, then another at Newcastle. Who saw this coming?
11 August: Bournemouth 2-0 Cardiff City
Bournemouth – Then: A first opening-day win since 2015. Not the toughest test maybe, but a positive vibe. Now: Consecutive wins, including 4-0 over Chelsea, restore that vibe after a dark winter. Top half beckons.
Cardiff – Then: A nervous, spirit-sapping reality check after the thrill of going up. This could get gruelling. Now: It did – but the fighting spirit hasn’t faded. A last-gasp away win at Leicester was stirring stuff.
11 August: Fulham 0-2 Crystal Palace
Fulham – Then: Huge deflation after a big summer of squad-building. But there’s no despair – it’s early days. Now: Stuck in the drop zone, cohesion has been elusive. Beating Brighton was a big deal, though.
Crystal Palace – Then: A solid first-day away win, plus some decent summer signings: time for a run at the top-half. Now: It turns out that playing without a striker will hold you back. Four points off the relegation zone.
11 August: Huddersfield 0-3 Chelsea
Huddersfield – Then: Low expectations for the opener, so losing wasn’t such a blow. Fans back Wagner to deliver. Now: Rock bottom and adrift, and under new management. There’s surely no way back from this.
Chelsea – Then: A roaring start for Sarri, with the players looking motivated and united. The title is on. Now: Sarri on the brink, with the players looking unmotivated and disunited. Same old, same old.
12 August: Liverpool 4-0 West Ham
Liverpool – Then: High expectations get that bit higher after a wild first-day romp. Everything just feels right. Now: Top of the table, five clear, the title is theirs to lose. Tension, therefore, is mounting day by day.
West Ham – Then: Fans went into this feeling optimistic, geed up by eight new signings. It’s a long journey home. Now: Having been bottom after four, they started the year 10th. But that 3-0 loss at Wolves brought it all back.
10 August: Manchester United 2-1 Leicester City
Manchester United – Then: After sulking through summer, there’s a flicker of a smile from José. Positivity. Now: Then again … a pre-Christmas sacking always seemed likely. The mood has picked up under Solskjær.
Leicester City – Then: A setback, but there’s no shaking the main aim: being the best of the rest outside the title chase. Now: A traumatic season off the pitch, and a flat one on it. Claude Puel remains under pressure.
11 August: Newcastle 1-2 Tottenham
Newcastle – Then: Not much optimism pre-match after another Mike Ashley summer. Even less post-match. Now: Beating Man City, then paying £20m for a playmaker … whatever next? Still a fight for survival though.
Tottenham – Then: A fine first day for fans concerned by a lack of spending. Their aim: a proper title challenge. Now: Third in the table, no draws all season, plenty to enjoy, and still in touch – despite a few bad blips.
12 August: Southampton 0-0 Burnley
Southampton – Then: After a proactive, upbeat summer from Mark Hughes, a sluggish, low tempo start. Deflating. Now: Hughes didn’t make it beyond 3 December. Things have picked up under his lively successor, Ralph Hasenhüttl.
Burnley – Then: A solid enough start towards building on last season’s excellent seventh place. Now: A totally unexpected relegation fight. Form has picked up since the turn of the year, though.
11 August: Watford 2-0 Brighton
Watford – Then: Roberto Pereyra scores twice; Watford deliver, as expected. Fans eye solid midtable progress. Now: For a while it was more than solid: fourth after six games. Comfort guaranteed this season.
Brighton – Then: Lacklustre and disjointed, not what fans were expecting after nine signings. Now: Plenty of highs along the way, but there’s a serious slide – three straight defeats an ominous run.
11 August: Wolves 2-2 Everton
Wolves – Then: Pre-season optimism looks well placed: it’s a lively first top-flight game since 2012. Now: But seventh at the start of February is still way beyond most fans’ expectations. Superb, so far.
Everton – Then: A new manager, new players and a solid point despite being down to ten men. Encouraging. Now: That positivity faded fast. With only three league wins since 2 December, Marco Silva is on the edge.
