Matchweek 1

Biggest surprise. Hull City 2–0 Manchester United. A promoted side, at home, against a club that has now made "difficult opening fixture" a permanent feature of its identity rather than an occasional misfortune.

Statement result. Brentford 3–0 Tottenham. Spurs arrived without Van de Ven, Porro and Sarr — captain, vice-captain and the midfielder who covers for both — and set up as though nobody had circulated the memo. Archie Gray at right-back against Brentford's press was less a plan than a hostage situation. Three down before the hour.

Quietly ruthless. Arsenal 3–0 Coventry. Efficient, unbothered, done by the hour, and let's be honest about what it was: a promoted side away at the champions on opening night. Beating Coventry 3–0 tells us the machine starts. It tells us nothing about September.

Soft spot, hard look. Ipswich 2–1 Sunderland, and Nilson Angulo's free kick went in off the underside of the bar past a goalkeeper who is six foot nine, which is the kind of thing that stays with you. The performance underneath it was scrappier than the scoreline — Sunderland had the better of the second half and found nothing — but new manager, opening day, three points. Take it and say nothing clever.

What I got wrong. Three of four. Forest 0–1 Leeds was the miss, and it was a coin-flip fixture I'd marked 1X on a 41/30/29 split. Leeds have an oddly strong opening-day record and I noted it, then didn't act on it. That's not variance, that's reading the evidence and shrugging.