Premier League greatest opening day games of all time

There is nothing better than getting three points on the opening day of the season and with the Premier League returning this weekend, we take a look at some of the greatest opening day fixtures of all time.

Crystal Palace 3-3 Blackburn Rovers – August 1992

Crystal Palace vs Blackburn was the first ever game played after the first division was renamed the FA Premier League and what a fantastic opening game it was.

With the scores level one apiece at half-time, the game sparked to life. Gareth Southgate put Palace in front just after the hour mark but then an Alan Shearer masterclass seemed to have taken the game away from the home side. Shearer’s brace looked to have been enough for Blackburn before Simon Osborn popped up in injury time to nick a point for the Eagles.

The Premier League got underway with a game for the history books. 

Arsenal 2-4 Norwich City – August 1992

Not only did Crystal Palace and Blackburn fight it out on the inaugural opening day of the Premier League season, so did Arsenal and Norwich.

With Norwich tipped as the favourites for relegation, it seemed like this sunny day at Highbury would be a stress-free day for Arsenal fans. Arsenal went into half-time 2-0 up looking very comfortable but when the whistle blew for the second half, the game changed. A crazy twenty minutes saw the Canaries score four goals leaving Arsenal stunned and the away fans singing.

Wimbledon 0-3 Manchester United – August 1996

Although this game is one of the more one-sided games in the list, something out of the ordinary happened at Selhurt Park which will always remembered by Premier League fans.

Goals from Eric Cantona and Denis Irwin put Manchester United 2-0 up and they had the three points in the bag but then something spectacular happened. With less than 30 seconds to go, David Beckham picked up a loose pass in the middle of his own half and took a few strides before launching an audacious lob from his own half which nestled in the back of the net.

Reading 3-2 Middlesbrough – August 2006

The Madjeski Stadium was rocking on this famous August day back in 2006 as Reading were set to play their first ever Premier League game in the club’s entire history but what came next was not expected by anyone…

With Middlesbrough 2-0 up and looking as if they were cruising to an easy three points, the game started to turn. Within the space of four minutes, Reading were back level thanks to Dave Kitson and Steve Sidwell, but they would not settle for a draw with Boro on the ropes. Leroy Lita came off the bench and ten minutes later fired home the winner in a remarkable game.

Arsenal 3-4 Liverpool – August 2016

Arsenal vs Liverpool is always one of the games that everyone marks on their Premier League calendars simply because it always has plenty of action to talk about and in August 2016, another classic arose at the Emirates.

Arsenal took the lead through Theo Walcott, but a stunning Phillipe Coutinho free kick levelled it up before Adam Lallana put Liverpool in front just after the break. Liverpool then ran away with the game thanks to a second from Coutinho and Sadio Mane scoring a cracking goal on his debut. Late goals from Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Calum Chambers brought Arsenal within one but it was not enough.

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