The second round of matches from the new Premier League season provided another exhilarating weekend of football.
With fans finally back there seems to be a buzz around this season that hasn’t been felt since before the pandemic, and this round of games certainly lived up to expectations.
This weekend included goals, drama, jubilation, despair, and everything in between.
With 36 more matches to go, there are signs this could be a truly memorable season ahead of us.
Let’s take a look at the top three moments from matchday two of the Premier League season:
Lukaku scores on Chelsea return
£97m signing Romelu Lukaku has already begun paying back his fee after scoring on his second debut for the Blues against Arsenal.
The Belgian was making his first Chelsea appearance since his first spell ended in 2014.
Since his departure, Lukaku has evolved into one of Europe’s deadliest forwards and feels there is unfinished business at Chelsea.
Lukaku indeed looked like a man with a point to prove during his truly dominant display at the Emirates.
The Gunners defenders, Pablo Mari in particular, were bullied by the Belgian all game, and Lukaku went on to score the opener after 15 minutes.
It was a typical Lukaku goal, with the big man holding up the ball, playing it wide, then dashing to the penalty spot to receive the return ball to tap in.
A carbon copy goal from his time at Inter Milan, and a real sign of things to come in a Chelsea shirt.
Arsenal keeper Bernd Leno was the only reason Lukaku didn’t add to his tally, making a world-class save from point-blank range in the second half.
In the end, Chelsea and Lukaku didn’t even have to enter top gear to get the job done.
There is plenty more to come and at the moment it’s hard to see how Romelu Lukaku doesn’t finish the season with a considerable number of goals.
Antonio shatters Hammer’s record
Michail Antonio etched his name into West Ham history this weekend as he became the Hammer’s all-time Premier League goalscorer.
The forward, finally wearing the number nine shirt for the first time, bagged a brace as well as an assist as West Ham thrashed 10-man Leicester City 4-1 at the London Stadium.
West Ham looked well organised and aggressive and went into the break with a 1-0 lead and an extra man after Ayoze Perez was shown a straight red for the Foxes.
Antonio then set up Said Benrahma for the second goal, before the landmark goal finally came in the 80th minute.
A goal that truly sums up his game, Antonio collected the ball at his feet, held off his defender before spinning and smashing the ball home into the bottom corner.
The celebrations were truly a special spectacle with a full stadium of West Ham fanatics back together for the first time since early 2020.
Antonio proceeded to collect a cardboard cut-out of himself from the crowd to dance with, to the joy of the crowd.
Another showing of Antonio’s charisma and love for the game, he epitomises the good feeling around the club currently.
He rounded off the victory with another goal four minutes later, capping off an unforgettable night for him personally.
The Hammers are showing no signs of slowing down as their form continues to carry over from their impressive campaign last season.
Grealish off the mark in Man City rout
Manchester City’s record transfer Jack Grealish scored his first goal for the club on his home debut, as City put five past Norwich.
The £100m man was playing for the first time in front of the City fans and took only 22 minutes to get his name on the scoresheet.
A typical flowing City move was finished rather fortunately by Grealish who knew very little about the cross, with the ball going in off his knee.
Certainly, it will not be the best goal Grealish scores for City, but to get off the mark in your first home game is a good sign of things to come.
City and Grealish bounced back in a big way against Norwich after the ex-Villa man’s debut ended in defeat to Tottenham last weekend.
The game was a formality and looked over as soon as the first goal went in.
Like Chelsea’s performance, it seemed City didn’t even have to enter top gear, it was cruise control for 90 minutes.
Grealish is still settling in at his new club, and with the burden of a goal now off his shoulders, he can now express himself freely and adapt to the side more and more with each game.
Overall, matchday two of the new Premier League season has given fans a taster of what to expect going forward.
So far, the big money signings have shown glimpses of what they can do, with plenty more football still to play.
Fans being back to witness these moments is what makes it so special, and long may it continue.
The new season is here, and fans are in for a fantastic spectacle if the first two matchdays are anything to go by.
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