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The Premier League returned this week after a significantly shorter summer break than usual due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The combination of this lockout year, Project Restart, and August’s Champions League tournament made it seem like football had barely disappeared, but it was still good to see England’s top flight get back on track.
Here are eight things that talkSPORT.com especially enjoyed.
Dani Ceballos vs Eddie Nketiah
Before a ball was even kicked, Arsenal provided some entertainment.
Ceballos and Nketiah, who started on the bench for the Gunners’ trip to Fulham, were caught shoving and shoving violently after a torrential rain during a training exercise.
Nketiah appeared irritated by a loud challenge from Ceballos, who then pushed his teammate away.
Then the ball returned to Nketiah, and the pair faced off.
Arms start flailing before his fellow substitutes step in to calm things down.
Since then, Ceballos has taken to Instagram to insist that there is no lasting issue between him and Nketiah.
Kieran Tierney’s ‘new haircut’
Arsenal fans had to look again after seeing a picture submitted by their club before the game on Saturday.
Tierney’s position in front of Willian made it appear that he had drastically changed his hairstyle during the break.
The image went viral and he saw some creative responses in response.
Rob holdinho
The Gunners center-back channeled Ronaldinho for a brief moment against Fulham.
If his shot had ended in a goal, Holding would have had the assist of the season ending on the first day.
Holding on to the threat of Fulham’s Aboubakar Kamara, the center-back juggled the ball on his knee before playing with his teammate, who ended up earning a corner just after the break.
Alexandre Lacazette applauded Holding and could not contain the smile and laughter that followed.
Kyle Walker-Peters red card voided
Southampton defender Walker-Peters was initially sent off for a highly questionable “high boot” on Crystal Palace man Tyrick Mitchell.
The decision was reviewed by the video assistant referee, but as part of the changes made from last season, things were done differently this time.
As is the case with the other great European referee, the referee on the field reviewed the decision using the monitors on the side of the field.
After careful deliberation, Jon Moss overruled his original decision and Walker-Peters was pardoned with Moss simply giving him a yellow card.
Mo Salah takes home the new match ball
The 2020/21 Premier League ball was used for the first time on Saturday.
Salah immediately became the first player to take him home with a hat-trick.
Liverpool won 4-3 at home to Leeds in the end, and the Egyptian shot home a late goal from the penalty spot.
Penalty shenanigans in the FIFA style
However, before Salah’s winning penalty, Leeds goalkeeper Illan Meslier decided to have a bit of fun.
In an attempt to distract the Liverpool forward, he jumped up and down, side to side along the frame of his goal.
It was similar to the antics available in FIFA for those trying to save a penalty shot.
In the end, Salah had the last laugh when he threw the ball home and won the match for his team.
Fox in the box
Jamie Vardy scored 23 times last season to win the Golden Boot and his two goals, both from penalties, in a 3-0 win over newly promoted West Brom led to 105 goals in the top flight, one ahead of Former Chelsea forward Didier Drogba on the all-time leaderboards.
The evergreen forward will turn 34 in January, but boss Brendan Rodgers believes Vardy remains one of the best leaders in the area.
“There are a lot of elite forwards at this level, but any team would want someone like him,” Rodgers said.
“He’s super cool, clinical, and still has pace and running ability. It’s a great start for him to score two goals and very good for the team ”.
Caramel joy
Everton secured three well-deserved points against Tottenham in their first game of the 2020/21 campaign on Sunday, their first win in 16 attempts against the North London side.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s brilliant header in the second half secured a surprise 1-0 win for the Toffees, who controlled the process as three rookies impressed Carlo Ancelotti’s men.
James Rodríguez, Allan and Abdoulaye Doucoure made their first outing for Everton, which seems like a decent bet to finish in the top six of the Premier League this season. José Mourinho, on the other hand, has a great job on his hands to turn the fortunes of Spurs.
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