Goals galore: Full houses witness Premier League’s second highest scoring opening weekend ever
The return of fans to full stadia coincided with the highest scoring opening weekend in the Premier League for almost 20 years.
For the first time since March 2020, England’s top-flight clubs were allowed capacity crowds at matches as the new season got underway.
And supporters were treated to a feast of goals, with a total of 34 scored across the 10 fixtures during Premier League Matchweek 1.
That average of 3.4 goals per game was a big jump from last season’s 2.9 and comfortably the most of any opening weekend in the last decade, as the table below shows.
Two games saw six goals: Manchester United’s 5-1 win over Leeds United on Saturday, and West Ham United’s 4-2 comeback at Newcastle United yesterday.
Watford edged Aston Villa in a five-goal thriller, while Liverpool, Everton and Chelsea all scored three times, against Norwich City, Southampton and Crystal Palace respectively.
Just two games featured fewer than two goals and there were no goalless draws.
The highest scoring Premier League opening weekend came in 2003-04, when the net rippled on 36 occasions.
Blackburn Rovers led the way back then, beating Wolverhampton Wanderers 5-1 thanks to two goals from Andy Cole.
But while the return of fans may have coincided with a goal glut, the highest scoring Premier League weekend came behind closed doors last season.
Matchweek 2 of the 2020-21 campaign in September last year saw 44 goals, including Everton beating West Bromwich Albion 5-2 and Spurs winning at Southampton by the same score.