Premier League’s Opening Weekend Winners And Losers
By Chris Jones
Winners: Reece Oxford and West Ham United
What a debut for the 16-year old English defender.
Oxford, making his first cap for West Ham United, was faced with a baptism of fire by new manager Slaven Bilic. He was placed in the middle of the defense against a high-powered Arsenal attack on the road at the Emirates Stadium, but his performance has garnered headlines.
The teenager had German international Mesut Ozil in his pocket, actually commanded the West Ham back line at times, and helped the Hammers pull off an impressive 2-0 win against Arsenal, who are expected to make a serious title run this Premier League campaign.
West Ham and debut manager Slaven Bilic were impressive as a whole, commanding the game, taking their chances, and once they got on top of the Gunners, they refused to give them opportunities to get back in the match.
Cheickou Kouyate put the visitors on the board with a header off of a free kick, and then Mauro Zarate doubled the lead in the second half. Both goals may have been assisted by some questionable Arsenal defense and goalkeeping, but the West Ham performance was impressive, nonetheless.
Last season, for a good portion of the league season, West Ham were in a position for a spot in a European competition, but tailed off towards the end of the season.
Can the Hammers and Bilic mount a more serious top-four campaign this season? With quality additions like Diego Payet, who impressed against Arsenal, and Oxford, West Ham will be a tough team to face this season.
Next: Losers