Arsenal vs Wolves LIVE: Latest Premier League result and reaction after Havertz and Saka score for Gunners

A wonderful start for the wunderkind. A first Premier League win for the first manager who is younger than the division itself was so comprehensive that Brighton fans could chorus about being top of the table. By the time Fabian Hurzeler was born, Goodison Park had staged top-flight football for more than a year. The precocious 31-year-old kicked off its valedictory season by steering Albion to a debut victory that served as an advertisement for their boldness in hiring him.

For Brighton, it was a blend of new and old. Yankuba Minteh, provider of their first goal, is a 20-year-old debutant; Danny Welbeck, scorer of the second, is in the unusual position of being two years older than his manager. Albion reaped an early dividend for plucking Hurzeler from St Pauli to replace Roberto de Zerbi. After winning promotion in his native Germany, elevation to the Premier League seemed to suit him.

And the main question, perhaps, ahead of the new season getting into full swing...

There are only a handful of people who know exactly what is happening in the Manchester City case and one of them had to promote the new Premier League season this week.

“It’s clear we have some regulatory challenges,” competition chief executive Richard Masters said. “But I’m confident we can navigate all of that and, by the time we sit down again in 12 months, a lot of that stuff will be clearer and we can have the way we always want it, which is the football front and centre.”

It’s quite a hopeful spin that is perhaps natural from the world’s most bombastic league, especially since this season could involve a storm like no other. This could well be the most controversial and consequential campaign in the English game’s history, that reaches both Bosman and Italy’s Calciopoli in terms of its effects. It could change the face of the table, the future, the past, as well as the Premier League’s very image. An outcome of the City case is expected by April, but any time that late is almost even worse for the Premier League.

It is, apparently, not how you start but how you finish. Joshua Zirkzee started his Manchester United career with a telling finish that bodes well for the rest of it. He began his debut on the bench and ended it as the match-winner. Old Trafford may have a new goalscoring hero and if the evidence of their opening night was that Erik ten Hag’s side needed one, a newcomer obliged.

The United manager stands accused of signing too many of his fellow Dutchmen. For a £42m buy, however, it amounted to an ideal beginning, a veritable theatre of a dream debut. Even in helping Bologna qualify for the Champions League last season, Zirkzee was not prolific. Yet it only took 26 minutes for him to open his United account with a goal that showed he can be both finisher, but also much more than a penalty-box poacher.

Zirkzee had dropped deep to collect the ball, fed it wide to Casemiro and accelerated into the box. He stuck out a left leg to poke in Alejandro Garnacho’s cross. Two substitutes combined for an opening-day win that, for the first time in Ten Hag’s reign, sent United top of the league, albeit when 18 other sides are yet to play.

A reminder of the main results so far as the Premier League kicks off for 2024/25...

Arne Slot is in town and so is Kieran McKenna. Arguably the two head coaches most spoken about this summer – once Erik ten Hag’s future became clear, at least – went head to head on the opening day and both gave their supporters evidence that there’s plenty of reason for optimism in 2024/25.

Liverpool completed their own mini “Old Farm derby” challenge: three years ago they went to Norwich City on the opening day of the season and beat them 3-0; this time it was Portman Road for their first game and Ipswich Town suffered the same fate, albeit with one fewer conceded. Two scorers that day managed to find the net again here, in Diogo Jota and Mohamed Salah; perhaps the reason the Reds spurned so many chances to wrap up the points on this occasion was because their third scorer in 2021 – Roberto Firmino – is no longer at the club.

Arsenal winger Gabriel Martinelli also spoke to the media after the game, and called today’s match “what we wante”.

“We got the win and we are really happy with that.”

On Bukayo Saka, he adds: “We know his quality and Kai’s quality as well. They are really important for us and we trust them and we know they can decided games in a moment.

“We believe in ourselves and we know our quality and will go for it.”

He calls Mikel Arteta “a really nice guy”, adding that “everyone loves him and we are just lucky to play under him”.

“You guys can see how we play from the outside. We are just happy to have him as our manager.

“This is the most difficult league in the world and we know how hard it is to play against City. We have to go game by game,” he adds when asked about a title charge.

And here are the remaining fixtures for the first gameweek of the Premier League!

TODAY 5.30pm – West Ham vs Aston Villa

Sun, 18 August 2pm – Brentford vs Crystal Palace

Sun, 18 August 4.30pm – Chelsea vs Man City

Mon, 19 August 8pm – Leicester vs Tottenham

Arsenal’s next match takes them to Villa Park for a potentially tricky match game Villa on 24 August, and they host Brighton at the end of the month.

Wolves host Chelsea in their next match, on 25 August, before hosting Burnely in the Carabao Cup in the midweek of the next week.

Arsenal began their Premier League campaign with a 2-0 win over Wolves at the Emirates as goals in either half from Kai Havertz and Bukayo Saka got Mikel Arteta’s side off to the ideal start in their quest to end a 21-year wait for the title.

Though comfortable in the end, the result had looked in the balance for a period in the second half when the visitors had chances to peg Arsenal back and wipe out the lead given to them after 25 minutes by Havertz’s close-range header.

Wolves’ Matheus Cunha had a golden opportunity to level from a horrendous error from William Saliba but badly miscued his side’s best chance to equalise.

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta, is next in front of the cameras. He says: “I am really happy. With the first game you have some uncertainty in how you will respond.

“We had our moment after 1-0 when we were not in control but after Saka’s goal we were much more comfortable. The way the boys go about their job is unbelievable, so very happy.

“We knew Wolves could change the game and they did in the second half but with our changes we became a bit stronger.

“We certainly are. We had a really good pre-season. There are things to improve for sure, but overall very happy.

“The lack of control in the second half [we can improve], we gave so many simple balls away. We also had to finish situations better but overall very happy.”

Arsenal forward Kai Havertz was the first to speak to the media, and he said Arsenal “can be happy but there was some room to improve”.

“The first 20 minutes were good. We had good chances. We then lost a bit of control of the game and our press didn’t work. Always 100% we defended deep very well. We didn’t give them a lot of chances and it is three points.

“Saka is unbelievable. There are not a lot of players like him on the planet and he is still so young. He can get better. It is very rare to see a young player like this perform every week at the highest level.”