Important things you probably missed: From Brentford gems to Cole Palmer’s dribbles

DREAM TEAM managers have much to reflect on after the first round of the new Premier League season. It’s impossible to note every relevant development over the course of a busy weekend so allow us to present DEEP DIVE, an informative notes-style round-up of every fixture to help you fill in the blanks. Arsenal 3 Coventry 0 Goals: Havertz, Saka, Odegaard Assists: Calafiori, Tzolis, White Arsenal picked up where they left off Credit: Getty Possession: Arsenal 64% – 36% Coventry Shots: Arsenal 20 – 4 Coventry xG: Arsenal 1.8 – 0.3 Coventry A comfortable win for the champions against newly-promoted opposition. Saka (9 pts) looked lively and unhampered by the injury niggles that limited his World Cup minutes. Sign up for the Football newsletter Thank you! Odegaard (10 pts) and Tzolis (9 pts) were involved in multiple attacks — the latter looks set to be a regular starter if the Gunners don’t sign another left winger. £4.5m defenders Calafiori (10 pts), White (10 pts) and Mosquera (7 pts) all outperformed the more expensive Gabriel (6 pts) — Konsa’s arrival is likely to shake up the pecking order. Havertz (9 pts) was once again selected to start over Gyokeres (0 pts). Hull 2 Manchester United 0 Goals: Ajayi, Mendy Assists: McBurnie, Slater Most read in Football Hull caught the Red Devils cold Credit: SHUTTERSTOCK Possession: Hull 28% – 72% Man Utd Shots: Hull 8 – 21 Man Utd xG: Hull 1.3 – 1.8 Man Utd A big upset that scuppered the plans of almost every Dream Team manager. £1.5m defender Ajayi (14 pts) earned the same number of points as Fernandes (4 pts), Mbeumo (4 pts), Maguire (4 pts) and Lammens (2 pts) combined. New signing Elliot Stroud (8 pts), categorised as a defender in Dream Team, played on the wing in a 5-4-1 formation. Goalkeeper Tzolakis (12 pts) made five saves and registered four successful claims on his way to three bonus points. Cunha (4 pts) started up front but didn’t offer much — Sesko (1 pt) came on midway through second half. Tielemans (2 pts) looked sluggish. Everton 2 Crystal Palace 0 Goals: Dewsbury-Hall, Barry Assists: Armstrong, Ndiaye Dewsbury-Hall opened the scoring Credit: PA Possession: Everton 42% – 58% Palace Shots: Everton 16 – 11 Palace xG: Everton 1.2 – 2 Palace This one was full of ominous warning signs for the wasteful visitors. Some of last season’s most reliable assets mustered paltry returns, namely Munoz (1 pt), Mitchell (2 pts) and Mateta (3 pts). Sarr was absent from the squad amid transfer speculation — Mateta wants out too. This game was a useful reminder that Dewsbury-Hall (11 pts) and Ndiaye (11 pts) are perfectly capable of cashing in against under-par opposition. 19-year-old midfielder Armstrong (6 pts) played 90 minutes and assisted the opener — he costs just £2m. Ipswich 2 Sunderland 1 Goals: Emersonn, Clarke, Angulo Assists: Enciso, Lukic, Xhaka Clarke came off the bench to haunt his former club Credit: Getty Possession: Ipswich 38% – 62% Sunderland Shots: Ipswich 10 – 11 Sunderland xG: Ipswich 1.7 – 0.8 Sunderland A positive start for Tractor Boys after significant summer recruitment. £2m midfielder Fatawu (8 pts) completed three successful dribbles, won three free-kicks and made four tackles in an impressive all-round display. Popular forward Brobbey (3 pts) registered minus four PPM via two offsides and two fouls conceded. Hume (5 pts) played out of position as a winger and created two big chances before he was replaced by Rigg (1 pt) in the 80th minute. Xhaka (9 pts) recorded 10 PPM which is the joint-most among all players at this stage. Nottingham Forest 0 Leeds 1 Goal: Stach Deadly from range Credit: PA Possession: Forest 56% – 44% Leeds Shots: Forest 12 – 11 Leeds xG: Forest 0.7 – 0.5 Leeds A late set piece decided an even contest that lacked attacking quality. No Premier League player has converted more free-kicks or scored more goals from outside the box than Stach (11 pts) since he signed for Leeds. The German midfielder also won four fouls and made four interceptions. Justin (10 pts) was the pick of the defenders with six tackles but his place is at risk when Gudmundsson regains fitness. Gibbs-White (3 pts) has been ruled out of the Carabao Cup repeat and is considered doubtful for Gameweek 2. Calvert-Lewin (1 pt) emulated Brobbey with two offsides and two fouls conceded for PPM of minus four. Brentford 3 Tottenham 0 Goals: Lewis-Potter, Janelt, Kayode Assists: Sangare (x2), Jensen Brentford gave Spurs a brutal reality check Credit: Reuters Possession: Brentford 40% – 60% Spurs Shots: Brentford 26 – 9 Spurs xG: Brentford 4 – 0.5 Spurs This was an absolute pasting that would have been even worse for North Londoners had Igor Thiago (-1 pt) converted a penalty. There were eye-catching performances from new recruit Sangare (12 pts), £2m midfielder Janelt (13 pts) and underrated performer Kayode (15 pts) — the latter had four shots from right-back. Lewis-Potter (10 pts) played at left-back but missed out on clean sheet points as he’s categorised as a midfielder. Schade (5 pts) was unlucky to miss out on the fun having let fly with five shots — he also won the Bees’ penalty and would have registered a fantasy assist had his team-mate not missed. Spurs’ two most popular players, Porro and Van de Ven, didn’t feature but may play some part against Charlton in the Carabao Cup. Tel (3 pts) dribbled past more opponents (6) than anyone else across the first round of league fixtures. Brighton 4 Aston Villa 0 Goals: Lindelof OG, De Cuyper, Hinshelwood (x2) Assists: De Cuyper, Rutter, Gomez Red Card: Joao Gomes De Cuyper and Hinshelwood showed no mercy to a shambolic Villa Credit: Reuters Possession: Brighton 73% – 27% Villa Shots: Brighton 21 – 6 Villa xG: Brighton 3.7 – 0.3 Villa A comprehensive thrashing in which the Villains failed to register a single shot on target. Defender De Cuyper (18 pts) played out of position as a left winger and appeared in ultra advanced positions for his two goal involvements. Hinshelwood (17 pts) bagged a quickfire brace at No10 — he was subbed after 64 minutes with the Conference League play-off in mind. Wieffer (12 pts) notched 10 PPM via four interceptions, three fouls won and a pass completion rate of 91.7% — he may have earned maximum bonus points had he played the full 90 minutes. Torres (-1 pt) was all over the shop as abysmal Villa crumbled in the first half having lost several key players this summer — Barkley (3 pts) was given minutes up front to little effect. Suzuki will surely replace Bizot (0 pts) in goal before long. Manchester City 2 Bournemouth 1 Goals: Guehi, Gvardiol; Tavernier Assists: Cherki (x2); Evanilson Cherki made an impact off the bench Credit: Alamy Possession: Man City 66% – 34% Bournemouth Shots: Man City 13 – 5 Bournemouth xG: Man City 2.4 – 0.6 Bournemouth Maresca was given a scare but the hosts’ superiority told in the end. Gaffers should note several positional quirks as City started with Lewis (3 pts) at right-back, Gvardiol (13 pts) at left-back, Guehi (12 pts) in holding midfield, and O’Reilly (2 pts) at No10. Cherki (8 pts) created four chances (one big chance) and provided two assists in approximately half an hour after he replaced O’Reilly — the Frenchman always makes the most of his minutes on the pitch. Haaland (4 pts) had five shots and registered an individual xG of 0.85. Newcastle 2 Liverpool 2 Goals: Elanga, Willock; Gakpo, Szoboszlai Assists: Osula, Wissa; Gravenberch, Munoz Isak watched on as Szoboszlai scored a late penalty Credit: Getty Possession: Newcastle 39% – 61% Liverpool Shots: Newcastle 13 – 27 Liverpool xG: Newcastle 1.4 – 2.7 Liverpool A late Szoboszlai (10 pts) penalty spared Iraola’s blushes and confirmed that the Hungary international tops the Reds’ pecking order for all set pieces. Both Szoboszlai and Gravenberch (6 pts) were one PPM away from three bonus points. Not much went Wirtz’s (3 pts) way before he was replaced by Mac Allister (2 pts) in the 63rd minute. Transfer-linked Gakpo (10 pts) registered six shots and three chances created. Wissa (7 pts) played in behind Osula (5 pts) but still generated 0.94 xG from four shots. Hornicek (2 pts) made five saves but a yellow card and Liverpool’s late equaliser limited his return. Thiaw (2 pts) made six blocks — only one other player has more than three to their name at this early stage. Fulham 2 Chelsea 3 Goals: King, Garcia; Joao Pedro, Rogers, Palmer Assists: Castagne (x2); Palmer, Lacroix, Joao Pedro A formidable trio Credit: Getty Possession: Fulham 62% – 38% Chelsea Shots: Fulham 14 – 18 Chelsea xG: Fulham 1.3 – 1.7 Chelsea The Blues edged out their West London rivals in a ding-dong contest defined by attacking quality and questionable defending. Chelsea’s mightily impressive front three of Palmer (18 pts), Rogers (10 pts) and Joao Pedro (13 pts) combined for 41 points. Refreshed Palmer recorded five shots, three chances created, five successful dribbles and three fouls won — he matched Xhaka and Wieffer’s tally of 10 PPM. Sanchez (3 pts) was shaky between the sticks and his nerves seemed to transmit to the defenders in front of him, although new arrival Lacroix (8 pts) made a difference with an assist and five tackles. James (2 pts) was named in midfield with Gusto (1 pt) and Hato (3 pts) as wing-backs but Xabi Alonso is likely to experiment with different combinations in the upcoming fixtures. £2.5m teenage midfielder King (11 pts) was the hosts’ standout performer. That’s your lot for this week! How to claim £30 in football free bets Midnite offer Download the Midnite app or create an account online HERE* Register using the code: BETGET30 Deposit a minimum of £10 Place a £10 sportsbook bet at minimum odds of 1/1 Free Bets will be credited upon settlement of your qualifying bet Comment now