Burnley 1 - 0 Man Utd: the Aftermath

Manchester United's sluggishly poor starts in the previous two Premier League seasons seems to have led to them being dubbed "notoriously slow starters", and while Chelsea have had to fight back from 1-0 down to win their first two fixtures, Sir Alex Ferguson's side has spluttered to a 1-0 home victory over Birmingham and now suffered a downright humiliating 1-0 defeat to Owen Coyle's Burnley. In true melodramatic fashion therefore, knee-jerk reactions from fans will call for drastic action, and although Sir Alex will no doubt exude confidence in his team, there are an increasing number of questions that are being asked of his side.

- CR7 Factor

Few people doubt that United were right to sell Cristiano Ronaldo this summer; in hindsight the £80m deal with Real Madrid was actually completed relatively painlessly when one considers the intense nature of the speculation in the preceding months. Ferguson planned to counter the loss of Ronaldo to switching to a more orthodox 4-4-2 system, which would rely on touchline-hugging wingers such as Nani, Antonio Valencia and Ji-Sung Park to provide attacking impetus. The sporadic and inconsistent form of these players however means that United lack the penetration, creativity and the drive that the dynamic Ronaldo generated. This leads to a frustrated Wayne Rooney, which in turn leads to the England frontman losing any kind of discipline and patience as he drifts out of position in search of the ball. In short, United were never going to replace the world's best player, but what they have failed to do in the opening games of the season, is adapt to life without Ronaldo or find any alternatives to the force he provided going forward.

- £100m transfer kitty

The revenue generated from the Ronaldo transfer, when combined with existing available transfer funds, gives Sir Alex Ferguson a transfer kitty of £100m+, which the Board will allow him to spend as he so chooses. Ferguson has been reluctant to enter the transfer market this summer, with big spenders Real Madrid and Man City inflating the transfer market heavily, but despite the manager's insistence that his spending for the summer is done, United look like a side that needs an injection of new blood if it is to battle Chelsea for a fourth consecutive Premier League title. There is plenty of talent available - Sergio Kun Aguero, Franck Ribery, David Silva and David Villa will all have their price - but Ferguson has made it clear in recent years that he invests in character and personality as much as talent, a reason for why United have not pulled the trigger on a deal for Gremio's petulant playmaker Douglas Costa (dubbed the "next Ronaldinho"). Ferguson is right to spend his cash wisely, and in these hardened times it is understandable that he might tighten the purse strings while Madrid and City inflate transfer prices, but United's fans demand the best, and they will not want to sit and watch their rivals in the league and in Europe buying the world's best while Ferguson's squad underperforms.

- The "new Veron"...

is a tag that some fans seem to be attaching to the enigmatic Dimitar Berbatov. Much like Veron, Berbatov has produced moments of magic in a United shirt, however not as many as he did at Spurs, and certainly not enough to justify being the club's record signing. For £30.75 million, United thought they were getting a 20-goal striker that would score consistently, when in fact Berbatov has now been at United for a year and scored just 14 goals in 44 appearances. Berbatov's control of the ball is second-to-none, and has the best technique since Dennis Bergkamp, but time and time again he fails to truly influence games from his deep-lying position. Berbatov plays almost as a midfielder at times, and must push forward and dominate by leading the line and scoring goals consistently if he ever wants to justify his hefty record price tag.

- Poor form

Michael Carrick is the engine that drives the heart of the Manchester United team. When Carrick plays poorly, United often struggle, and his poor performances against Burnley last night, and in the Community Shield against Chelsea, are one of the reasons for the disjointed team performances. On his day, Carrick is a great passer of the ball and holds the team together from his central position, however on his lesser days he has a tendency for sloppy play with erratic passing and frequent losing of possession. The likes of Carrick and Anderson must become more consistent and reliable in the middle of the park, as it is sloppiness and a lack of control in these central areas that are most to blame for United's poor start.

- To end on a positive note

Watch out for Darren Fletcher. While all eyes are on Barry, Lampard, Gerrard and Fabregas, over the last 12 months the Scot has made the step up and has developed into a stunning box-to-box midfielder. Tough in the tackle and effective driving forward, Fletcher has grown from an oft-mocked utility fringe player into the first name on Sir Alex's team sheet.

Everton 1 - 6 Arsenal: things I noticed...

- Pre-match expectations.

If this was to be the year that the infallible Top Four was penetrated, consensus opinion prior to today was that Arsenal would be the team to miss out. Arsenal fans this summer have been unnerved by the sales of Kolo Toure and Emanuel Adebayor, the uncertain future of Cesc Fabregas, and the questionable fitness of a number of star players. Arsene Wenger's stubborn transfer policy has also come under question, with Belgian Thomas Vermaelen the only addition thus far in the Summer transfer window. To cut a long story short, there were a lot of questions being asked of Arsenal as they opened their campaign at Goodison Park, which is never an easy place to travel. Fans will be hugely reassured therefore, by the 6-1 demolition that Wenger's side produced away from home, and unless Manchester United can hit Birmingham for 5+ goals tomorrow, Arsenal will be sitting at the top of the Premier League following the first weekend of fixtures.

Where to start?

Going forward, Arsenal were as slick and free-flowing as ever against Everton; the prodigal Cesc Fabregas was superb in linking Arshavin and Bendtner on the flanks with Van Persie up top. It was at the back however, that Arsenal looked as assured as they have in years. If Wenger can keep the partnership of Gallas with Vermaelen together and free of injury, it could hold the key for Arsenal in not only securing a top four finish, but also in challenging for silverware both domestically and in Europe. From front to back, it was an almost flawless performance that made Everton, a side that harbors genuine ambitions for a top 5 finish, look distinctly average.

- On Song

Both Alex Song and Denilson are players that clearly have the confidence of Arsene Wenger, yet have never truly been accepted by the fans in the same vein as other midfielders such as Fabregas and Nasri. Both players have shown glimpses of their undoubted ability, but have been haunted by inconsistency since breaking into the Arsenal first team. Today was arguably Song's finest game in an Arsenal shirt, and could stake a strong claim for today's man-of-the-match. With all the talk of Yaya Toure, Marcos Senna and Daniele De Rossi being the kind of players that Arsenal lack, Alex Song repaid Wenger's faith today with a hugely effective performance picking up loose balls, winning tackles and triggering attacks with his distribution. Denilson also repaid his manager's faith, with a fantastic shot that curled away from goalkeeper Tim Howard to put Arsenal 1-0 up and on their way to victory.

- Wounds to lick.

Under Moyes, Everton have frequently experienced shaky starts and gone on to finish high up the table due to their consistency over the course of the season, so the manager will be quick to reassure his players that there are still 37 games to go and everything to play for. This defeat however was more than just a loss, and the humiliation of a 6-1 opening day defeat at home will serve as a huge mental blow to Moyes' side. While Everton have not become a bad side overnight - the likes of Pienaar and Fellaini showed that they still have the necessary class to compete in the Premiership - the nature of his side's capitulation will worry Moyes. As soon as the first goal went in, Everton forgot the basics and lost any shape and organisation that they held for the first half an hour. Defensively, Everton are usually a solid unit, but looked distracted and uncertain in the face of Arsenal's pass-and-move attacks. The inclusion of Joleon Lescott in the line-up surprised many, after Lescott's apparent admission to Moyes in private that he didn't feel mentally prepared to play, and the defender's body language suggested that Moyes was indeed wrong to play him.

- Business to be done.

It is clear then that Lescott must be sold. Moyes' comments with regards to the manner of Man City's approach for Lescott are admirable, as he digs in his heels in an attempt to fight City off until the close of the transfer window. £20m for a player who cost less than a quarter of that is good business for Everton though, who must seal the deal within the week to ensure that not only the burden of uncertainty is lifted from the squad, but also to enable Moyes to use the money on a replacement. Michael Turner of Hull would fit the bill. Moyes has built his team on signing standout players from lower teams (Lescott from Wolves, Jagielka from Sheffield United and Tim Cahill from Millwall), and Turner has earned a shot at playing for a top half club with his consistent Premiership performances last season.

- You must be Jo-king.

Moyes not only got his selection wrong in playing Lescott, but also in preferring Jo to Louis Saha. While both are similar players, Saha is a player that Everton should always play on the rare occasions that injuries allow him to be made available. Saha is faster, stronger and has a better leap than Jo, who was dominated all game by Arsenal's debutant Vermaelen. Saha staked a claim for a first team place with his late consolation goal, and showed in last May's FA Cup Final what he can do to top class defences when given the service.

- Final thoughts.

Arsenal fans will now be excited about a season that just 24-hours ago they were most probably dreading. They manhandled Everton today without Theo Walcott, Samir Nasri and Tomas Rosicky. As with all of the Top Four sides, injuries will be key this season, and Arsenal can look forward to a far more successful season than most expected if they can keep free from injuries. Everton meanwhile must regroup and go back to basics. They can take very few, if any, positives from today's performance, which was horrible in pretty much every way. So long as the uncertainty surrounding Lescott is removed however, and Moyes is able to repair the damage to his team's spirit, there is no reason why Everton cannot achieve great things this season, but to do so they will have to display far more commitment and organisation than they did today.

Chelsea 2 - 1 Hull City: things I noticed...

- First and foremost: 3pts.

While Carlo Ancelotti continues to reiterate that his Chelsea side need to improve, privately, he'll be very content with his first two competitive matches. Both in last week's Community Shield contest and in today's season opener, Chelsea were not at their best, but they were good enough to leave both occasions with a win. Hull proved to be a much trickier opponent today than Chelsea would have anticipated, but Ancelotti's side was able to overcome the general rust and lack of sharpness which all teams experience at the beginning of the season, and leave Stamford Bridge with 3 points.

- Man of the Match: Didier Drogba.

Today wasn't Drogba's best game for Chelsea, but he showed his class when it mattered. He saw more of the ball than his strike partner Anelka, and he was as dynamic as ever in troubling the Hull defence, but Drogba's performance looked like a first day of the season performance, lacking the razor-like match sharpness that we all know he possesses. After Hull's goal came against the run of play, Drogba's terrific free-kick found the corner of Boaz Myhill's goal, and ensured that Chelsea would go in at half-time level. Chelsea's re-energised second half performance was dominant and committed, yet much like Drogba himself, lacked that clinical edge in finding the winning goal. The Ivorian's ingenius match-winning goal in the 92nd minute had a sense of inevitability about it; a lay-off from substitute Deco found Drogba who defied the acute angle by chipping the ball over Myhill and into the far corner. His questionable temperament has been widely discussed, but in an age when the likes of Ronaldo, Messi, Ribery and Kaka are gaining the plaudits from unorthodox, free-roaming wide positions, Didier Drogba remains among the worlds best when it comes to leading the line, unsettling defences and providing that ruthless edge when his side are in need of a goal.

- Diamonds are Forever.

Ancelotti seems determined to make his famed diamond formation fit this Chelsea side, and the players seem to be doing a good job of adapting. However while Mikel, Malouda and Lampard fit into the system relatively seamlessly, Michael Essien showed today, much like in the Community Shield last weekend, that he must adapt to the system more than any of the four midfielders. Sitting on the right side of the diamond requires discipline and awareness, and Essien must be sure to not be tempted to drift inside when his combative instincts kick in. While Hull never looked like seriously challenging the Essien/Bosingwa partnership down the left flank, Nani's impressive first half performance last week showed that it is an area to be exploited if Essien doesn't remain committed to his right-sided duties.

- What a Hunt.

With his brash and often reckless style, Stephen Hunt has something of the Robbie Savage about him. Not that Chelsea had forgotten, but if they needed any reminder of how much they resent Hunt for that challenge on Petr Cech back in October 2006, just 40 seconds into todays match, Hunt flew in with a high boot on Frank Lampard, and was lucky to escape an early card from the referee. Hunt's a talented winger who has the potential to cause problems down the left wing this season, but he must check his aggression to not only save his reputation from further damage, but before he causes any more serious injuries.

- Every cloud...

From Hull City's point of view, they will take positives from this performance. Phil Brown's smirk when the assistant referee signified that there would be 6 additional minutes at the end of play showed that he knew the chances of Chelsea finding a winning goal were high. Following their catastrophic collapse after Christmas last season, many have put Hull among the favourites to be relegated this season. Phil Brown's struggles in the transfer market mean that his squad still lacks the necessary depth, and Hull are likely to face a dog fight for survival this season, but today the manager will be pleased with the organisation and resillience that his side displayed today. Bernard Mendy looked a danger in the air, knocking on a number of balls for lone striker Caleb Folan, while new signing Stephen Hunt was a nuisance on the left wing.

- The Turner Prize.

There were a lot of eyes on Hull defender Michael Turner today; he was the club's Player of the Year for 08-09 and has been linked with a number of clubs over the summer. The defender showed no signs of Second Year Syndrome, though, and for the most part looked solid. Turner is strong in the tackle and good in the air, and will benefit Hull hugely if they can hang onto him until the end of the transfer window.

- Final Thoughts. Hull will be disappointed not to have hung on for a point, but they will take heart from what was a spirited performance. Hull knew that they would have to pack the midfield, stay organised, and hit Chelsea on the counter-attack, and that's exactly what they did, but Chelsea's superior class prevailed, and two moments of individual brilliance from Didier Drogba ultimately decided the match.