The opening weekend of a new Premier League season is always full of optimism, but it can also produce some spectacular surprises. Even the biggest clubs have suffered embarrassing defeats on the first weekend, while newly promoted sides have occasionally announced themselves in style.

With insight from IvyBet, here are seven of the most memorable shock results from Premier League opening days.

1. Sheffield United 2 Manchester United 1 - 1992

The very first Premier League season began with a major shock as Manchester United were beaten 2-1 by Sheffield United at Bramall Lane.

Brian Deane made history by scoring the first-ever Premier League goal after just five minutes, before adding Sheffield United's second. Mark Hughes pulled one back for United, but the hosts held on for a famous victory.

What makes the result even more remarkable is what happened afterwards. Manchester United recovered from their slow start and eventually won the inaugural Premier League title, finishing 10 points clear of Aston Villa.

So, while Sheffield United had the bragging rights on the opening day, it was United who had the last laugh at the end of the campaign.

2. Arsenal 0 Coventry City 3 - 1993

Arsenal suffered one of the most unexpected home defeats of the early Premier League era when Coventry City stormed to a 3-0 victory at Highbury in August 1993.

The star of the afternoon was Micky Quinn, who produced a memorable hat-trick to give Coventry all three points. His goals came in the 34th, 62nd and 65th minutes.

Arsenal had been expected to make a positive start to the new campaign, making Coventry's three-goal victory all the more surprising. It remains one of the most famous individual performances in Premier League opening-day history.

3. Wigan Athletic 0 Blackpool 4 - 2010

Few people expected newly promoted Blackpool to make such an impact on their first Premier League weekend, but Ian Holloway's side produced a sensational 4-0 win at Wigan Athletic.

Gary Taylor-Fletcher opened the scoring before Marlon Harewood added two more goals before half-time. Alex Baptiste then completed the rout after the interval.

Blackpool had entered the Premier League as one of the division's biggest underdogs after winning promotion through the play-offs. Their reward for the stunning victory was briefly sitting at the top of the Premier League table.

The Tangerines would ultimately be relegated at the end of the season, but their spectacular opening day remains a defining moment in the club's history.

4. Manchester United 1 Swansea City 2 - 2014

Manchester United began the 2014/15 campaign with a home defeat against Swansea City, making it a particularly painful opening day for the Old Trafford faithful.

Swansea secured a 2-1 victory in what was their first-ever league win at Old Trafford. It was also Garry Monk's first competitive game in charge of the Welsh club.

The result was especially surprising given United's status and the fact that this was the beginning of Louis van Gaal's reign. Swansea, however, showed that they were more than capable of causing problems against the Premier League's biggest clubs.

5. Arsenal 3 Liverpool 4 - 2016

Not every shock opening-day result comes in the form of a complete mismatch. Arsenal against Liverpool in 2016 was an extraordinary seven-goal thriller.

The Gunners took the lead through Theo Walcott, who scored shortly after having a penalty saved. Liverpool then turned the match around spectacularly, with Philippe Coutinho scoring a brilliant free-kick before Adam Lallana, Coutinho and Sadio Mane put the visitors 4-1 ahead.

Arsenal fought back through Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Calum Chambers, creating a tense finale, but Liverpool held on for a 4-3 victory.

It was a chaotic start to the season and a reminder that opening-day predictions can quickly go out of the window.

6. Chelsea 2 Burnley 3 - 2017

Chelsea went into the 2017/18 season as reigning Premier League champions, so few would have expected them to lose at home to Burnley on the opening weekend.

Yet that is exactly what happened.

The match became even more remarkable when Chelsea captain Gary Cahill was sent off after just 14 minutes. Burnley took full advantage, racing into a 3-0 lead through two Sam Vokes goals and a spectacular Stephen Ward strike.

Alvaro Morata pulled one back for Chelsea, and the champions pushed for an unlikely comeback, but Burnley held on to claim a famous 3-2 win.

For Sean Dyche's side, it was the perfect way to begin a campaign. For Antonio Conte and Chelsea, it was about as bad as an opening day could get.

7. Brentford 2 Arsenal 0 - 2021

Brentford's first-ever Premier League match could hardly have gone better.

The newly promoted Bees welcomed Arsenal to west London for the opening game of the 2021/22 season and produced a memorable 2-0 victory. Sergi Canós scored Brentford's first-ever Premier League goal before Christian Nørgaard doubled their advantage in the second half.

The result made Brentford only the seventh promoted team to win its first-ever Premier League match.

For Arsenal, meanwhile, it was a miserable beginning to the campaign. Brentford looked the more confident side and fully deserved their historic victory.

Opening Days Can Produce Huge Surprises

These seven results demonstrate just how unpredictable the first weekend of a Premier League season can be.

From Sheffield United defeating Manchester United in the competition's very first match to Blackpool smashing four past Wigan, and from Burnley's victory over the reigning champions to Brentford announcing themselves with a win over Arsenal, opening day has repeatedly produced results that few people saw coming.

Perhaps the biggest lesson is that pre-season expectations count for very little once the competitive action begins. A club can arrive with a new manager, an impressive squad or even a Premier League title to defend, but opening day provides no guarantees.

That is what makes the first weekend of the Premier League season so exciting, and why fans should never assume that the favourites will necessarily get off to a winning start.

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