Premier League: Five Talking Points From the Opening Weekend

Tottenham Defense (Mostly) Holds Firm

Kyle Walker’s own goal sullied Tottenham’s chances to redeem themselves after their humiliating 3-0 loss to Manchester United at Old Trafford in March. Walker’s error, and Nabil Bentaleb’s pass that led up to it, were exceptions rather than the norm. Indeed, on the whole, Spurs looked sound defensively for the first time in at least two seasons. The back four capably contained Wayne Rooney, et al and even played their part in a lot of the surging transitional play that saw Spurs dominate large swaths of the game. Walker in particular shined, though Toby Alderweireld’s debut was also very promising. Mauricio Pochettino would no doubt be happy with his defense turning such performances for the rest of the season.