Premier League Makes a Strong Return! Perfect Start for English Teams on Champions League Opening Day, Villa Earn First Win of Season, Manchester City Extend Streak to Four Wins

The Champions League season officially began, and in the first round, Premier League teams delivered outstanding performances, finishing with a perfect record, with two teams temporarily occupying the top two spots in the standings. Aston Villa secured their first victory of the season, while Manchester City's winning streak extended to four matches.

Because this week is a dedicated Champions League match week, a total of 18 matches will be played over three days. The opening day featured six fixtures, all producing winners and losers with no draws and no major upsets. Austrian debutants LASK Linz suffered a narrow 1-0 away defeat against AEK Athens, the only match not involving a team from Europe's top five leagues.

In La Liga, three teams launched their campaigns. Real Betis fell behind twice away against Lille but eventually completed a comeback, earning their first Champions League victory since returning to the competition 21 years ago. Ethan Mbappe's unexpected red card left Lille unable to recover. Villarreal were also away from home and, despite never holding the lead throughout the match, narrowly lost to Borussia Dortmund. Guirassy's goal, penalty and own goal created a rare and amusing 'hat-trick'.

Real Madrid's home match started smoothly, as they took a 2-0 lead in the first half and eventually won 2-1. Big Mbappe scored, while younger Mbappe received a red card in the match, making the brothers an immediate talking point. Inter Milan's performance was not disastrous, but both goals conceded came from their own mistakes: the first originated from passing errors by Jones and Bisseck, while the second resulted from goalkeeper Martinez's costly mistake, allowing him to be dispossessed and handing the victory to Mourinho's side.

The Premier League teams continued their winning run, with Manchester City facing Porto away from home. Haaland scored twice, while expensive signing Enzo also showed his ability. Although he came with a high price tag, his performance has indeed been encouraging. Manchester City temporarily sit top of the standings thanks to their goal difference advantage. After suffering a heavy defeat against Arsenal in the Community Shield, City quickly bounced back with four consecutive wins, and their midfield featuring high-value signings is gradually showing its strength. They will face a fierce Manchester derby at the weekend, while Manchester United have two fewer days of rest by comparison. Their next Champions League match is against defending champions Paris Saint-Germain, presenting a new challenge for coach Maresca.

Aston Villa also celebrated victory, opening their campaign with an away win against Belgian champions Club Brugge. Despite several key players leaving, Villa can still remain competitive as long as McGinn is present. The two teams have a notable Champions League history against each other. They met three times last season, with Villa suffering a narrow league-phase defeat but winning both home and away legs in the round of 16. Now they have produced another comeback and continued their winning momentum against Brugge.

Club Brugge's home ground has not been an easy place to visit. They lost only once at home in last season's Champions League, including victories over French clubs Marseille and Monaco, and even made Atletico Madrid and Barcelona struggle to leave with positive results. Only Arsenal managed to come away unscathed. Although Aston Villa had a poor Premier League start, with one draw and two defeats creating pressure, they have rediscovered their form in European competition, seemingly supporting the theory that winning in the Champions League may be easier than in the Premier League.

Last season, five of the six Premier League teams in the Champions League reached the top eight. Now, the Premier League has returned strongly with a perfect opening round, and Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester United will appear next. What kind of performances will they deliver?