Premier League first impressions: Who can challenge Manchester City? Who’s destined for the drop?

It made for ominous viewing when Manchester City dismissed Arsenal without ever really needing to hit top gear. Even against a fellow top-six club, Pep Guardiola could afford to start Belgian duo Kevin De Bruyne and Vincent Kompany on the bench – such is their depth – as they are eased back into domestic duties after their World Cup exploits. And with Riyad Mahrez and Bernardo Silva staking a claim for regular starts, it was a reminder – as if we needed it – that this is the team, and squad, to beat this season.

However, there were also wins for Manchester United, Tottenham, Liverpool and Chelsea, with each having three points to their name, and plenty of positives to draw on from their opening-weekend victories. On first showing, Liverpool are right to be deemed City’s nearest challengers, proving Anfield could well become a fortress this season, while Spurs proved keeping hold of their squad was just as important as adding to it when dismissing Newcastle at St James’ Park.

Elsewhere, United could so easily have thrown away victory in Friday’s curtain-raiser against Leicester, but only time will tell if Jose Mourinho was right about his predictions of a difficult season ahead. Meanwhile, the jury is still out on Maurizio Sarri’s Chelsea. It was the simplest of wins at Huddersfield on Saturday, and one that would have told the Italian little about his new squad.

In our search for the Burnley of this season, could Burnley be the Burnley of this season? Sean Dyche’s side played out a drab 0-0 draw with Southampton on Sunday, and it was perhaps an early sign that a prolonged Europa League adventure could takes its toll. A repeat seventh-placed finish, or even higher, would be remarkable for the Clarets, particularly with the competition from those over their shoulder.

Both Wolves and Everton highlighted their credentials in Saturday’s 2-2 draw, but also exposed flaws, while Bournemouth and Watford delivered early reminders that a top-10 finish is not out of the question.

However, even in defeat, it was Leicester who impressed greatly in their 2-1 loss at United. The Foxes may have fallen short at Old Trafford, but having held on to Harry Maguire, tied up Jamie Vardy to a new contract, and bought a rising star in James Maddison, the club look well placed to challenge for a European place – though a repeat of their title heroics seems like a 5000/1 shot once more, particularly with City looking so menacing.

With Wolves and Fulham investing heavily over the summer, Cardiff’s cards were already marked going into the opening weekend, and their 2-0 loss at Bournemouth did little to raise hopes of anything but a basement finish.

However, Huddersfield and Brighton showed they could well be in for difficult second seasons in the top flight. Huddersfield looked short of ideas at home to Chelsea, while Brighton failed to record a single shot on target at Watford. It could be a long season for these clubs, though no club’s fate is sealed in August.