London rivals West Ham and Chelsea were probably quite relieved to kick off their campaigns with 1-1 draws, although can either of them show a winning edge at the London Stadium on Sunday?
After all the doom and gloom which escorted David Moyes into the opening weekend following a fruitless summer in the transfer market, the Hammers produced a decent enough performance to get a draw at Bournemouth.
And Chelsea's worries that Liverpool might wreck their new dawn at Stamford Bridge weren't realised as Mauricio Pochettino's Blues fought back to earn a 1-1 draw.
- Chelsea to win
- Raheem Sterling anytime goalscorer
Poch Can Notch First Win
Given the comings and goings at Stamford Bridge this summer – and still going on this week with Romeo Lavia arriving from Southampton and Lewis Hall pencilled in for a move to Newcastle – it was anyone's guess who Mauricio Pochettino would start against Liverpool, and anyone's guess how they would get on.
Despite being repeatedly cut to shreds by Liverpool's lively attack – and they can do that to anyone – Chelsea stood firm and came away with a creditable 1-1 draw.
New signing Nicolas Jackson was a handful up front and the whole performance felt so much more positive than had ever been evident at the back end of last season.
Pochettino will almost certainly tweak his team for Sunday's trip to the London Stadium – Moises Caicedo can expect a debut in midfield with Malo Gusto set to replace the injured Reece James at right-back – but they will carry a threat. And West Ham are a far less dangerous adversary than Liverpool.
West Ham were happy enough to play without the ball for long periods at Bournemouth, where they took the lead through Jarrod Bowen only to be pegged back by a Dominic Solanke effort.
Moyes, still not off the hook with Hammers' fans, many of whom have struggled to warm to the Scot even while he was masterminding Europa Conference League glory, can also make a change or two.
It's taken weeks for him to replace Declan Rice but Moyes has brought in a couple of proper midfielders in James Ward-Prowse and Edson Alvarez, both of whom can be expected to get stuck in against the Blues.
Sterling To Fire
This looks a winnable game for Chelsea, who may be work in progress but still look better equipped than West Ham.
One player who was excellent against Liverpool last week was Raheem Sterling. The England international worked tirelessly to help stem the Reds' attack at source and he was also a constant threat in the box.
Sterling managed just nine goals in the Premier League and Champions League last season - a tally way down on his returns for former club Manchester City where he hadn't even been a regular starter.
He already looks to have developed a decent understanding with Nicolas Jackson and coming in off the right flank he can find the net on Sunday.
RAHEEM STERLING ANYTIME GOALSCORER
