Barclays Premier League Table: 2016 EPL Outlook After Saturday's Opening Results
The 2016-17 English Premier League season officially kicked off Saturday, and it took only one match before the table was thrown into disarray.
Leicester City shocked the world by winning the EPL title as a huge underdog last season, and their performance Saturday was perhaps nearly as surprising, as the defending champions fell to Hull City and instantly put themselves in a hole.
Along with that unexpected result, here is a rundown of Saturday's scores and a look at the EPL standings after the first day of competition.
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Saturday Scores
| Hull City | Leicester City | 2-1 |
| Burnley | Swansea City | 0-1 |
| Crystal Palace | West Bromwich Albion | 0-1 |
| Everton | Tottenham Hotspur | 1-1 |
| Middlesbrough | Stoke City | 1-1 |
| Southampton | Watford | 1-1 |
| Manchester City | Sunderland | 2-1 |
EPL Table
| 1 | Hull City | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| 2 | Manchester City | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| 3 | Swansea City | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| 4 | West Bromwich Albion | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| 5 | Everton | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 6 | Middlesbrough | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 7 | Southampton | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 8 | Stoke City | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 9 | Tottenham Hotspur | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 10 | Watford | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 11 | Arsenal | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 12 | Bournemouth | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 13 | Chelsea | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 14 | Liverpool | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 15 | Manchester United | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 16 | West Ham United | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 17 | Leicester City | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | -1 | 0 |
| 18 | Sunderland | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | -1 | 0 |
| 19 | Burnley FC | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | -1 | 0 |
| 20 | Crystal Palace | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | -1 | 0 |
Recap
While there was no shortage of EPL action throughout the day Saturday, the most newsworthy result was also the first one with newly promoted Hull City upsetting Leicester City 2-1.
According to BBC's Gary Lineker, the Foxes earned a dubious distinction in taking the loss:
Leicester fell behind during stoppage time of the first half when Adama Diomande put the Tigers on top, but the Foxes answered right back early in the second half when Riyad Mahrez scored on a penalty kick.
Just when it seemed as though Leicester City was back in control, Hull City regained the lead with a Robert Snodgrass goal in the 57th minute, and it never relinquished the advantage.
As seen in this graphic courtesy of Squawka Football, Snodgrass had a big game and was the main reason the Tigers managed to pull off the surprising win:
Few gave Hull a chance to knock off Leicester entering play Saturday, but there was clearly belief within the club.
That was evident based on defender Curtis Davies' comments following the match, per Hull City's official Twitter account:
Losing the opener to a team they were expected to defeat is a significant setback for the Foxes, but if they can recapture the resiliency they displayed last season, the champions should still be title threats in the EPL.
Among the five matches that took place immediately after Leicester's loss, three of them ended in 1-1 draws, including an entertaining affair between Everton and Tottenham Hotspur.
Swansea City and Burnley seemed destined for a draw of their own, as they entered the final 10 minutes of the match with the score tied at 0-0, but new addition Leroy Fer came through in the clutch.
Fer scored in the 82nd minute, and as pointed out by Squawka Football, he made the most of his one opportunity after what had been an otherwise quiet debut:
The late goal may not have come as a big surprise to Swansea fans, as the Swans entered the match with an impressive string of results in early-season matches in recent years, per OptaJoe:
Swansea continued that trend Saturday, and they joined the top of the table alongside some other clubs that are typically in the middle or bottom portion of the standings.
West Bromwich Albion are among them, as they defeated Crystal Palace 1-0 on the road and began the season in ideal fashion as well.
Salomon Rondon scored the first and only goal of the match in the 74th minute, and it proved to be enough despite the Eagles carrying most of the play with 63 percent of the possession.
As pointed out by Squawka Football, though, 2016 has been a nightmare for Crystal Palace dating back to last season:
Manchester City entered the final match of the day on upset alert after watching Leicester fall, but they didn't suffer the same fate, as the team took care of Sunderland by a 2-1 score.
The Citizens took an early lead in the fourth minute by virtue of a successful Sergio Aguero penalty, which marked the continuation of the dominant form he displayed in the latter portion of last season, according to OptaJoe:
Despite possessing 77 percent of the possession and out-shooting Sunderland 16-7, the Sky Blues were nearly forced to settle for a draw when Jermain Defoe tied the game at 1-1 in the 71st minute.
City were bailed out in the 87th minute, however, when Paddy McNair scored an own goal to put them on top for good at 2-1.
Per Squawka Football, the win continued a history of success for Manchester City on opening day of the EPL season:
It wasn't an easy match for Man City by any means, but they ended the day near the top of the EPL table, which is a position they have grown accustomed to.
While there is a long and arduous season ahead, City started 2016-17 off on the right note, and they have some much-needed momentum as they look to win the EPL title for the first time since 2014.
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