Premier League Power Rankings: Manchester United Impress as Chelsea and Liverpool Slump on Opening Weekend

The first weekend of the new Premier League season threw up surprises and predictability in almost equal measure.

Routine victories for Manchester United and Manchester City were counterbalanced by an opening-day implosion from defending champion Chelsea and a star turn from Huddersfield Town, which blitzed Crystal Palace in South London.

Here's how the form guide looks after the first set of fixtures.

1. Huddersfield Town

Further games will shed more light on whether Huddersfield is getting that strange phenomenon of the newly promoted team, the "bounce" before the bigger clubs work out David Wagner's tactics.

For the moment, though, the club from West Yorkshire can bask in the mid-August sun. Huddersfield's quick, clever attackers buzzed around a Crystal Palace side that must improve quickly under new coach Ronald de Boer. Huddersfield's biggest problem was always likely to be scoring enough goals, but if new striker Steve Mounie can keep up the form he showed against Palace, Wagner may yet pull off the unlikely and keep his team away from relegation.

2. Burnley

Presented with the best opportunity it will ever have to knock off the defending Premier League champion on its home ground, Burnley grasped the initiative and did not let go. Three first-half goals, two from Sam Vokes and one from defender Stephen Ward, stunned Chelsea, who also lost Cesc Fàbregas to a red card in the second period. Chelsea pulled two goals back, including one via Álvaro Morata on his Premier League debut. But Antonio Conte's team could not spoil a terrific display from a Burnley side that was woeful away from home last season.

3. Manchester United

José Mourinho's first season at Manchester United was defined by a fragility at Old Trafford that contributed to a disappointing finish of sixth in the league.

That doesn't seem likely to be a problem this time around. United exploded out of the starting blocks against a sleepy West Ham United, with new signings Romelu Lukaku and Nemanja Matić particularly impressive. Lukaku scored twice. Mourinho would have been pleased with a sharp cameo from Anthony Martial and a fine strike to round the victory off from Paul Pogba, who showed sublime touches throughout. Mourinho finally has a team built in his image.

4. Tottenham Hotspur

Sometimes you don't have to make expensive signings to move forward as a team. In a summer when Paris Saint-Germain and Neymar redrew the boundaries of believability, Tottenham's approach to the transfer market harkens back to a calmer, bygone era. Mauricio Pochettino sold Kyle Walker to Manchester City for 50 million pounds, safe in the knowledge he had a replacement already at the club in Kieran Tripper.

Tottenham also possesses talent coveted by Europe's biggest clubs, and Christian Eriksen, Dele Alli and Harry Kane eventually proved too much for Newcastle, which lost captain Jonjo Shelvey to a senseless red card. The margin of victory could have been more than the two goals Tottenham ended with. Next week's game against Chelsea at Wembley looms large.

5. Manchester City

Job done for Pep Guardiola, who had to wait until the 70th minute for Sergio Aguero to fire Manchester City in front against a durable Brighton team that had 22 percent of possession. City faces a tricky second game at home against Everton on August 21.

6. Everton

Everton's heavy summer spending must be matched by results, and it got a win on the first day of the season from a returning favorite. Wayne Rooney's header in first-half stoppage time was the highlight of a scrappy game against Stoke City.

7. Arsenal

Is Olivier Giroud ever going to get the love he deserves from pundits and supporters? The Frenchman came off the substitutes' bench to complete a thrilling Arsenal comeback against Leicester City Friday night. It's not the first time he has rescued Arsenal, and given the team's defensive frailties, it almost certainly won't be the last.

8. Watford

If Marco Silva can continue to coax dominant performances from Stefano Okaka like the one the Italian produced against Liverpool on Saturday, Watford will be well clear of relegation this season.

9. West Bromwich Albion

Tony Pulis will never play with the style to please everyone, but the West Brom manager is superb at what he does: keeping a team in the Premier League. West Brom ceded possession to Bournemouth and scored with a trademark Pulis goal, a set-piece header from defender Ahmed Hegazi.

10. Southampton

Southampton remain in a hinterland while the future of Virgil van Dijk is resolved, but they had the better chances in a draw with Swansea City.

11. Swansea City

Swansea's situation is strangely similar to Southampton's, with their best player, Gylfi Sigurðsson, possibly on his way to Everton. In the circumstances, manager Paul Clement will have been pleased with a point.

12. Leicester City

As thrilling and heroic a defeat as you could imagine, although Leicester would have found a way to win this two seasons ago. Jamie Vardy scoring prolifically again will be a very good thing for Craig Shakespeare, who has Kelechi Iheanacho still to integrate.

13. Bournemouth

Eddie Howe's team should have made more of its possession against West Brom. Two frightening fixtures against Manchester City and Arsenal loom after it hosts Watford.

14. Stoke City

After almost a decade in the Premier League, Stoke could finally be at serious risk of dropping into the second tier again. This was a limp start, and they face Arsenal at home on Saturday evening.

15. Liverpool

Jürgen Klopp's team is still vibrant in attack, still vulnerable from set pieces and still unable to hold onto a lead against one of the league's perceived weaker teams. Until two of those three things are solved, a first Premier League title will remain a distant dream.

16. Brighton

Chris Hughton's team will have to be better on the ball if they want to stay up, though fixtures against the likes of City will not define their season.

17. Newcastle United

Does Newcastle have the firepower in attack to avoid relegation? Not on this evidence. Manager Rafael Benítez must be backed in the transfer market before the window closes.

18. West Ham United

West Ham's new signings looked good in theory, but only Javier Hernández emerged in credit from a horrible afternoon at Old Trafford. Slaven Bilić's side was brittle in defense and insipid in attack.

19. Crystal Palace

Frank de Boer could hardly have had a more nightmarish start to life as a Premier League manager.

20. Chelsea

Is it too early to talk of a crisis? Antonio Conte's team must find a response against Tottenham on Sunday or risk the recurrence of painful memories from its last failed title defense under Mourinho two years ago.