Inter Defend Title with Rout, Newly Promoted Sides Stun England, Lens Thrash Auxerre in Opening Weekend

The champion defends its throne with a rout, while a couple of newly promoted sides spoil the party for two giants in England. That's how the new European league season kicked off, with Inter Milan showing exactly why it's the reigning Serie A champion, and the Premier League delivering two upsets loud enough to make noise from the very first weekend.

At San Siro, Inter thrashed newly promoted Monza 4-1, with Pio Esposito once again at the center of it all. The 21-year-old forward, who broke out last season, picked up right where he left off: he scored a gorgeous back-heel to make it 3-1 at the start of the second half, a finish that says a lot about the confidence he's carrying into this campaign. Hakan Çalhanoğlu had opened the scoring earlier with a right-footed strike from distance in the 6th minute, Piotr Zieliński extended the lead, and Yann Bisseck rounded out the scoring shortly after Esposito's goal. There was a defensive lapse in between that allowed Monza to briefly level the score, and it's a moment worth noting: it's no coincidence the club invested in English duo Djed Spence and John Stones during the transfer window. Stones came on as a substitute late in the match, while Spence watched from the stands alongside Curtis Jones, who completed his move to Inter just the previous Friday. Cristian Chivu's side, which won both the league and the cup in his first season in charge last year, produced another notable result on the day too: Como, last season's surprise fourth-place finisher, could only draw 1-1 away at Udinese.

Newly Promoted Sides Rattle England

If everything went according to script in Italy, the script was torn up entirely in the Premier League. Hull City, back in the top flight after a nine-year absence, delivered a massive shock by beating Manchester United 2-0 at home. Both goals came in the first half, and both from set pieces: first Semi Ajayi, then Nobel Mendy. For a team that came up through the Championship playoffs and is tipped as a relegation candidate to beat a 20-time league champion like that says plenty about United's sluggish start.

Tottenham fared no better. After spending more than $300 million on signings over the summer, one of the highest outlays in Europe, they were routed 3-0 away at Brentford, a result that clashes badly with the expectations that spending had created.

Lens Rout Auxerre, Who Self-Destruct

In France, Lens, last season's runners-up, showed no mercy in a 5-2 win over Auxerre, a match Auxerre themselves made harder than it needed to be. Auxerre were down to ten men from the 35th minute, when Christ Makosso was shown a straight red card for a foul on Abdallah Sima, and they also conceded two penalties. Florian Thauvin converted both: the first in the 12th minute and the second on the rebound, after goalkeeper Mamadou Diop saved his initial attempt but strayed off his line early. Every Lens goal aside from that first penalty came in the second half, once the numerical advantage had fully tilted the balance.