Liverpool Held at Newcastle, Mourinho Wins on Substitute's Goal, Carrick Loses Debut

The weekend that reopened the calendar in England and Spain had a bit of everything: a draw that felt like a missed opportunity, a debut goal from a little known 6-foot-4 player, and a captain jeered by his own fans. The Premier League and LaLiga kicked off their 2026-27 seasons, and as usually happens on opening weekends, there were more questions than answers.

Liverpool Held at Newcastle, Leaving Doubts

Liverpool visited St James' Park with Matthias Jaissle freshly installed in the dugout and came away with a draw that, on closer look, feels like a missed chance. The team avoided defeat thanks to an absurd penalty conceded by Lewis Hall in stoppage time, converted by Dominik Szoboszlai, and because Yoane Wissa, unstoppable for long stretches of the match, missed two clear chances.

The new look Liverpool still doesn't resemble Andoni Iraola's Bournemouth from last season, that version with an almost telepathic understanding between the lines. Neither Florian Wirtz nor Alexander Isak quite fit into the style Iraola wants to impose on Sunday, even though neither is going anywhere. After the final whistle, Iraola preferred to focus on the numbers: 36 touches inside Newcastle's box and an xG double that of their opponents, though inflated by the penalty.

On the other side, Newcastle earned the applause. Losing Anthony Gordon, Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes in the same summer, plus Eddie Howe himself from the touchline, and still putting up a fight like that is no small feat. The challenge for Jaissle now is to sustain it.

Mourinho Opens New Chapter with Goal from an Unknown

Jose Mourinho made his debut in the Real Madrid dugout with a 2-1 win over Espanyol, but the headline wasn't written by any of the stars. It was Carlos Espi, the least talked about signing of the summer, who came on with 11 minutes left and scored the winning goal with a finish that surprised, quite apart from his 6-foot-4 frame.

The rest of the team looked talented but lacking in chemistry, understandable given how little time they've spent training together. The defending on Alex Calatrava's goal was weak, Vinicius and Mbappe came and went from the match as they tend to do, and neither Bernardo Silva nor Fede Valverde has quite figured out how to cover the space Aurelien Tchouameni leaves in front of the back line. Mourinho already knows he has work to do.

Bitter Debut for Michael Carrick

At Manchester United, Michael Carrick's era as full time manager began with a 2-0 loss at newly promoted Hull City. The manager was honest afterward:

It's a big disappointment, plain and simple, but it doesn't change the direction we're heading in.Michael Carrick

The chosen 4-2-3-1 demands mobility that neither Youri Tielemans nor Andrey Santos provide comfortably, and United suffered again and again against the home side's counterattacks.

Quick Notes from Around Europe

Barcelona routed Elche 5-0 without Pedri, Rodri, Jules Kounde, Pau Cubarsi or Dani Olmo in the starting lineup, with Raphinha playing through the middle and Anthony Gordon standing out on the left. In Germany, Bayern claimed the Supercup with a 2-1 win over Borussia Dortmund, with an unexpected Nathaniel Brown shining as an attacking midfielder. Inter thrashed Monza 4-1 with a backheel goal from Francesco Pio Esposito, and Ruben Amorim's Milan won 2-1 in Turin, with youngster Alphadjo Cisse scoring on his debut.

In Spain, Atletico Madrid drew 2-2 with Villarreal on a night marked by jeers directed at Julian Alvarez, while Tottenham was thumped 3-0 by Roberto De Zerbi's Brighton. De Zerbi held nothing back afterward, saying his opponents "lacked a soul." Plenty of soccer, plenty of storylines, and we're only just getting started.