Manchester City won 2-0. There was even the little lesson of Mateo Kovacic scoring the clinching goal after beating the two £200m-plus midfielders signed to replace him, with Enzo Fernandez not exactly showing the kind of resolve that would be expected of a captain.
His temporary elevation to that status will bring questions after a summer where he was forced to apologise to teammates after being caught on video chanting racist and homophobic slurs against members of the French team amid Argentina’s Copa America celebrations.
It was almost fitting that the game had two off-field stories before it – or the season – had even started. That came with the Chelsea lineup, which should be less surprising given that the sheer number of players is going to create issues every week.
More notable than anyone left was who had the captain’s armband. If that seems like quite a statement, it preceded an actual statement from Raheem Sterling after he was left out of the squad altogether. That all comes amid a recruitment policy that continues to cause surprise in the game.
Another reminder was when Conor Gallagher’s name was chanted shortly after Haaland scored, the English midfielder having essentially been forced to join Atletico Madrid.
Denne historien er fra August 19, 2024-utgaven av The Independent.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra August 19, 2024-utgaven av The Independent.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Rioter's mum who went on Ibiza trip given £1,200 fine
Parent went on holiday when her son, 12, was due in court
Our technocrat PM seems to think he is above politics
Keir Starmer didn’t answer Rishi Sunak’s first question any of the three times he asked it.
New underground hospital 'saving lives' in Ukraine
Ukraine has built its first steel, underground frontline hospital in a bid to provide “critical” first aid to severely wounded soldiers.
Reeves warned tax rises may further damage growth
ONS reveals economy has stalled for second month in a row
Lammy criticises 'fascist' Russia and use of Iranian missiles 'changes debate'
The foreign secretary has warned the security of Europe is at stake as optimism grows in Ukraine that it will get the green light to fire long-range missiles into Russia.
Does Labour have any hope of fixing our broken NHS?
A special “rapid investigation” of the National Health Service was commissioned by the health secretary, Wes Streeting, shortly after he came to office in July, and it has now reported.
Tories have left the NHS in 'critical condition' says peer
Starmer says patients right to be angry’ over damning report
England's white-ball reset presents difficult challenge
The Bazball 2.0 white-ball venture has been confirmed for the start of 2025, but before that England take on Australia in a white-ball series packed into September.
Golden boots shine bright for Kane on winning night
He wore golden boots. And he has won them too of course. Three as the Premier League's top scorer, one for outscoring everyone else in a World Cup. It was a fitting way to mark Harry Kane's century of caps, though. Not the most fitting: that came after the presentations. England 2-0 Finland was Kane 2-0 Finland, a golden night for the golden boots.
Kane scores twice as he celebrates his 100th cap
As much as this match rightfully became about Harry Kane, there was something else it resembled as Lee Carsley’s England fluidly worked the ball to the centurion for his 67th and 68th international goals. It was like one of the top Premier League teams patiently moving a Championship side around until the gaps presented themselves.
