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There were the goalscoring heroes and controversial characters among the Premier League debutants this weekend.
But who will have the fans really excited in the belief that they can make a difference?
Here, we sum up the efforts of those trying to impress their new supporters…
It was a dream debut for N’Diaye, a Deadline Day loan signing from Villarreal, as he opened the scoring at the KCOM Stadium with a close-range finish just before half-time. The former Sunderland man regularly got the better of Emre Can and Jordan Henderson and looks an ideal complement to Tom Huddlestone in Hull’s midfield.
The Poland international saw little of the ball as Hull employed a counter-attacking strategy against Liverpool. When in possession, he looked neat and tidy, creating one chance for Abel Hernandez with a fine through ball and his guile around the box offers something Hull would otherwise lack following the departure of Robert Snodgrass.
After making his debut off the bench in the 4-0 defeat to Manchester City in midweek, Snodgrass had a rather more enjoyable afternoon in making his first start for West Ham. He put in a number of crosses but perhaps the real positive from his performance was the work rate - the Scot made more high-intensity sprints than any other player on the pitch.
The Italy striker made a quick impact with a brilliant finish to open the scoring for Southampton but any hopes of being the home side’s hero faded soon after as West Ham completely turned the game around. Gabbiadini even squandered a good chance to level things up but Saints fans will still feel encouraged by what they saw.
Zarate looked lively cutting inside off the left flank in a new-look 4-3-3 formation under Walter Mazzarri. The 29-year-old added a level of technical quality not seen among Watford’s physical midfield and displayed impressive close ball control. He nearly scored in the first half, hitting his effort just wide of the post.
His full debut at home. Playing on the right wing, Niang assisted Troy Deeney’s opener with a fine cross before scoring his first Premier League goal from a header on the stroke of half-time. The 22-year-old was unafraid to take on defenders and also tried a superb curled effort which Tom Heaton did well to tip over the bar in the first half. He tailed off a bit in the second half and was eventually subbed for Isaac Success.
If Saturday’s performance is anything to go by, Ovideo looks to be the perfect replacement for Patrick van Aanholt for Sunderland. Given the tough task of keeping Wilfried Zaha quiet, he did just that. It was a strong start from Oviedo who already looks to be a key component if Sunderland are going to pull off yet another great relegation escape.
A 52nd-minute substitute as Jack Rodwell came off injured, it was a solid performance from Gibson. There were some question marks about his fitness levels having not played in the Premier League since the final day of last season, but he quickly got up to speed. The test will now come if he can maintain the same level in tougher circumstances.
A signing that some scoffed at, Lescott made his Sunderland debut by coming on in the 57th minute after an injury to John O’Shea. He played his part, helping to clear a fine cross from Joel Ward in the 65th minute to ensure Sunderland kept their first away clean sheet of the season and their second in a row in the Premier League. If O’Shea faces a spell on the sidelines, Lescott could prove to be a good like-for-like switch.
An excellent full debut from the former Hull midfielder, who replaced Claudio Yacob in the heart of the West Brom midfield. Only Erik Pieters made more tackles at The Hawthorns, while nobody made more interceptions or regained possession more often than Livermore.
After a tumultuous week, Berahino was kept out of the firing line initially on his return to The Hawthorns, but came off the bench with just over half an hour to go. The 23-year-old was very ineffective, making only four touches, none of which were in the Baggies’ penalty area.
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