Robert Snodgrass thumped home a left-footed victor in the 57th minute after Leicester, who lost only three games last season, failed to clear their lines.
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Seconds before the half-time whistle, Hull City took the lead in spectacular fashion as Diomande’s bicycle kick and Abel Hernandez overhead effort somehow combined to beat Kasper Schmeichel. The same Hull City whose own players have been making jokes about their lack of players, and who only had 13 players available on Saturday.
The champions became the first reigning title-holders to suffer defeat on the opening day of their Premier League title defence as Adama Diamande and Robert Snodgrass scored either side of a controversial Riyad Mahrez penalty at the KCOM Stadium. Leicester won’t lose every match and they’ll look better than they did against Hull, but there are aspects of their play that are right in line with what we should realistically expect from the Foxes. Danny Simpson failed to clear Ahmed Elmohamady’s cross beyond the edge of the area and the Scotland worldwide had time to bring the ball down and arrowed a strike into the corner.
Hull’s interim coach Mike Phelan said: “It was great to see everyone pulled together and we got a result that surprised a few people”.
“The players can enjoy the weekend now and look forward to the next game”.
Guardiola’s debut began in ideal fashion when Raheem Sterling won a fourth-minute penalty after a foul by Patrick van Aanholt.
Those moments seemed to sum up the match yesterday, when one of the most makeshift teams to have entered combat at this level defeated the English title-holders 2-1.
Ross Barkley gave Everton a fifth-minute lead at Goodison Park with a free-kick from wide on the left that eluded everyone and curled into the net.
Tottenham goalkeeper Hugo Lloris limped off with a hamstring injury in the 35th minute.
“The first half was hard for us and we did not play well”, Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino said.
The rest of the second half can be summed up as poor for Leicester, and that’s putting it lightly.
Leicester had the better of the early stages with England worldwide Danny Drinkwater going close with a couple of efforts from the edge of the box.
Philip said: “Unbelievable. I don’t think anyone saw this coming”.
Two other matches finished 1-1, with Nathan Redmond scoring an equalizer on his Southampton debut against a Watford side that finished with 10 men, while a free kick from Swiss playmaker Xherdan Shaqiri earned Stoke a point against promoted Middlesbrough.
Leroy Fer scored Swansea’s late victor against Burnley and a header from West Brom’s Salomon Rondon gave the visitors their victory at Crystal Palace.
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Ben Watson was then sent off just 11 minutes after coming on as he brought down Shane Long as the Irishman bore down on goal.
